'I Thought Someone Would Protect Me': Woman Assaulted After Travelodge Gave Abuser Her Key

A woman checked into a London Travelodge in October 2025 after abuse had left her 'frightened and exhausted.' She hoped to spend 'a night away from the fear,' but says the stay did not go as planned.

The sense of safety she had sought was shattered when a member of reception staff allegedly gave her abuser a key to her room. She said he then entered and physically assaulted her.

He Told Staff She Was Having a Seizure

The woman, whose identity has been protected and who is referred to as 'Lucy', said the man approached the receptionist and claimed that his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure. He asked for her room number and the floor she was staying on.

Recalling the terrifying ordeal, she said the receptionist handed him the key and directed him to her room. 'I couldn't believe it. The one place I thought he could never get to, he had somehow reached. I felt sick with panic. My safe place disappeared in an instant.'

Lucy alleged that he entered her room, physically assaulted her, and tried to grab her phone. She managed to convince him to leave, but he returned soon afterwards, banging on the door and becoming increasingly aggressive. He eventually kicked the hotel room door completely off its hinges and forced his way inside again. Terrified, she went downstairs shaking and begging for help.

She Sought Protection but Got Little Help

After reaching the reception, Lucy thought the staff would step in and keep her safe. 'I thought someone would protect me,' she said. Instead of calling the police or checking whether she needed medical attention, she said the receptionist offered her another room at the hotel.

Travelodge said its investigation indicated that the man had provided Lucy's full name at reception, despite its policy of never confirming to a third party that a guest was staying at one of its hotels.

Lucy's experience has put Travelodge's room-access procedures under fresh scrutiny, following a separate case at its Maidenhead hotel in 2022. Kyran Smith falsely claimed to be the victim's boyfriend and obtained a key card to her room. He was later convicted of sexual assault and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence and jailed for seven and a half years.

Fresh Questions Over Travelodge Room Security

The Maidenhead case drew criticism from MPs, who raised concerns about Travelodge's security measures and handling of the incident. Then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer later urged Travelodge CEO Jo Boydell to 'seriously engage' with MPs over their concerns, including prevention measures, staff training, and the company's response.

Travelodge said those room-access policies had not been correctly followed in Lucy's case and acknowledged that the incident 'should not have happened.' The company has since changed its policy so that additional or replacement keys can only be issued with the explicit permission of the guest staying in the room. It also provided further training to customer-facing staff and commissioned an independent review of its room-access and escalation procedures.

When Safety Fails

Travelodge said incidents involving unauthorised room access are 'very rare', but for Lucy, the consequences have been lasting. She described the attack as one of the 'most traumatic nights of my life' and said she had struggled with the impact of the experience ever since.

'Hotels need safeguarding procedures, because one mistake can have devastating consequences,' she said. Her experience has raised fresh concerns about how hotels can protect vulnerable guests when someone falsely claims to be a partner or relative.