Messy Hotel Trademark Battle: Hyatt Select Vs. Select By Hilton

Hilton and Hyatt may be getting into a lengthy legal battle over the use of the word “Select,” with Hyatt claiming that Hilton is trying to copy it. Is there merit to this case, or is there enough difference between the two brands that it won’t cause confusion? This is an interesting situation… Hilton & Hyatt are both using “Select” brandingHyatt tries to block Select by Hilton trademark filingBottom line Hilton & Hyatt are both using “Select” branding In February 2025, Hyatt announced its newest hotel brand, Hyatt Select. The idea is that this is an “upper-midscale transient brand designed to meet the needs of modern travelers while delivering an efficient, cost-effective model for owners.” Hyatt Select property rendering In other words, if you have a very basic limited service hotel and don’t want to make many changes, Hyatt is happy to take a cut on all revenue in exchange for it being bookable through Hyatt channels, and being part of World of Hyatt. 😉 Then in March 2026, Hilton announced its new Select by Hilton concept. Now, this is a bit nuanced, since Select by Hilton isn’t actually a hotel brand, but instead, it’s a collection of hotel brands. When Hilton partnered with YOTEL, that brand became the first to belong to Select by Hilton. Here’s how Hilton describes that concept: Select by Hilton is designed to grow into a brand that creates new ways to stay for guests, with the trust, confidence, and perks they expect from Hilton. High-quality, established hotel brands that join Select by Hilton will retain their own identity and brand management while they connect to the award-winning Hilton Honors loyalty program and enjoy the benefits of Hilton’s superior distribution and technology platforms. Hyatt tries to block Select by Hilton trademark filing All of this brings us to the controversy here. Hilton has been trying to file a trademark application for Select by Hilton (the application was filed in October 2025), but Hyatt is attempting to block it. Hyatt argues that the Select by Hilton brand could cause confusion and deceive the public, based on how similar it is to the Hyatt Select branding. Hyatt further tries to defend its position by acknowledging that while there’s the “by Hilton” aspect to the Select by Hilton brand, “Select” is by far the biggest word, and it would be easy for consumers to miss that detail. Select by Hilton & YOTEL logos I’m obviously no lawyer, but I do have a few general thoughts here: We’re at the point where the major hotel groups have dozens of brands, and the word “Select” is hardly distinctive In the case of Hyatt, “Select” refers to a specific hotel brand (so customers can stay at a Hyatt Select property), while in the case of Hilton, “Select” refers to a collection of hotel brands (so customers can stay at a YOTEL, which belongs to Select by Hilton) I also can’t authoritatively say that this won’t cause any confusion among some consumers, but that comes down to so many people seemingly being unable to read or process information; it’s not unreasonable to think that someone will hear the word “Select,” and then associate it with one brand, even if that’s not very sound logic Regarding that last point, how much should brands be on the hook for how little attention people pay to things? I mean, when I flew Turkmenistan Airlines, there were some people in front of me at transit security who were expressing their confusion, because they thought they’d be connecting in Istanbul (presumably on Turkish Airlines). Anyway, I’m curious to see what comes of this. I guess we can’t blame Hyatt for trying to defend its brand, but this also doesn’t strike me as a particularly strong case, especially due to one being a hotel brand, and one being a group of hotel brands. Bottom line Hyatt and Hilton are in a trademark battle over the word “Select.” Hyatt has its Hyatt Select brand, which it launched in early 2025, and then months later, Hilton filed a trademark application for the Select by Hilton concept. The difference is that Hilton isn’t actually operating a hotel brand with that term, but instead, it’s a collection of hotel brands. Hyatt argues that this could cause confusion among consumers, especially with Hilton so heavily emphasizing the “Select” word. What do you make of this trademark battle? Save posts to read later Saving posts is a member feature. Become an OMAAT member to build a reading list you can come back to from any device. Become a member Already a member? Log in Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder