The interim chief executive of Travelodge has told the BBC “nobody is working harder on security of rooms in this industry than we are today”.
It comes after a damning review 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.
Interim CEO Ray Reidy said the chain has made a “number of changes” since an attack at its Maidenhead hotel in December 2022 became national news earlier this year.
He said the woman was a victim of a “heinous crime”, adding: “We are desperately sorry that she didn’t get the protection that she deserved.”
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 Smith was handed the key less than three minutes after approaching the reception desk, by a receptionist who had received no training in key security.
Barrister Paul Greaney KC, who carried out the review, said blame rested with Travelodge, that has its HQ in Thame, Oxfordshire, 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.
Reidy refused to say whether the victim has been offered any compensation.