Indigenous communities have raised concerns about displacement, harm to livelihoods, and environmental risks related to the Assam government's plans to develop a luxury hotel near Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in a traditional habitat of elephants and used by other wildlife. The project is reportedly linked to an agreement between the Assam Government and Juniper Hotels, and associated with Hyatt Hotel Corporation.

Similarly, it is reported that the Tata Group's plan to construct a Taj Hotel on eight hectares of land within Hathikhuli Tea Estate faces opposition from tea industry workers. They argue that the hotel's construction will disrupt both tea cultivation and wildlife movement during floods, exacerbating human-animal conflicts near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kaziranga.

Local defenders criticise the government for displacing families in the name of conservation and tourism, urging a halt to evictions and private land allocations. Concerns also extend to the broader impact on wildlife habitats and the sustainability of local livelihoods dependent on traditional land use.

In June 2024, BHRC invited Hyatt Hotel Corporation and Taj Hotels to respond to the allegations; Hyatt Hotel Corporation said it is not planning to construct a hotel at Hathikuli Inglay Pothar. Taj Hotels said it ‘pursues development opportunities in compliance with all prevailing policies and regulations. Any development in this area will be in keeping with this principle.’ 

On 7 August 2024, two human rights defenders raising concerns about the proposed hotel project were reportedly attacked and detained while documenting testimonies from evicted families. We invited Hyatt Hotel Corporation and Taj Hotels to respond; they did not. More information is available here.

In July 2026, Indigenous defenders Pranab Doley, Rajib Pegu, Brijit Kutum, Amit Nag and Bhaskar Saikia, who have raised concerns about the proposed luxury hotel project and advocated on behalf of Indigenous communities' lands and rights, were arrested and detained by police. BHRC invited Hyatt Hotel Corporation and Juniper Hotels to respond regarding the attacks against Indigenous defenders. Hyatt Hotel responded and stated, "Hyatt has not entered into any agreement to brand or operate the proposed hotel project at Inglay Pathar/Hathikuli near Kaziranga National Park". The full response is available below. Juniper Hotels did not respond.