Overview
- Delta Air Lines v. Marriott International (N.D. Ga. No. 1:20-cv-01125) moved to trial this week, with Delta alleging Marriott tried to “hijack” its DELTA marks through the Delta Hotels name.
- Delta claims evidence of actual confusion across search results, booking funnels, airport-area signage, loyalty messaging, and co-marketing, including misdirected customer complaints and survey findings.
- Marriott cites Delta Hotels’ 1962 Canadian origin and the “Delta Hotels by Marriott” qualifier as clarity, and points to a 2015 agreement that the court has already limited to Hong Kong and China.
- The hotel brand grew after Marriott’s 2015 acquisition and now counts just over 50 properties in the United States, creating more encounters alongside Delta Air Lines’ core markets.
- Possible remedies discussed in coverage include logo or styling changes, more prominent Marriott attribution, corrective advertising, profits or damages, or an injunction restricting U.S. use of “Delta” for hotel services.