Think twice before staying alone in a Travelodge

[MeridianB]

Just seen this on BBC:
How Travelodge in Maidenhead gave sex attacker key to woman's room - BBC News

I did search to see if anyone had already posted - apologies for any duplication.

Such an awful thing to happen and such a stunningly bad response from Travelodge - no accountability, no transparency of their security procedures, no apology.

We are avoiding staying at these hotels because my autistic son could open the door when inside. My husband had to sleep across the door to make sure he didn't do that.

Other chains overbook, too.

I once booked 2 rooms at a Jury’s Inn in Ireland, where we were attending a wedding. I booked well in advance and told them we’d be arriving late, after a Friday evening flight from London.

Plus, on the very morning of our arrival, I phoned the hotel specifically to remind them that we’d be arriving some time after 10 pm.
When we arrived, our rooms had already been taken! 🤬

Even I wasn’t as incandescent as the Irish friends who’d been waiting for us in the bar!!

The staff did find us alternative accommodation, but needless to say, I will never book a Jury’s Inn again.
OTOH we have stayed many times at Premier Inns, and have never had any problem.

They have a published lone traveller policy and the ones I have stayed at have always followed it.

Yep never had an issue with Premier Inn either re over booking. We stick with them now .

I’ve stayed at travelodges a couple of times in the last 10 years and they seem to have removed the locks that can only be locked/ unlocked from inside the room - the only lock has been openable with a key. I always use a door stop type of thing as extra security, weighing up that it’s a higher risk of someone opening the door than me needing to be rescued.

since the second time, I avoid Travelodges. Premier Inns always seem more secure.

prior to 10-ish years ago, the security issue didn’t seem as bad

Plainly Travelodge have no care for women, particularly lone women, so i will always avoid them in future. Paying for a room in a hotel should ensure everyone's safety, they are failing women very badly which i never forget or forgive

As if the fact that they don't clean their rooms properly wasn't enough reason to avoid them, this surely is.

Shower of dirty cunts.

There are so many other basic things they could have done like - maybe call the room and ask her to confirm whether she was expecting anyone?

Just that alone could have avoided someone being sexually assaulted.

Also the person who offered £30 compensation - is that person ok? Like as they wrote that email along the lines of “sorry to hear you were scared to death, sexually assaulted, traumatised - here is 30 quid” - was their brain engaged at all before offering that?

Every woman's worst nightmare. How horrible.

Just to add you can get portable door locking things on Amazon when you are in the room to prevent this.... sometime women have to travel alone so worth investing in this. Appalling that we have to....

@BoredZelda

Sorry could you explain this to me please? I dont understand what you are saying.

If I book a hotel room on a specific date and show up well within time on the agreed date, how can you justify me not getting a room because they have given it to someone else?

This is what I use and it seems pretty solid

Door-Jammer Portable Door... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HM7X6TT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Ah, that's interesting! I actually emailed them this morning asking what their policy was, because I stay at Premier Inns alone a few times a year, and this story shook me up a little - mainly because of Travelodge's insistence that their security procedures were followed, so we're obviously very lax. I wanted to check whether Premier Inn's protocols were less mental.

All women should boycott them. That’s a completely unacceptable response highlighting their complete disregard for the safety of women travelling. Vote with your feet!

I usually stay - alone - in a motorway Travelodge if I go to football (too far for me to drive there and back in a day). DEFINITELY looking for an alternative from now on.

I can't believe people are missing the point here.

HE COULD HAVE MURDERED HER ffs

There needs to be some investigation and reckoning for this, heads must roll

Of course they must.

The room was booked for ONE person to stay. They shouldn't be giving second room cards out full stop.

And 7.1/2 years in not long enough.

I am incandescent with rage on behalf of this poor woman and all women. How fucking imbecilic to allow someone into someone else's room

I would never travel without a device to wedge the door from the inside. Now you can buy all manner of gadgets on Amazon but a simple wooden wedge will do the trick. Even someone with an electronic pass key would not be able to get in. Ive travelled all over the Mid East as a solo female (including Syria, Iran, Egypt and Morocco) and have several times come across handsome young room boys who assumed I was "up for it". They would come and tap on my door at night and I would ignore them. After a couple of taps they will go away as they dont dare waking up other guests or causing a fuss. Ironically the most persistant was in Italy!.

Another tip is to unplug the phone as you sometimes get these romeos calling you. Simple basic precuations whether in the UK or abroad.

I have a door lock, the wedge ones, you ram it under the door when your in the room.

How doe these work?

Absolutely awful from Travelodge. There are so many different actions they could have taken to verify he was making a legitimate request, I can't understand how this could ever be in line with their protocols

And the offer of compensation just beggars belief

Shit hole of a chain, I would never use them again

They wedge the door.

Tbh I’ve stayed in lots of hotels travel lodges to 5 star, I always have a rubber door stop to use if no lock on the inside, I’ve not found travel lodges particularly worrying.

But this isn’t a great response but no doubt desperate to not admit any liability (which is understandable from their legal perspective). PR disaster though. Awful for the woman to be subject to a sexual attack then have to deal with all this on top

Haven’t stayed in one for years. They’ve always had dodgy security.

A good friend (male) was a rep for a number of years and often stayed at TLs. On more than one occasion people came into his room when he was in bed, including a very drunk woman who got into bed next to him and passed out. He had no idea what to do - she was spark out and he was worried about allegations of assault if he so much as touched her. So he lay completely still in bed and tried to ring the reception as quietly as he could. They had to call the police to come with them to the room and wake the girl up so that my friend could stay completely out of it to avoid any accusations. He was terrified for months.

He said their door systems are really patchy and he would regularly be told by reception staff as he got to know them about similar scenarios to that which he later experienced and that “half the time any key will open any door because the security is crap”.

Even with some higher end hotels I take a door jam with me when travelling alone.