Chennai, 10 January (H.S.) : A consumer court in Chennai has ordered the luxury hotel The Leela Palace, Udaipur, to pay over ten lakh sixty five thousand rupees in compensation for a serious privacy breach.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chennai North, found the hotel guilty of deficiency in service after a housekeeping staff member entered an occupied room using a master key. The incident involved a Chennai-based advocate and her husband, who had booked a premium room in January 2025 to celebrate a baby-moon.

According to the commission, the staff member entered the room within seconds of ringing the bell while the couple was in the washroom, causing significant mental trauma to the pregnant guest.

The commission rejected the hotel's defense regarding internal standard operating procedures, ruling that such protocols cannot override a guest’s fundamental right to privacy. Evidence presented in court included apology letters from the management, WhatsApp communications, and photographs showing a broken washroom door and non-functional CCTV cameras.

The court further criticized the hotel for its conduct following the incident, citing delays in providing footage and the withholding of the couple's luggage during checkout.

Consequently, the hotel was directed to refund the room tariff of fifty five thousand five hundred rupees with nine percent interest, pay ten lakh rupees as compensation for damages, and provide ten thousand rupees for litigation costs within two months.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary