Almost 100 Members of Parliament are pushing for an immediate meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of Travelodge following an incident where a sex offender was given access to a woman’s room by the hotel staff. The offender, Kyran Smith, received keys to the room and a £30 compensation offer after the incident, prompting outrage from the MPs who described the situation as “deeply concerning.”
The MPs have called for CEO Jo Boydell to meet with them to address the case, which took place at the Maidenhead branch of the hotel chain in December 2022. Smith had deceived the reception staff by falsely claiming to be the woman’s boyfriend to gain access to her room.
In their letter requesting the meeting, the MPs expressed particular concern that Travelodge staff had provided Smith with the victim’s room number and a key card without verifying his identity or obtaining consent from the victim. They questioned the adequacy of the hotel’s security procedures, especially for solo female travelers.
The lawmakers are seeking further information on Travelodge’s security policies regarding key card distribution, safeguarding training processes, education on Violence Against Women and Girls, and planned safety enhancements for women. The victim, who remains anonymous and is now in her 30s, stated that it was her first solo hotel stay and that Smith was able to bypass security checks by knowing her name.
Jo Boydell, Travelodge’s CEO, expressed deep regret for the distress caused to the victim and acknowledged the mishandling of the incident. The hotel has apologized to the victim and invited her to discuss improvements to their procedures. Boydell committed to an independent review of the room security policies to prevent similar incidents and ensure guest safety.
The hotel’s commitment to enhancing security measures comes in the wake of criticism and calls for transparency from MPs regarding the handling of the case.
