SUJAN Rajmahal Palace, Jaipur becomes the only Indian property to score the perfect 10


Booking.com 2016 Guest Review Awards


SUJAN Rajmahal Palace, Jaipur becomes the only Indian property to score the perfect 10


Apartments and other vacation rental properties lead the perfect-10 pack as 70% of travellers say they have the best time when they can make themselves at home*


INDIA –2 FEBRUARY, 2017 –Sujan Rajmahal Palace, Jaipur has become the only Indian property to score a perfect 10 in the latest edition of Booking.com 2016 Guest Review Awards. Every year, Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, honours its accommodation partners that consistently deliver great guest experiences.  Other properties to earn review score of 9.5 and above in India are Shimla View Home, Shimla; Periyar Inn, Thekkadi; Casa Da Praia, Candolim; Alleppey Beach Garden, Alleppey; Pinnacle Holiday Home, Arpora etc.

Based on over 110 million reviews, this year 355,535 properties in 205 countries and territories are being recognised with Italy (53,005), the United States (24,761), France (23,003), Germany (18,221), Spain (18,037), the UK (16,514), Austria (12,659), Greece (12,439), Croatia (12,219), and Poland (10,399) taking home the most awards.  

In India, 1858 properties, from all types, received the award, with an overall average score of 8.4 in guest reviews. Among these, Hotels, Resorts, Bed and Breakfast, homestays and Guest houses are reflecting continued global increase in the demand for holiday rentals. The Sujan Rajmahal Palace hotel achieved a perfect 10 score, demonstrating their dedication to offering an unforgettable stay.

Vacation rental options such as apartments, holiday homes and villas top the list of properties earning a highly-coveted perfect 10 review score this year, making up more than 70% of the 486 accommodations to receive the distinction. This is not surprising as according to recent research from Booking.com, 70% of people say they have the best time while travelling when they can make themselves at home, with 59% sharing that they like to feel a personal connection with their host or the staff at the accommodation*. 

As travellers are increasingly expecting a more personalised and home-like stay experience, having professional and helpful staff is of utmost importance for the vast majority of people (91%). Nearly half (49%) say that it improves their experience significantly with another 42% declaring that it’s absolutely essential and wouldn’t stay at an accommodation without it**. 

“With more than 110 million guest reviews on our platform, we not only help guide travellers to find their perfect stays, but empower our accommodation partners to stay up-to-date with evolving customer expectations, including what travellers appreciate most about their property, as well as what can potentially be improved,” said Remco van Zanten, Global Director of Partner Services as Booking.com. “With our guest review awards, we congratulate, thank and honour the incredible dedication of our partners to create great guest experiences for our customers, time and time again.”

Regardless of where they stay, travellers don’t just need a place to lay their head. A truly memorable stay lies in the details. From the first picture a guest sees online, to the welcome they get at check-in, the food they eat and the ambience they find, their experience of a property is made up of dozens of vital little details. The Booking.com Guest Review Awards recognises those properties that get all those details right. 

Top 10 accommodation requirements by global travellers*:


A comfortable bed - 80%
A picturesque view - 60%
Free Wi-Fi - 52%
Nice toiletries - 39%
Soft pillows - 35%
Great room service menu - 28%
Waterfall shower - 25%
Complimentary bottle of wine on arrival - 21%
Coat hangers and wardrobe space- 17%
Mood lighting  - 13%


To be recognized with an award, properties had to have an average review score of 8.0 or higher based on at least 10 reviews as of 11:59pm (CET) on October 31, 2016. Only customers that have actually stayed at an accommodation can leave a review of their experience on Booking.com. After they have checked out of the property, they are invited to rate their accommodation experience against six categories: cleanliness, comfort, location, facilities, staff and value for money. As these reviews are never edited or adjusted in any way, travellers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real guest experience is like at every place to stay on Booking.com.


*Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 people from each of the 17 markets who had taken at least 1 domestic or international holiday in the past year. In total, 17,157 respondents (18yrs +) were surveyed from the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Russia, USA, Canada, Brazil, China, Japan, India, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Data was collected from 9 September to 4 October 2016.

**According to data collected by Booking.com with 12,781 respondents across 13 markets in September 2016. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in 2016 and had to be planning at least one trip for 2017. All respondents had to consider themselves part of their travel decision-making process.

About Booking.com: 

Booking.com is the world leader in booking hotel and other accommodations online. It guarantees the best prices for any type of property – from small independents to five-star luxury. Guests can access the Booking.com website anytime, anywhere from their desktops, mobile phones and tablet devices, and they don’t pay booking fees – ever. The Booking.com website is available in over 40 languages, offers over 1.1M hotels and accommodations including more than 566,000 vacation rental properties and covers over 104,000 destinations in 225 countries and territories worldwide. It features over 111M reviews written by guests after their stay, and attracts online visitors from both leisure and business markets around the globe. With 20 years of experience and a team of over 13,000 dedicated employees in 187 offices worldwide, Booking.com operates its own in-house customer service team, which is available 24/7 to assist guests in their native languages and ensure an exceptional customer experience.

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