Key facts
- A woman was sexually assaulted after Travelodge staff gave a man a key to her room.
- The man falsely claimed to be the victim's boyfriend to obtain the room key.
- An independent review found Travelodge failed the victim "at every stage".
- Room intrusions were reported at nearly one in 10 Travelodge hotels this summer.
- The woman's complaint email in January 2023 was handled by the CEO's office without her knowledge and did not reach the CEO until March 2026.
- Mystery shoppers were able to get into rooms through housekeeping staff at all five hotels tested without being asked for proof of entitlement.
An independent review found that Travelodge "fundamentally failed" a woman who was sexually assaulted after a man was given a key to her hotel room by falsely claiming to be her boyfriend. The review, led by Alex Meakin and Stuart Rust, highlighted a systemic failure within the organization, stating that room intrusions remain a significant issue, with nearly one in 10 Travelodge hotels reporting such incidents this summer.
The review found that the victim's room key was handed over less than three minutes after the man approached the reception desk. The receptionist involved had not received any training in key security. The report criticized Travelodge's organizational culture, suggesting that room intrusions were often treated as "one of those things."
The woman had emailed a complaint in January 2023 to Travelodge's chief executive, Jo Boydell, and others. However, the review concluded that her email was handled by Boydell's office without her knowledge and did not reach Boydell until March 2026. Instead, the complaint was investigated by a manager who was himself criticized in the complaint. The customer services team offered the woman a refund of £30 for her stay.
Following the woman's contact with the BBC in March, which brought the case to national attention, then prime minister Sir Keir Starmer urged Boydell to "seriously engage" with the government over security. Greaney was appointed to lead the review the following month.
While the review acknowledged that Travelodge had made changes since March, it described these as "albeit years too late." A new key security policy has been implemented, which the review stated would prevent a repeat of the Maidenhead attack if applied correctly. However, it found that the policy was "not being applied with anything like sufficient consistency on the ground." Mystery shoppers were able to gain access to rooms through housekeeping staff at all five hotels tested, including Maidenhead, without being directed to reception or asked for proof of entitlement. At three hotels, staff confirmed a guest was staying there, and at two, room numbers were spoken aloud during check-in.