Guests expose hotel safety failings beyond Travelodge

Warning: This article contains distressing content

A woman has described how she was raped in a hotel room by a male colleague after he tricked staff into thinking he was her husband.

Sarah, whose real identity we are protecting, is one of dozens of people who contacted the BBC after they heard a woman had been sexually assaulted in a Berkshire Travelodge after staff gave her attacker her room key.

She said she found it "incredibly triggering" as her attacker was also given her room key. She had not been staying in a Travelodge at the time.

She is one of dozens of people who say their experiences expose what they believe are "industry-wide failings" in UK hotel room security, something MPs said is "deeply alarming".

Hotel trade body, UK Hospitality, said it understands concerns following "horrific" reported incidents and it is "collectively" considering measures to "bolster" guest safety.

"It's horrifying," said Sarah, "I'm just so shocked it's so easy to bluff your way in.

Sarah, who is from the North West of England, was one of a few women working in a male-dominated field and had been at a work party at the hotel.

She said she "slipped away" to her room when "people were getting leery" and "a bit too close" and she "felt drunk".

She had been in a deep sleep when a male colleague let himself in and raped her.

"I woke up and I thought 'oh my god what's happening'?" she remembered.

"It's a complete violation, he let himself in, I didn't invite him, it was horrible."

She said she was "desperately worried" she would be blamed, because she had been drinking.

"I didn't want to tell the company, didn't want to go to the police. You question yourself, I feel very angry, I don't trust anybody now.

"I won't go to work meetings where you're required to stay overnight, I got out of that career altogether.

"This happens too many times and it's about not having the right protocols in place, I want proper protocols in all hotels, to protect lone females."

She also cited an incident this year at a Berkshire hotel, when a "overly helpful" receptionist gave her the room numbers of three colleagues, even though she had "merely asked" if the clerk "knew where they were".

Travelodge apologised to the victim of the attack at its Maidenhead hotel in 2022, after the BBC revealed in March that staff had given the offender a keycard to her room.

The Oxfordshire-based company has made "changes" to its door key policy and "commissioned an independent review" into "every aspect" of room security which will include other reported cases.

But dozens of people have now contacted the BBC, many with evidence, that indicates hotel room "security failures" are "not isolated" to one company.

Some reported being "terrified" when "strangers" walked into their rooms after key and check-in "mix-ups".

"This is not just a Travelodge problem", said Stephen Smith, from York, who described how he and his wife had walked into a hotel room in Manchester in 2024 "only to find someone asleep" inside.

He said they were both "upset" and staff "didn't seem to appreciate how serious the outcome could have been".

Rachel Clow from Wiltshire said she walked into a room allocated to her at a Premier Inn last year to find a man inside "in a small towel, drying his hair".

Staff apologised and gave her a different room, but she said she suspects this "happens all too often" and "much more robust processes" are needed.

When Matt Cole, from Shrewsbury, read about the sexual assault at Travelodge Maidenhead, he immediately thought "this terrible crisis was avoidable".

He said he has woken up twice in Premier Inns when people have come into his room and the BBC has seen his subsequent complaint correspondence with the company.

He said he "nearly had a heart attack" when a man let himself in at night at a Premier Inn in Plymouth.

The young man turned out to be his own son, who had wanted to borrow a phone charger, but Matthew said as the room was not booked in his son's name, he was surprised reception had given the key out without checking with him first.

"It just worried me", he said, adding that his wife travels alone for work.

When he first complained he remembered being told "oh it's a one-off, it doesn't normally happen".

But it did happen again, at Premier Inn Hub London Marylebone in December.

"A person let themselves into my room when I was getting changed, which was more of a shock for them than me, but there's a risk there," he said.

"It just felt like it wasn't as safe as it needed to be. Both times I contacted the hotel but they didn't treat it seriously."

He took it up with the CEO and was relieved when their office replied that they were "investigating".

Premier Inn said guest safety is its "number one priority" and it has "recently enhanced" its "robust security processes" to add "further" protection.

It said in a statement: "For security reasons, we can't detail the full extent of the measures we have in place, but can confirm these include specific steps to protect lone travellers.

"It is not possible to get a keycard if you are not named on the booking without express consent from the lead guest.

"We understand the concern around this industry-wide conversation and want to assure people we promise we will never stop working to strengthen safety."

A couple from London, who asked not to be named as one of them has been the target of "a stalker", said they have had bad experiences at Z Hotels.

Last year they said a staff member saw one of them, a woman, naked when they "barged" into their room. The hotel apologised and issued a refund.

Another incident happened when the man had already checked into their room and his girlfriend had arrived later.

They said staff gave her a key without asking for ID and when she challenged them, she was told it was unnecessary as she had given the room number and booking name.

"It's insanely serious," her boyfriend remarked, "but they just brushed it off".

"We were upset because you could get someone acting in bad faith and a scenario where, if somebody knew you, they could get given your key."

When they questioned the policy in their complaint correspondence, the chain explained ID was "not mandatory" and left them feeling as if they were "basically overreacting".

They added they wanted to highlight hotel security "flaws" because their "really big worry" is that the Maidenhead hotel room sexual assault "could happen again" or something "even worse".

The BBC has contacted Z Hotels for comment.

Forest of Dean Labour MP Matt Bishop, who wants stricter rules across all hotels, said the reports are a "fundamental breakdown in safeguarding".

"This is not an issue confined to one hotel chain, it points to a wider failure across the sector. Guests should be able to trust that their room is secure," he said.

"That means robust ID checks, clear procedures, and staff who understand the seriousness of the risks involved. The industry must now step up, take responsibility, and ensure consistent, enforceable standards across the board."

Maidenhead's Liberal Democrat MP Joshua Reynolds said the "sheer breadth of incidents across different chains" indicates "a systemic failure".

He said that residents "across the country" had shared their Travelodge experiences with him and he is "looking forward" to meeting with the Travelodge CEO later this month to discuss the issues raised.

Reynolds added: "It raises serious questions to the hotel industry that have got to be answered.

"This should be something that these CEOs are coming in front of Parliamentary Select Committees to explain themselves as to what's gone so wrong."

The lead trade body for the hotel industry, UK Hospitality, said the "safety and security" of guests is its members "number one priority" and more than 300m annual night stays "pass without incident".

"I know how important it is to feel safe and secure when you're staying away from home, especially for women on their own," said UK Hospitality Chair, Kate Nicholls.

"Existing guidance is continually reviewed and updated, in partnerships with experts in the police and other business groups. It's right that we collectively review the procedures and consider where measures can be further bolstered to ensure guest safety."

Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent for The Independent, said: "I think hotel security is a worldwide issue, from staff at reception voicing your room number so that anyone close-by can hear, to rooms without a security bar.

"In some hotels, you can still get to the bedroom floors by lift without a key, or by going up the stairs, which means anyone can roam around that area."

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this report you can contact BBC Action Line.

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