'My Safe Place Disappeared': Woman Attacked After Travelodge Staff Gave Abuser Her Room Key

A domestic abuse survivor says she was attacked in her London Travelodge room after reception staff handed her abuser a key card and directed him to her door, a breach of the chain's own security policy. The woman, identified only as 'Lucy', had booked a night at the budget chain in October 2025 for what she called 'a night away from the fear' after a sustained period of abuse. She said her ex-partner walked into the London Travelodge, told the receptionist his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure, and asked which room and floor she was in. Staff not only provided the information but issued him a 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,' she said. Once inside, Lucy says her ex-partner physically assaulted her and tried to take her phone. She persuaded him to leave, but he returned 'banging, shouting and becoming more aggressive', kicking the door off its hinges to force his way back in, despite the room's internal deadbolt and electronic key-card lock.

She ran downstairs 'shaking, crying and begging for help', expecting staff to call police or check on her welfare. Instead, she says she was simply offered another room in the same hotel.

How a Reception Desk Became a Point of Failure

Travelodge told IBTimes UK that it investigated and found the man had given Lucy's full name and room number at reception, but admitted its own policy, never to confirm to a third party that a guest was staying at the hotel, was breached. A spokesperson said the incident was 'very rare' but that 'this should not have happened', adding that staff training had since been updated.

The company said it commissioned an independent review, led by barrister Paul Greaney KC, into its room access security policies after a separate 2022 case in which a man named Kyran Smith was given a key to a woman's room at a Maidenhead Travelodge and sexually assaulted her. He was jailed for seven and a half years in February. Travelodge said it was 'deeply sorry for the significant distress experienced by the customer'.

A Pattern of Similar Incidents

Lucy is not alone in raising concerns. Jo, from Leeds, said she woke in July to find an unknown man at the end of her Travelodge bed, who told her friend: 'I'm sorry, they gave me this key.' She said the experience left her 'shaking so badly', and that assurances from Travelodge chief executive Jo Boydell about guest safety had not matched her experience. 'The systems are failing,' she said. Travelodge said its updated policies had been in place at the time but 'were not correctly followed'.

Touring musician Andy Smith said he had twice been involved in key mix-ups at Travelodges, on one occasion opening his door to find another guest already inside. He questioned why staff had not asked for identification or a booking reference before issuing a key.

Industry body UKHospitality described the cases as 'extremely serious' and said it is developing new guest security guidance in consultation with the government. Lucy said the incident had left her with lasting anxiety about hotel stays. 'Hotels need safeguarding procedures, because one mistake can have devastating consequences,' she said.