Think twice before staying alone in a Travelodge

Why aren't Travel Lodge announcing a change in policy on this??

I've heard that a door stop can help stop someone open a door (or even better a security wedge or portable alarm door stop).

Shocking response from Travelodge. I stopped using them a few years ago after a couple of dodgy experiences which they refused to respond to. A colleague experienced similar treatment. I’d hope they might have got their act together, but sadly they clearly have not.

Could you go with a specialist tour company? You would be one of a group where everyone would, I feel sure, look out for you.

That is shocking. No care at all for security and safety, I certainly won't be staying with them. I travel a lot for work and mostly use the same trusted hotels where they know me and look out for me, but sometimes I'm in a new city and just have to hope all is okay. Think I'll invest in a door wedge.

We stayed at the same travelodge and the window lock in our room on the ground floor was broken. So we had to sleep in an unlocked room all night in the middle of London. No other rooms available apparently.

I have a complaint in with Travelodge at the moment - had a male member of staff knock on my door while I was sleeping and demand I open the door to him as they’d made an error at check in and needed to verify who was in the room. Initially didn’t say who he was upon knocking, and I was already feeling uncomfortable as they’d put me in an end room on an enclosed dead end corridor.

I complained in the morning and was completely gaslit at reception…

I’ve booked a travel lodge next week for solo travel work trip - have just bought the door wedges

I am deaf. What do I do if staying alone? I haven't had to yet, but was thinking of heading off to Italy to see Pompeii, no one else is bothered, but now I'm so put off.

I wouldn't hear an alarm, well maybe if it was really high pitched like a fire alarm. Damn, so I'm female, staying on my own, deaf. I haven't a hope.

I have messaged a work colleague and told her not to book anyone at work into travelodges. Horrendous lack of security and no accountability.

No response to me.

I gave up on Travel Lodge a long time ago. I use Premier Inn or ZHotel, plus a door wedge.

Has anyone had a response from the CEO?

I find it unbelievable that what happened here was in line with the specific policies of a single Travelodge location, let alone the entire chain! I don't want to minimise the impact to the actual victim, but the general public also need and deserve an explanation of how this happened and the steps that Travelodge will take to prevent similar incidents.

Not specific to Travelodge (haven't stayed in one since 2016), but in general, travelling solo (and female):

• I've had my room assigned again to another guest who has then tried to enter with a custom keycard (and in one case, a physical key). I've also arrived in a room that's obviously already assigned/occupied and has also been assigned to me.

• I've had others try to get into my room mistaking it for their own (and in one case, a drunkard hammering on the door because he thought it was his room and his partner had intentionally locked him out).

• I once, in an Ibis in France, had housekeeping leave my room door wide open during a routine cleaning mid-stay and never come back.

• I've often (although much less often over time as awareness of risks has risen and security policies have become more sophisticated) had the front desk give me a duplicate key card on request without checking my ID or escorting me to my room to check it.

• I've heard credible stories about hotels that don't reprogram the electronic key cards after every stay, and even one that just gave guests a master key that would open any guest room door.

But to let someone ELSE into an occupied guest room, intentionally, KNOWING he's not on the reservation? I believe that it could have been done by mistake, but if it's the actual policy there is HUGE issue which needs to be addressed urgently, not defended!! That hasn't been the norm or even generally considered acceptable in decades.

😱 19 yo Dd stayed alone in the one in Aldgate last week as she had an assessment at a London firm.

She was delighted at the hotel rate which the limited expense allowance covered but defo wouldn’t have stayed there if she had known how lax they are.

Disgraceful!!

I will never stay in a Travelodge again. What an appalling response to a shocking and preventable crime that they were complicit in.

I hope they go bankrupt.

tbh I'd prefer to sleep in a hotel room with a dog - better protection than the hotel staff.
Where else do you expect dog owners to stay on long journeys then?

That’s absolutely terrible.
Also. Why is it been advertised on this thread?

What we really need is a key to Jo Boyalls house and directions - maybe the helpline will provide them so we can pop in at 3am...

Hotels are not allowed to give out the name of a guest or who is staying there apart from to Police or Fire Brigade. Supposing someone is fleeing Domestic Abuse.

Thank you for sharing. Always had my doubts about key cards and hotels that do not have proper door jammers as a normal addition to the door, after all what would it cost them. Am absolutely appalled and outraged by the fact they don’t seem to be making any noise about making rooms for anyone safer.

I am really shocked by this. When I go to the Premier Inn, they don't even say my room number out loud in case anyone is listening. The protocol should be only issue a keycard to a registered guest.

If someone asks for your room number, even if they know the floor you're on, or can prove they are married to you, if they are not on the booking, then the hotel should call the room and speak to you before giving out a number.

Travelodge should have said this was against their policy, the staff member has been spoken to and sent for retraining, their policy of not giving out keys or room numbers has been reiterated across their estate and they are in negotiations with the woman about proper compensation. And mean it.

those worried about fire safety, that's another reason why a doorstop alarm is a really good idea. You don't have to wedge it under the door - you actually can't because then the alarm will go off. But as soon as the opening door knocks the doorstop, the alarm will go off. It's very loud by the way.

worst case scenario is that you'll forget to switch it off when you wake up and set it off yourself. I have managed not to do that yet.!

There are many reasons I don't like going away these days (i'm usually on my own)

But lack of training for hotel staff is also one of them. I suspect this could happen anywhere.

this is another area where we are seeing that there's just no practicality or common sense in workplaces. I think there's evidence of that across the board.

I do exactly the same.

We stayed in a Travelodge last year there were only two junior staff on duty overnight with a drunk in the bar to deal with. Very uncomfortable! We go Ibis if we can, they are very environmentally friendly.

Thanks, email sent.

I'm going to raise it with our corporate travel manager when I'm back in the office next week too as Travelodge are regularly offered for business travel.