Budget Hotel Chain Travelodge has received criticism after a woman known as Lucy was in her room when her abuser attacked her. Lucy describes being “failed” by Travelodge.
In a press statement about this case, the hotel chain insisted that these incidents were “very rare”. However, a spokesperson did accept that a long-established policy to not confirm to an outside enquirer whether a guest is staying at the hotel was not followed, and that “this should not have happened”.
Lucy told the BBC she was physically attacked. She described what happened after she convinced her attacker to leave; however, he came back “banging, shouting and becoming more aggressive”.
Running down to the reception, “shaking, crying and begging for help”, “I thought someone would protect me. Instead, Lucy was offered another room.
This incident follows soon after Kyran Smith, 29, from Staines, Surrey, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court to more than seven years after sexually assaulting a woman in 2022 in her hotel room after obtaining her hotel room key from the front desk.
An article from The Metro showed that from January 2023 to January 2026 there were 4,011 sexual offences.
As of now, there is no specific legislation protecting. A government press release from June of this year under Starmer’s government. The statement showed the results of a meeting between ministers and prominent figures in the tourism and hospitality sector. Kate Nicholls, Chair of UKHospitality, said: “It’s positive to hear recognition of the sector’s ongoing work in this area and it’s critical we work together to support our teams on the frontline, including the need to expand protections for retail staff to hospitality.”
However, when contacted for comment, two women’s charities Womens Aid and Advance said the following.
Head of Policy and Survivor Services at Women’s Aid, Ellie Daniel, said: “Domestic abuse is a horrific crime and one that often follows survivors wherever they go, leaving women feeling anxious, with many also fearing for their lives. It is absolutely vital that women’s safety remains a priority, regardless of where they are and that staff such as those in hotels are aware of the dangers of domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls, and follow appropriate safety protocols at all times.”
Director of Domestic Abuse Services at Advance, Amy Glover said: This shocking incident illustrates how tackling domestic abuse is everyone’s responsibility. A woman staying in a hotel must be able to trust that she will be safe in her room, and staff must have the correct protocols in place to ensure this.
We would like to understand what safeguarding policies, procedures, and training Travelodge has in place to ensure that staff understand and respond appropriately to domestic abuse and wider violence against women and girls, to prevent incidents like this from happening again.
Thumbnail sourced at Depositphotos
