A domestic violence victim, identified by the BBC as Lucy, has detailed a harrowing experience where Travelodge staff provided her abuser with a key to her hotel room, leading to a physical attack. The incident, which occurred in October 2025 at a London Travelodge, left Lucy feeling betrayed and unsafe in what she believed was a refuge.

Lucy was staying at the hotel to escape a period of abuse. Her abuser approached the reception desk, falsely claiming his girlfriend was having a seizure and inquiring about her room number. According to Lucy, the receptionist then handed the man a key and directed him to her room.

"I couldn't believe it. The one place I thought he could never get to, he had somehow reached," Lucy told BBC Breakfast. She described feeling "sick with panic" as her "safe place disappeared in an instant." Following the initial attack and an attempt to flee, the abuser returned, kicked the door off its hinges, and forced his way back into the room.

Travelodge has stated that an investigation found the attacker had provided Lucy's full name and room number at reception. However, a spokesperson acknowledged that the established policy of not confirming a guest's stay to a third party was not followed, and that "this should not have happened."

In the aftermath of the attack, Lucy ran downstairs seeking help, but was reportedly offered another room within the same hotel. She managed to film her attacker through her hotel room door's peephole. The hotel rooms are equipped with internal dead-bolt locks in addition to the external key-card operated locks.

Lucy’s account follows the recent sentencing of Kyran Smith, who was jailed for seven and a half years in February for sexually assaulting a woman in her bed at a Travelodge in Maidenhead in 2022. Travelodge has indicated that immediate changes have been made to their room access security policy since Smith's sentencing, ensuring that additional or replacement room keys are only issued with explicit permission from the registered guest.

In response to Lucy's experience, a Travelodge spokesperson reiterated that while incidents like this are very rare, customer safety and security remain a priority, and staff have undergone recent training. The company also confirmed that it had investigated Lucy's case and found that the policy regarding room access was not adhered to.

This incident has prompted other individuals to come forward. Another woman, referred to as Jo from Leeds, contacted BBC News after reading about the Maidenhead attack, suggesting that Lucy's experience may not be an isolated case. The hotel chain is facing scrutiny over its security protocols and staff training.