Rochdale MP Paul Waugh has criticised the Travelodge hotel chain after a woman was assaulted in her room while she slept. He is among more than 100 MPs seeking answers from the company after the attacker was given a key card to her room.
The woman was staying at a Travelodge in Maidenhead when Kyran Smith entered her room in the early hours after staff at reception issued him with a spare key card. Smith had falsely claimed to staff that he was the woman’s boyfriend.
Smith was later jailed for seven and a half years for the assault.
Mr Waugh said the case raised serious concerns about how hotels protect guests who are staying alone. He began highlighting the issue on social media platform X, where a post he published about the case received around 56000 views.
In the post he wrote “How can any woman feel safe in its hotel rooms if it can give out a spare key card so easily?”
Mr Waugh has joined more than 100 MPs in calling for a meeting with Travelodge chief executive Jo Boydell. The MPs want the company to explain its policies on issuing spare key cards and room numbers to people who are not listed on a booking, as well as the training provided to staff.
The company has faced criticism after offering the victim a £30 refund following the incident.
Mr Waugh said “This case is utterly appalling and raises serious questions about hotel security.
“No woman should ever have to worry that someone could be given access to her room in the middle of the night simply by claiming to know her.
“Hotels have a clear duty of care to their guests. If someone books a room on their own, there must be robust safeguards in place to make absolutely sure that no one else can gain access without their explicit consent.
“That is why I have joined colleagues from across Parliament in demanding urgent answers from Travelodge about its procedures and what steps it will take to strengthen them.”
Ms Boydell has apologised for the significant distress suffered by the victim and has invited her to a meeting to discuss improvements to the company’s procedures.
Travelodge has also said it will commission an independent review of its room security policies following the incident.
The hotel chain operates sites across the UK including a hotel at Sandbrook Park in Rochdale.
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