The Delhi High Court has directed leading online travel agencies (OTAs) to remove, delist or block 22 hotel and hospitality listings identified in proceedings concerning the alleged unauthorised use of names incorporating “Orchid”, a registered trademark associated with Kamat Hotels (India) Limited (KHIL).
The listings cover properties across Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh. Names cited in the proceedings include variations such as “The Orchid”, “Orchid Hotel”, “Orchid Inn”, “Hotel Orchid”, “Blue Orchid”, “River Orchid Resort” and “Golden Orchid”.
The court’s order brings OTA listing practices into focus, particularly around the identification of hotel properties and their brand affiliations on digital booking platforms.
Kamat Hotels said several major OTAs had also voluntarily taken steps following notices from the company and indicated their willingness to strengthen precautionary measures and brand protection processes.
Vishal Kamat, Executive Director, Kamat Hotels (India) Limited, said the order reinforces the importance of clearly communicating a property’s identity and brand affiliation to customers.
“The Orchid has been built over three decades, and protecting the trademark is an important part of protecting the trust associated with the brand,” he said.
Kamat added that cooperation between hotel companies and OTAs would be important as digital platforms become increasingly significant channels for hotel discovery and bookings.
“As hotel discovery and bookings increasingly happen through digital platforms, stronger verification and brand protection mechanisms can help create greater transparency for both consumers and hotel companies,” he said.
The development highlights the challenges hotel companies face around brand identity and unauthorised use of trademarks as digital distribution expands. It also puts greater emphasis on property verification and the accurate presentation of hotel information by online booking platforms.
For OTAs, the order underscores the need to address brand-related concerns associated with hotel listings, while for hotel companies, trademark protection remains relevant to brand identity and customer acquisition across digital channels.
