Travelodge failed sex assault victim 'at every stage'

A woman who was sexually assaulted by a man given a key to her hotel room was "fundamentally failed" by Travelodge "at every stage", an independent review has found.

Barrister Paul Greaney KC said the chain's security policies at the time of the attack at its Maidenhead hotel in December 2022 were "not fit for the purpose of keeping guests safe".

He found guests were still not as safe as they should be, with room intrusions reported at nearly one in 10 Travelodge hotels this summer, and no policy in place on violence against women and girls.

Travelodge apologised "unreservedly" to the woman. The review did credit the company with making changes since March.

Kyran Smith, who obtained the key by falsely claiming to be the woman's boyfriend, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in January.

The review found he was handed the key less than three minutes after approaching the reception desk, by a receptionist who had received no training in key security.

Greaney said blame rested with Travelodge as an organisation rather than with individual staff, and a culture had developed in which room intrusions were regarded as "one of those things".

The woman emailed a complaint to Travelodge in January 2023, addressed to chief executive Jo Boydell and others.

The review concluded the email was handled by her office without her knowledge, and did not come to Boydell's attention until March 2026.

The woman's complaint was instead investigated by a manager who was himself criticised in it, and the customer services team offered her a refund for her night's stay, which she understood to be £30.

Boydell stepped down as chief executive in August following criticism over the company's handling of safety complaints. The review said she deserved credit for driving improvements from March.

The attack became national news in March after the woman contacted the BBC, saying the case raised serious questions about room security at Travelodge hotels.

Since then, dozens of people have shared experiences of strangers entering their rooms, including a domestic abuse victim whose abuser was given a key to her room at a Travelodge in London.

Then prime minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote to Boydell in March urging her to "seriously engage" with the government over security. Greaney was appointed to lead the review the following month.