Sea view rooms preferred

Chennai: It’s not merely etiquette or gourmet that matters most when one is on a trip along the coastal states of India. It is the ‘view’ that makes an ocean of difference while staying in hotels.

Hotel chains that offer accommodation with a stunning view of the sea besides sunrise or sunset are the most sought after rooms by holidayers. And God’s Own Country seems to overtake all other coastal states in this category, as per a latest survey by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.

“TripAdvisor lists are great travel planning guides for all kinds of travellers - for ardent lovers of a sunset over the sea, there is no better cure than spending time at one of these accommodations with breathtaking view of the water,” says Nikhil Ganju, country manager, TripAdvisor India.

The list is a mix of hotel chains and bed & breakfast accommodation providing a stunning view of the sea. Kerala leads with six accommodations from its state, followed by Goa with five and Maharashtra with 4.

While two picturesque spots have figured from Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu have registered their presence with one accommodation each. About 20 most popular sea view accommodation figure in the list.

A new merging trend in the hospitality sector is to reward guests with points for their “social behaviour” like tweets, retweets or checking in on facebook. Many international hotel chains have launched rewards, a new loyalty programme, to lure more guests. This would encourage the young travel buffs to travel more, say sources.