What happened
Hyatt has moved to block Hilton from registering the name Select by Hilton, setting up a rare trademark fight between two of the world’s biggest hotel companies. Hyatt filed an opposition with the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, citing its own registered Hyatt Select trademark and two pending applications. Hyatt then filed a motion, with Hilton’s consent, to suspend the case while the two sides negotiate a settlement. On Friday, spokespeople for both companies gave Skift identical statements: they have mutually agreed to suspend the action as they continue working toward an agreeable resolution.
What it means for travellers
For guests, nothing changes right now. No hotel is being renamed and no booking is affected. The dispute is about brand names, not about stays. It matters because both companies are building large families of sub-brands, and when two giants use the same everyday word, travellers can easily confuse one brand for the other — especially at the roadside and midscale end of the market, where Hyatt Select properties sit.
What to watch
Watch whether the settlement produces a naming change, a coexistence agreement, or a quiet withdrawal. As hotel groups keep stacking brands on brands, expect more of these naming collisions — and pay attention to the full brand name on your booking, not just the single word in the middle.
Source: Skift — https://skift.com/2026/10/30/hyatt-in-trademark-clash-with-hilton-over-select-in-hotel-brand-names/
