A woman recounted what she described as the "most traumatic night" of her life after Travelodge reception staff reportedly gave her domestic abuser the key to her hotel room in London last October. The incident occurred after the woman had booked a stay to escape a period of abuse.
According to the woman, who has not been named, her abuser approached the hotel reception and told staff his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure, asking for her room number and floor. The woman stated that once the abuser obtained the key, Travelodge staff directed him to her room. He then forced his way inside, physically attacked her, and attempted to take her phone.
Later, the abuser returned, displaying increased aggression, and kicked down the hotel room door. The woman fled downstairs, reporting that she was "shaking" and "begging for help." She stated the receptionist did not call the police or check on her medical needs, instead offering her another room within the hotel.
A Travelodge spokesperson expressed deep regret for the distress the customer experienced and apologized for the mishandling of the incident. "Customer safety and security is – and remains – a priority for us," the spokesperson said. "Any case of an unauthorised person entering a guest's room is a significant cause for concern and we want to be clear that this should not have happened."
The spokesperson added that the hotel's room access security policies at the time were not correctly followed. An investigation indicated that the individual provided the guest's full name and room number at reception.
Following a separate incident in 2022 where a woman was sexually assaulted in a Travelodge room in Maidenhead, Berkshire, after a man was given access to her room, the company implemented changes to its policies. In February of this year, Kyran Smith was jailed for seven and a half years for that attack. Following Smith's sentencing, Travelodge chief executive Jo Boydell confirmed that explicit permission is now required from guests before additional or replacement keys are issued.
Despite these policy changes, other incidents have occurred. In July 2025, Wendy Griffith reported being "trapped" in her Travelodge room for an hour at the chain's London Stratford branch. She witnessed a naked man knocking on her door and performing sex acts outside, which she described as a "vile" spectacle viewed through the peephole. Griffith, from Norfolk, stated that she was unable to contact hotel staff for the entire hour and eventually called emergency services. Trevor Reece, 40, pleaded guilty to outraging public decency for this incident and was sentenced to four months of alcohol dependency treatment, ordered to pay court costs and compensation to his victim.