The survivor of a sexual assault that took place in a Travelodge hotel room has accused its CEO of not taking the issue of women’s safety “very seriously”.
Molly, not her real name, has chosen to speak publicly after the attack in 2022 by a man who was wrongly given access to her Berkshire hotel room.
Politics Hub: Follow the latest
Attacker Kyran Smith, who had falsely claimed to be her partner, was jailed in February for seven and a half years.
The hotel was forced to apologise for initially offering the victim £30 as compensation, though it has since acknowledged the response was “inappropriate”.
Kyran Smith was jailed in February. Pic: Thames Valley Police
Since the conviction, Molly has met with the hotel CEO, Jo Boydell, and a number of Labour MPs who are leading a campaign for tightened security across the sector.
But she has told Sky News she is “frustrated” by Ms Boydell’s handling of the issue, citing “very slow progress” and a lack of accountability.
“It has changed my opinion on staying in hotels on my own,” she added.
“It doesn’t matter what personal details anyone has about anyone; that’s still not an OK thing to do. Even if it was my husband or partner, did that give them consent just from showing a picture of me?”
Travelodge boss ‘desperately sorry’
Travelodge’s Ms Boydell said the incident had left her “absolutely horrified”.
Responding to the victim’s criticism of how it had been handled, the chief executive said she was “desperately sorry for what happened to the survivor and really sorry for the way that it took us so long to actually escalate that and handle that properly in the way that we are now”.
PM ramps up pressure
In response to the public outcry, Travelodge said it has made immediate changes to its security policy, and no extra room keys will be permitted without the explicit consent of the guest on the booking.
Ms Boydell has also met with MPs, including representatives of Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, to discuss what went wrong and how hotels can be safer places for women.
But since then, the boss has refused to engage with a larger group of MPs, which has drawn criticism from the prime minister himself, who urged Ms Boydell to “seriously” consider the invitation for wider engagement.
“It has taken me aback,” Molly said of Sir Keir’s intervention.
“I’m genuinely very happy that they’re taking it seriously. My frustration is purely with the hotel, how they’ve dealt with everything.”
‘Apologies only go so far’
MPs have expressed similar frustrations. Labour MP and ex-police officer Matt Bishop is one of two MPs looking at how security in hotels can be more consistent going forward.
“This case should have been a moment for leadership and accountability – but instead, it risks reinforcing the very concerns that have been raised from the outset,” he told Sky News.
“I am also quite shocked that the survivor has had to wait for three and a half years, a criminal court case, a media headline-breaking story and a letter from parliamentarians for this to happen. It is not good enough to just say that you were not aware – what has changed to ensure this never happens again?”
Fellow MP and campaigner Jen Craft said: “It is a step forward to see the CEO finally beginning to face up to these serious issues publicly, but this has taken far too long – and only after the victim has told her story so bravely.
“Apologies only go so far, and it’s clear there is still a long way to go for Travelodge to reassure guests about safety in their hotels.
“The CEO must explain how this catastrophic failure in safeguarding was not escalated at the time and meaningfully engage with a wider group of MPs about new measures to tackle violence against women and girls in their hotels.”
Read more from Lucy McDaid:
Polanski issues warning to Starmer
Investigation launched into student loans
Travelodge maintains it is taking the situation with the “utmost seriousness” and has commissioned an independent review into what happened.
A spokesperson added: “We have offered that all MPs interested in this important issue can feed into the independent review in writing so their contributions can be fully taken into account.
“Our immediate priority is to progress this important work at pace, progressing our independent review and further strengthening our processes.”
Sky News understands the chain also wants to work with MPs about any legislative change, which is currently being explored.
After the Easter break, a cross-party group of ministers plans on meeting with hotel bosses to discuss options, with victims’ minister Alex Davies-Jones saying “nothing is off the table”.
