Family Stuck At Minus 4°C After Hotel Booking, MakeMyTrip Ordered To Pay Rs 48,775

A family’s trip to Srinagar and Gulmarg took an unexpected turn after the hotels they had booked through MakeMyTrip were allegedly found to be non-existent. The Gurdaspur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, in an order dated September 17, 2026, held MakeMyTrip responsible for deficiency in services and unfair trade practice and directed it to pay Rs 48,775, along with interest.

What Happened In The Case

According to the order, Rajesh Chohan, a practising advocate from Gurdaspur, had booked accommodation through MakeMyTrip for a family trip to Srinagar and Gulmarg.

He booked a family room at Hotel Heritage Rose Inn in Srinagar for December 27 to December 28, 2025, for Rs 5,788. He also booked two rooms at Hotel Apple Tree Resorts in Gulmarg for December 28 to December 29, 2025, for Rs 12,987. The total booking amount was Rs 18,775. The order said Chohan reached Srinagar with his family on December 27 and later found that the hotel mentioned in the booking did not exist at the listed location. Instead, the family found a private homestay and had to arrange alternative accommodation at an additional cost.

The following day, the family reached Gulmarg after facing delays due to traffic and an Army convoy. According to the order, they reached the location of Hotel Apple Tree Resorts but found that the property also did not exist.

The order said the family could not find accommodation amid heavy snowfall and eventually had to sleep in their car at around minus 4 degrees Celsius. They also could not use their pre-booked Gondola tickets and returned to Gurdaspur on December 29. Chohan told the Commission that he repeatedly contacted MakeMyTrip through WhatsApp, customer care and email on December 27, 28 and 29, but did not receive adequate assistance or a refund.

MakeMyTrip, in its defence, argued that it was only a facilitator or intermediary and did not own or operate the hotels listed on its platform. It also said the bookings were marked as “No Show” and that the hotels had declined refunds under their non-refundable policies.

What The Court Observed

The Commission rejected MakeMyTrip’s argument that it could avoid responsibility by describing itself as an intermediary. In its September 17, 2026, order, the Commission observed, “an e-commerce platform that collects full payment, issues confirmed booking vouchers and promises verified hotel accommodations cannot escape responsibility when the properties listed on its platform are non-existent or misrepresented.”

It also stated that “listing non-existent hotels as verified accommodations amounts to unfair trade practice.” Rejecting MakeMyTrip’s “No Show” defence, the court observed that the family could not be expected to check into a hotel that did not physically exist. The Commission further noted that there was no satisfactory contemporaneous material to show that the complainant had been offered confirmed alternative accommodation and had voluntarily failed to check in.

The Commission also took note of the family being forced to sleep in their vehicle at minus 4 degrees Celsius, the non-existent properties and the complainant’s repeated communication with MakeMyTrip. It held that the company had been negligent and deficient in providing the promised services and had engaged in unfair trade practices.

What Was The Outcome

The Commission partly allowed Chohan’s complaint and directed MakeMyTrip and its managing director to jointly and severally pay the amount awarded.

MakeMyTrip was ordered to refund the total booking amount of Rs 18,775 with interest at 9 per cent per annum from the booking date of December 25, 2025, until the amount is actually realised. The Commission also awarded Rs 25,000 as compensation for physical harassment, mental agony and financial loss suffered by the complainant and his family. It awarded another Rs 5,000 towards litigation expenses. The principal amount ordered by the Commission therefore, comes to Rs 48,775, excluding the interest that will accrue until actual payment.