By BW Hotelier

TRIPADVISOR HAS-revealed a new study on review trends, which shows that the average review rating of Indian accommodation on TripAdvisor has seen a steady rise in the past 10 years, increasing by over 10 per cent from 3.69 (out of a possible 5) in 2004 to 4.09 in 2014.

According to the study, the average accommodation review rating for India trailed behind the global average, but research illustrates that the gap has narrowed in recent years.

A closer look at the average accommodation review rating by global TripAdvisor’s travellers across 10 Indian cities revealed properties in Jaipur had the highest average review rating historically. In 2014, accommodations in Jaipur earned an above global average review rating of 4.28, out of a possible five. On par with the 4.12 global average, New Delhi properties were given the second highest review ratings by global travellers.

Average Accommodation Review Rating by Indian City (2014)
Ranked from the highest TripAdvisor review ratings to the lowest

Rank Indian City TripAdvisor Review Rating
1 Jaipur 4.28
2 New Delhi 4.12
3 Bangalore 4.09
4 Mumbai (Bombay) 4.07
5 Pune 4.07
6 Hyderabad 4.05
7 Ahmedabad 4.01
8 Chandigarh 4
9 Chennai (Madras) 4
10 Kolkata (Calcutta) 3.85

Closer analysis of the B&B and hotel global findings over the last five years (from the start of 2010 to the end of 2014), found that B&Bs were given an average review rating of 4.40 compared to the average review rating of 4 given to hotels by TripAdvisor travellers. In India, we see that whilst B&Bs do have a slightly higher review rating average than hotels during this period, the difference between them is much smaller with B&Bs achieving a 4.09 average and hotels closely behind with 4.01.

The study also revealed some interesting insights into the preferences of different types of travellers. For example, business travellers are the most discerning, awarding the lowest average review rating to both B&B’s and hotels compared to other types of global travellers. Couples are the most satisfied, giving hotels and B&Bs the highest average review rating amongst all types of travellers.

Further analysis into review by room count over the last five years (from the start of 2010 to the end of 2014) revealed properties with 25 rooms or less received the highest average review ratings by global travellers (4.36 out of 5). However, properties with 251 rooms or more were also highly rated by travellers (4.05 out of 5), suggesting that travellers are equally drawn to the wide array of amenities offered by large properties and resorts, as well as the intimate experience offered by smaller properties.

The TripAdvisor study also analysed data such as click throughs to Business Listings links across a sample of accommodation pages. The findings revealed a correlation between review ratings and booking enquiries from travellers researching places to stay on TripAdvisor. According to the study, the higher the accommodation review rating, the higher the number of clicks to the property’s website from its Business Listings on the TripAdvisor hotel page.

TripAdvisor Business Listings subscribers who increased their review rating to at least a 4 (out of 5) saw an average increase of 30 per cent in users clicking through to their property’s telephone number, website and special offers from their Business Listings links on TripAdvisor.

’It’s great to see an upswing in the average ratings of reviews for Australian properties. Business owners are clearly making online reviews a priority for their business ’ providing great service, encouraging traveller feedback and continuing to engage with travellers once they have posted a review.-By placing exceptional service and traveller engagement at the heart of their operations, we expect this upward trend in review ratings to continue for Australian accommodations of all sizes,’ said Marc Charron, President, TripAdvisor for Business.