Oberoi Udaivilas bags world's best hotel from T+L readers

New Delhi, July 11 (UNI) Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur has been ranked the World's Best Hotel in the Travel + Leisure (T+L) magazine's World's Best Awards 2007, winning the top slot for the first time by an Indian hotel.

Last year, Oberoi Udaivilas was ranked third in the list.

Two other hotels of the Oberoi group, Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra and Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur were ranked 10th and 11th, respectively.

Another Indian hotel, the Taj Lake Palace, also in Udaipur, Rajasthan, has been ranked 82nd, down from 10 last year.

While Amarvilas was ranked 54th last year, Rajvilas slipped from its 2006 ranking of sixth.

''This is a significant landmark for Indian tourism and will further encourage tourists to visit the country,'' Oberoi Group Chairman P R S Oberoi said.

An Oberoi group press release said the ranking by the readers of T+L magazine is acknowledged to be amongst the most revered in the international travel industry.

''To arrive at this ranking, hotels across the world were evaluated on characteristics ranging from accommodation and service to location,'' it explained.

''This year's results underline T+L readers' ever-increasing embrace of global travel in search for distinctive and authentic experiences. The extraordinary rise of India among the top hotels and resorts in the world is one sure reflection of this tendency,'' the magazine's Editor-in-Chief Nancy Novogrod said.

The Udaivilas is a Mewari palace-style hotel overlooking Lake Pichola in Udaipur.

The Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, owns or manages 32 hotels and luxury cruisers across five countries under the 'Oberoi Hotels and Resorts' and 'Trident Hilton' brands.

The group is also engaged in flight catering, airport resturants, travel and tour service, car rentals, project management and corporate air charters.

UNI