Several Travelodge guests have described incidents in which unauthorised individuals gained access to their hotel rooms, according to accounts shared with BBC News. The reports include a woman who says she was physically attacked after a receptionist reportedly provided her abuser with her room number and a key, and a separate account from a woman in Leeds who woke to find an unknown man standing in her room.
Multiple guests report unauthorised room access at Travelodge hotels
Several Travelodge guests have described incidents in which unauthorised individuals gained access to their hotel rooms, according to accounts shared with BBC News. The reports include a woman who says she was physically attacked after a receptionist reportedly provided her abuser with her room number and a key, and a separate account from a woman in Leeds who woke to find an unknown man standing in her room.
A woman identified only as Lucy said she checked into a London Travelodge in October 2025 seeking refuge from a period of abuse that had left her, in her words, frightened and exhausted. She said the man who had been abusing her attended the hotel reception, told staff his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure, and asked for her room number and floor. According to Lucy, a receptionist handed him a key and directed him to her room.
Lucy said he physically attacked her and attempted to take her phone during the encounter. After she persuaded him to leave, he returned and allegedly kicked the hotel room door off its hinges to re-enter. She said she went downstairs seeking help and was offered another room. Travelodge rooms are fitted with internal dead-bolt locks as well as electric key-card locks operable from outside.
A second woman, identified as Jo from Leeds, said she woke in her room to find an unknown man standing at the end of her bed. Her friend, who was in the same room, reportedly heard the man say he had been given the key by staff. Jo said she had previously been reassured by statements from Travelodge's chief executive, who had said customer safety was extremely important to the company. Jo described those assurances as inaccurate, saying the systems were failing.
A third account came from Andy Smith, described as a frequent Travelodge guest who travels with his band. He said he had recently been given keys to rooms already occupied by other guests, and that on a separate occasion approximately 18 months earlier, another man had accessed his room by providing a common surname at reception without being asked for identification, a booking reference, or an email address.
In response to the incidents involving Lucy and Jo, Travelodge said an internal investigation found that updated room access security policies in place at the time had not been correctly followed, which it described as unacceptable. The company said it had retrained the relevant hotel team. Regarding Andy Smith's accounts, a Travelodge spokesperson said any case of an unauthorised person entering a guest's room was a significant cause for concern and that such incidents should not have happened.
Following a sentencing described only as occurring in Maidenhead, Travelodge said it had commissioned an independent review led by a barrister to examine its room access security policies and escalation procedures. The company said it had also conducted an internal review and made changes to its policies and incident escalation procedures, supported by training for customer-facing staff.
A spokesperson for industry group UKHospitality described recent incidents as extremely serious and said the organisation was working with members to develop guidance on customer security, to be published shortly. The spokesperson said the guidance had been developed with sector experts and that ministers had been engaged on the matter, with positive feedback received from government.
Lucy said the experience had changed her permanently and that she was no longer able to stay in hotels due to fear and anxiety. She called on hotels to implement safeguarding procedures, saying one mistake could have devastating consequences.
- The source does not specify the outcome of the independent barrister-led review or whether it has been completed.
- The source does not detail what specific policy changes Travelodge has made beyond describing them as changes to room access and escalation procedures.
- The source does not state whether Lucy made a formal complaint to police or whether criminal proceedings related to her account are ongoing or concluded.
- The source does not indicate whether Jo or Andy Smith made formal complaints to Travelodge or to any regulatory body, or what responses they received.
- The source does not specify how many Travelodge properties are covered by the retrained staff or revised policies.
- The source does not identify the Maidenhead case beyond a reference to a sentencing, nor the nature of the offence involved.