Woman Calls £30 Travelodge Refund “insulting” After Hotel Room Assault

Woman calls £30 Travelodge refund “insulting” after hotel room assault A woman who was sexually assaulted in her hotel room has criticised the response of hotel chain Travelodge after she was offered a £30 refund following the incident. The company has since apologised for how the refund offer was handled but insists its staff followed the correct security procedures at the time.

The attack happened at a Travelodge hotel in Maidenhead in 2022 when a man managed to obtain a key card to the woman’s room after telling reception staff he was her boyfriend. The man, later identified as Kyran Smith, had earlier been at the same social event as the woman before both returned to the hotel in separate rooms. In the early hours of the morning, Smith went to reception and convinced staff to give him access to her room. He then entered while she was asleep and sexually assaulted her. The woman woke up during the attack and shouted at him to leave. After reporting the incident to hotel staff the following morning, the woman said she was offered a £30 refund for her stay.

She described the offer as “insulting “It would have been better if they hadn’t offered it,” she said, adding that she felt the hotel had failed to take responsibility for what happened. The victim, who had never stayed alone in a hotel before, said she had checked that her door was locked before going to sleep and could not understand how someone had been able to enter.

She has since called on the company to change its security procedures. “It’s not protecting people staying in hotels if you can just access a room by saying things to reception,” she said. Smith was later convicted at Reading Crown Court of sexual assault and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.

Police from Thames Valley Police said sexual offences are treated with the “utmost seriousness” and stressed their commitment to investigating violence against women and girls. In a statement, Travelodge said it was deeply concerned by the incident and expressed sympathy for the victim.

The company apologised for the way the refund offer had been made, acknowledging that it was inappropriate under the circumstances. However, it maintained that staff had followed the hotel’s existing security procedures when issuing the key card. “The safety and security of our guests is our priority,” the company said, adding that employees are trained to follow approved policies when dealing with guests The case has raised wider concerns about hotel security and how staff verify requests for access to guests’ rooms. The victim says she hopes speaking out will encourage stronger procedures to prevent similar incidents happening to others in the future.