Travelodge Gave Key to Abuser, Victim Attacked

A domestic violence victim has shared her harrowing experience of being attacked in a Travelodge hotel room after staff provided her abuser with a key. The incident, which occurred in October 2025, left the woman, referred to as Lucy, feeling betrayed and unsafe.

Lucy stated that her abuser approached the reception, falsely claiming his girlfriend was having a seizure, and was subsequently given her room key and directed to her location. She recounted the terrifying moment he entered her room, physically attacked her, and later forced his way back in after kicking the door off its hinges.

Following the attack, Lucy was offered another room, a response she found inadequate. Travelodge acknowledged that its policy of not confirming guest stays to third parties was breached in her case, stating this should not have happened. The company has since made immediate changes to its room access security policy.

This incident follows other reports of security lapses at Travelodge hotels, including a sexual assault in Maidenhead in 2022 and another woman waking to find an unknown man in her room who claimed he was given a key. These events have raised significant concerns about guest security.

In response to these multiple incidents, Travelodge has commissioned an independent review of its room access security policies and procedures. The hotel chain has also conducted an internal review and retrained its staff on updated security protocols, emphasizing that such unauthorized access should never occur.