Hotel safety isn’t just an issue in Travelodges – I know from experience
Last week, Travelodge boss Jo Boydell stepped down following widespread outrage at the company's handling of a series of safety failures across the chain. In 2022, a woman was sexually assaulted at a Travelodge in Maidenhead after staff gave her room number and key card to her domestic abuser. When she ran downstairs "shaking, crying and begging for help", she was offered another room at the hotel.
More recently, a couple woke to discover a shirtless man in their Dundee
Travelodge room after staff had given him the wrong key card. According to the BBC
, many more people have been in touch to report room security incidents at Travelodge, which says it has launched a review of its security measures.
While Travelodge clearly has some major issues to address, we should be wary of assuming that incidents like these are confined to hotels at the budget end of the spectrum. As a travel writer who has reviewed hundreds of hotels around the world across multiple groups, I'm all too aware how easily a lush infinity pool, butler service and a hefty price tag can lull one into a false sense of security.
A few years ago, while reviewing a high-profile hotel in a major US city, I noticed a flutter in the curtains upon returning to my room after having dinner downstairs. "That's odd," I thought, as I found the terrace door that led to the outdoor sundeck ajar. After a quick scan of the plush suite and marble bathroom, I realised my handbag and toiletry bags were gone and immediately called reception to report a suspected burglary. When a member of security staff arrived, he proceeded to question me: "What's your business at the hotel, ma'am? What makes you suspect something is missing, ma'am?" Finally, in a moment so parodic it made me wonder if I was the unwitting star of an elaborate prank, he used a torch to search for my missing bag in the minibar and bedside drawers. All this instead of making sure I was safe and the intruder was gone.
I spent most of the night perched on a chair in the lavish – and very public – lobby, using the front desk's phone to cancel credit cards and the like, since the one in my room allegedly couldn't be used for international calls. Order was restored the next morning when the excellent general manager was briefed and made sure I was well looked after. A police report later confirmed that CCTV showed the burglar using a "hard object" to break in. Ultimately, I was lucky: I didn't encounter said burglar (or object), my laptop and passport were in the safe, and my credit card company covered the multiple fraudulent charges incurred. But I'd be lying if I said I've never thought about how differently things could have ended had I returned sooner.
The experience has changed the way I travel. I have never been a fearful traveller – and still I'm not – but I am more conscious of my vulnerability as a woman who frequently travels alone. Whereas I used to be quite lax about hotel safes (thankfully, on that occasion I wasn't), I've become meticulous about using them and also carry an emergency back-up travel wallet in the safe. I dislike remote rooms and prefer to stay in the busier, central parts of a hotel, and always use the deadbolt when provided. I'm considering investing in a portable door-stopper to take with me on my travels.
Speaking with other travel writers, most have relatable stories to tell: personal items thrown out apparently by accident, disappeared belongings returned days later without an explanation, external or connecting room doors left open, keys replaced without ID checks, visitors sent to rooms without a courtesy phone call.
Isabelle Kliger, pictured on assignment in Singapore, has changed the way she travels since her hotel room was broken into - Isabelle Kliger
All too often, complaints have been met with confusion and robotic smiles, especially when dealing with night staff or roles that are not considered guest-facing, such as housekeeping, maintenance or security, which can often be outsourced to external providers.
So, how is the industry responding to its security challenges?
A spokesperson for UKHospitality said: "We absolutely recognise how important a guest's safety and security is when they're staying away from home. The incidents we've seen reported are extremely serious and we understand the concerns that have been raised. That's why, together with our members, we have been enhancing industry principles and guidance on guest security.
"The final guidance will be published shortly and we look forward to continuing to work across the accommodation sector and with Government on this critical work."
Most luxury hotel brands have robust security standards in place, with measures including carefully controlled access points, secondary door latches, deadbolts, peepholes, 24/7 security teams, state-of-the-art surveillance and extensive staff training. Although I reached out to more than 10 of them asking for specifics, they all declined to comment.
For me, hotels continue to be a lifelong love affair. As a child, I wanted to be a receptionist; in my teens, I dreamt of opening a small hotel of my own. I remain in awe of hospitality professionals who work long hours, often for modest pay, and somehow still find the energy to go above and beyond for demanding guests. Most of my stays are memorable on account of their superb service, sumptuous spas, brilliant restaurants, and, thankfully, not for their emergency procedures. But when mistakes do occur, how they're dealt with can either ease or amplify the damage – or in the worst case, permanently tarnish a reputation.
