An independent review has concluded that Travelodge failed a woman who was sexually assaulted at one of its hotels after a man was given unauthorized access to her room. The incident occurred in December 2022, when the woman, identified in the report as Lily, woke to find Kyran Smith, 30, a man known to her, naked and pressed against her in her hotel room.

Smith had obtained a copy of Lily’s keycard by falsely claiming to hotel staff that he was her boyfriend. Following the incident, Lily reported the matter to Travelodge and was offered a £30 refund. Smith was subsequently convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in January 2026.

The report, released in early October, criticized Travelodge’s security protocols at the time as inadequate for ensuring guest safety. It stated that the hotel chain “fundamentally failed” Lily at multiple points during and after the assault. According to the review, the company’s policies did not properly safeguard guests against unauthorized room access, allowing the assault to occur.

Ray Reidy, interim chief executive of Travelodge, issued an unreserved apology to Lily and other guests who might have been let down by the company’s failures. He acknowledged that while progress has been made in improving security measures over the last six months, the hotel group recognizes that more work is needed to fully address these issues.

The case has raised concerns about hotel security standards and the processes in place for verifying individuals requesting access to guests’ rooms. Travelodge has committed to continuing efforts to strengthen its procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.