Almost a hundred Members of Parliament are urgently seeking a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of Travelodge following an incident where staff mistakenly provided a rapist access to a woman’s room and offered a £30 apology. The incident involving Kyran Smith, 29, who was recently sentenced to seven-and-a-half years, has raised significant concerns among MPs.
CEO Jo Boydell has been invited to meet with MPs and peers to address the incident that occurred in December 2022 at the Maidenhead branch. Smith deceived reception staff by falsely claiming to be the victim’s boyfriend, leading to him being given access to her room.
In a letter requesting the meeting, MPs expressed alarm over reports that Travelodge staff disclosed the victim’s room number and issued a key card to Smith without verifying his relationship with the victim. They emphasized that the victim had booked the room alone, highlighting potential lapses in security protocols.
The MPs have sought clarification on Travelodge’s security policies, procedures for issuing key cards, safeguarding training, and measures related to Violence Against Women and Girls. They are also inquiring about the changes Travelodge plans to implement to enhance women’s safety.
The victim, who remains anonymous and is in her 30s, disclosed that this was her first solo hotel stay and alleged that Smith circumvented security checks by knowing her name.
A Travelodge spokesperson expressed regret over the handling of the incident and stated that the company follows industry-standard security procedures. They announced plans for a comprehensive review of room security policies to improve protocols in light of the incident.