New Delhi:  TripAdvisor , the world’s largest travel site*, today revealed the findings of a study¹ that looked at review ratings collected by TripAdvisor from travellers around the world. Of the 28 Indian States, Kerala accommodations are leading in guest satisfaction, as travellers give this State’s properties the highest average review rating of 4.27 out of possible 5, followed by Rajasthan (4.25) and Haryana (4.18).

Top 5 Indian States with the Highest Average Review Ratings on Accommodations1

1.    Kerala (4.27)

2.    Rajasthan (4.25)

3.    Haryana (4.18)

4.    Sikkim (4.14)

5.    Uttarakhand (4.07)

Ratings Trends: B&Bs Outperform Hotels

As part of the study, TripAdvisor also examined the difference in average traveller review ratings for India’s hotels versus its B&Bs. The results show that B&Bs are edging out their hotel counterparts with an average review rating of 4.05 out of possible 5, versus 3.52 for hotels.¹

Who’s Writing Best Reviews of Indian Properties?

In addition, the study also looked at countries that contribute the highest number of reviews to Indian properties and found that the travellers from U.K. wrote the most reviews followed by travellers from U.S, France, Australia, and Germany. Of the countries that contribute the most reviews, travellers from U.K and U.S., both tend to give the highest average rating for Indian properties (3.94) followed by Australian travellers (3.89). Indians’ experiences of their own accommodations are clearly falling short by comparison with an average score of 3.761, the lowest among the ratings given by U.K., U.S., Australia, France or Germany.

“On TripAdvisor, accommodations of all sizes share the same space and have an equal opportunity of exposure to the world’s largest online travel community. It exemplifies the importance of excellent service commended by great ratings, and its prowess to outdo large advertising budgets and marketing muscle”, said Meera Dass, owner of Saubhag Bed & Breakfast in Delhi.

“In the last ten years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of travellers posting reviews about where they have stayed. Today’s findings show the wealth of information now available hasn’t just benefitted other travelers; it has benefitted the industry as well,” said Christine Petersen, president, TripAdvisor for Business. “Hotel and B&B owners have, it appears, clearly been listening to the free feedback they have received, and used it to improve the service they provide.”

1Based on average review ratings (not property ratings) submitted in 2012 (to Sept. 2012) on India properties listed on TripAdvisor