Delhi High Court Restrains Kollam Hotel From Using 'HILTON' And 'HOTEL HILTON INDIA' Marks

The Delhi High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining a hotel operating in Kollam, Kerala, from using the marks “HILTON” and “HOTEL HILTON INDIA” in a trademark infringement and passing off suit filed by Hilton Worldwide Manage Limited.

Justice A. J. Bhambhani held that the plaintiff had established a prima facie case and would suffer irreparable loss if interim protection was not granted.. The Bench held:

“Based on a preliminary appreciation of the matter, this court is of the view that the plaintiffs have succeeded in making-out a prima-facie case in its favour; that the balance of convenience also lies in favour of the plaintiffs and against the defendant; and it would appear that irreparable loss and injury would be caused to the plaintiffs if the interim injunction as prayed-for is not granted.”

Hilton Worldwide submitted that it operates luxury hotels globally and opened its first “HILTON” hotel in Dallas, Texas, in 1925. It also stated that it is the registered proprietor of the “HILTON” trademark in India across multiple classes, with its earliest Indian registration dating back to 11 August 1988. It also claimed that the mark is recognised as a well-known trademark.

It alleged that the defendant was operating a hotel under the name “HOTEL HILTON INDIA” in Kollam and that listings of the hotel on Google and other search engines displayed the address of the plaintiff's own website. This amounted to a deliberate attempt to create greater consumer confusion by associating the defendant's hotel with the plaintiff's global hotel chain.

The Court restrained the defendant from using the mark “HILTON” and/or “HOTEL HILTON INDIA”, or any other mark confusingly or deceptively similar to the plaintiff's registered trademarks, until the next date of hearing.

The matter has been listed before the Joint Registrar on 19 November 2026 for completion of pleadings.