More than 20 MPs have demanded an urgent meeting with the chief executive of Travelodge after a woman was sexually assaulted by a man who had been given her room number and a key card by hotel staff.
MPs said the case of Kyran Smith, 29, who was jailed for seven-and-a-half years last month, raised “deeply worrying” questions. He attacked the woman after a party in December 2022.
Jo Boydell was asked to meet MPs and colleagues to discuss the case, including the chain’s security processes and procedures which led to it offering the victim an “insulting” £30 refund following the incident.
Smith was jailed in February after being convicted of sexual assault and breaking and entering with intent to commit a sexual offense. He had managed to obtain the victim’s room number and a key card from reception staff at the Travelodge branch in Maidenhead.
Smith had lied to staff, telling them he was the victim’s boyfriend.
In a letter to Boydell, MPs said they were concerned that branch reception staff had given Smith a key card to his room. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed staff told her that Smith, whom she knew, had passed security checks by providing her name.
Travelodge later offered the woman, now in her 30s, a £30 refund. He apologized for how the offer was handled, which he said was inappropriate under the circumstances. The hotel chain added that it was reviewing its room security processes.
The letter, signed by former Labor shadow chancellor John McDonnell, said MPs and their peers wanted to discuss how Travelodge made the refund decision, what internal review took place after the assault and how it had strengthened security procedures.
It says: “The details that have emerged about how access to the victim’s room was granted raise serious questions about guest safety, the hotel’s security procedures and the adequacy of Travelodge’s response.”
The letter from Labor MPs Matt Bishop and Jen Craft added that the incident “raises deeply worrying questions about whether current policies offer sufficient safeguards for guests, particularly women traveling alone.”
It has been backed by 26 MPs, all of them Labor except Jim Shannon of the Democratic Unionist Party, who represents Strangford in Northern Ireland. Labor colleague Jane Ramsey is also a signatory.
He adds: “Hotels have a fundamental duty of care for the people who stay in them. Guests must be able to trust that when they check into a room, especially when traveling alone, their privacy and security must be protected.”
Travelodge has been contacted for comment on the letter. He previously told the BBC: “The safety of our guests is our priority and we were deeply concerned to learn of this distressing incident and our sympathies are with the victim.
“We want to apologize to the victim for the way this incident was handled.”
