Travelodge ‘fundamentally failed’ woman sexually assaulted in hotel room, review finds

A woman was “fundamentally failed” by Travelodge after she was sexually assaulted by a man who was given a key card to her room, an independent review has found.

The report said the case uncovered problems with room security, not just within the business but across the entire hotel sector.

The review was commissioned earlier this year and conducted by Paul Greaney KC following the assault at a Travelodge in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

Mr Greaney said the woman who was assaulted, referred to in the report as “Lily”, was “fundamentally failed by Travelodge as an organisation at every stage”.

She was “treated by Travelodge in a way that was inappropriate and unfair; indeed, it was disgraceful”, he concluded.

Ray Reidy, the interim chief executive of Travelodge, said: “I apologise unreservedly on behalf of Travelodge to all guests where we have failed, and particularly to Lily.”

In February, Kyran Smith was given a seven-and-a-half year prison sentence for the attack.

In March, Travelodge’s then chief executive Jo Boydell apologised to the victim and added that the company had made “immediate changes” to its door key policy.

Ms Boydell stepped down as chief executive in August after 13 years with the group. She was meant to meet with MPs that month about safety issues at the hotel chain, but that was cancelled – a decision that the victim said she was “shocked” by.

She told Good Morning Britain: “I think if you are the CEO of a company, then you have a responsibility to answer these questions and engage in that situation, and say how you’re going to now improve.

“You’re not protecting people and I mean, I personally find it quite shocking.”

Speaking to GMB, Ms Boydell said of the woman: “I’m really sorry if she did feel dismissed, and we are definitely listening to what she has to say.

“The hotels with key cards have deadbolts, but clearly something went wrong here, and that needs to be investigated.”

She apologised in interviews with ITV and the BBC, telling the latter that she was “genuinely sorry” for the company’s handling of the incident.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673).