A Chennai consumer court has ordered The Leela Palace, Udaipur, to pay over Rs 10.65 lakh in compensation and refund a room tariff after finding the hotel guilty of deficient service and a breach of guest privacy involving a pregnant woman. The court found that housekeeping staff unlawfully entered an occupied room using a master key, causing severe mental trauma and humiliation.
Udaipur Leela Palace Fined Over Rs 10 Lakh for Privacy Breach
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chennai (North), issued its order on December 16, detailing the incident. The complainant, a Chennai-based advocate, had booked a premium “Grand Room with Lake View” for Rs 55,500 on a non-refundable basis for a one-day stay in January 2025, intended to celebrate her husband’s birthday and their baby-moon.
The commission determined that despite the room being occupied, a housekeeping associate entered the room shortly after ringing the bell, citing internal standard operating procedures. The court rejected the hotel’s defense that these internal procedures could override a guest’s right to privacy, especially given the hotel’s premium pricing.
Evidence presented to the commission included WhatsApp communications with hotel officials, apology letters from staff and management issued the same day, photographs of a broken washroom door, and evidence of a non-functional CCTV camera outside the room. This evidence supported the complainant’s account and refuted the hotel’s claim that there was no immediate protest.
The commission also criticized the hotel’s post-incident conduct, citing delays in providing CCTV footage, misleading assurances, and harassment during checkout, where the complainant and her husband were made to wait for hours and their luggage was withheld. The complainant’s pregnancy was noted as a factor that aggravated the trauma and increased the hotel’s duty of care.
The commission ordered the hotel to refund the full room tariff of Rs 55,500 with 9% interest from January 26, 2025, pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation for both financial and emotional damages, and cover Rs 10,000 in litigation costs. The hotel is required to make these payments within two months.
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