Guests reported unauthorised room entries at nearly one in 10 Travelodge hotels — about 60 properties — an independent review into a 2022 sexual assault at the chain's Maidenhead property has found.

Barrister John Greaney KC, who led the review commissioned earlier this year, said the evidence he received shows so-called "room intrusions" are a problem across the UK hotel sector, not an occurrence restricted to Travelodge. Unauthorised entries have become common enough across the industry that they carry their own name, he noted.

"The evidence I have received reveals that room intrusions are not a type of occurrence restricted to Travelodge hotels, but instead are a problem across the hotel sector," Mr Greaney said.

His report stated bluntly: "Change needed to occur, and still needs to occur, across the sector, not just within Travelodge."

Mr Greaney could not name all the companies he spoke to because many conversations were held in confidence. He also gathered evidence from trade bodies, charities, MPs and a police organisation.

What happened at Maidenhead?

Kyran Smith was jailed for seven and a half years in February for the December 2022 assault at the Travelodge in Maidenhead, Berkshire. He lied to a junior member of staff at the hotel desk, claiming to be the boyfriend of the victim — referred to in the report as "Lily" — and received a key card to her room in under three minutes.

Lily emailed a complaint to Travelodge in January 2023 asking bosses to review security processes. The complaint never reached then-chief executive Jo Boydell until more than three years later. Customer services handled it, and a senior hotel manager investigated — a process Mr Greaney called "inadequate and downplayed to a substantial extent the seriousness of what had happened".

Travelodge then offered her a reimbursement of her night's stay, which she "understandably interpreted as an offer of £30" — described in the report as insulting.

Mr Greaney concluded that Lily was "fundamentally failed by Travelodge as an organisation at every stage" and "treated by Travelodge in a way that was inappropriate and unfair; indeed, it was disgraceful".

The report read: "Travelodge's treatment of Lily, following her complaint in writing, fell short of every standard the public would expect of an organisation such as Travelodge. It was simply appalling."

How has Travelodge responded?

Ms Boydell stepped down as chief executive in August and was replaced on an interim basis by Ray Reidy. She had faced criticism over her handling of the incident and safety concerns across the chain, prompting former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to urge her earlier this year to "seriously engage" with the Government on security. The review noted that once she learned of the 2022 assault, Ms Boydell led an immediate drive for change.

Interim chief executive Ray Reidy said: "I apologise unreservedly on behalf of Travelodge to all guests where we have failed, and particularly to Lily."

He acknowledged the review "makes it clear that there were failures in Travelodge's room access security policies and procedures and in the way customers have been treated", adding: "We have made significant progress in preventing and addressing these issues over the past six months, and we recognise we still have further to go."

Customer-reported room intrusion cases within Travelodge have fallen significantly since the end of May amid the chain's safety push. Mr Reidy said the company is dedicating "significant resources" to the overhaul and changing its governance structure to lock in the improvements.

What is the wider industry doing?

UK Hospitality has published new guest security guidance for hotels, covering:

• how to respond to requests for replacement room keys;
• handling access requests from people not named on bookings;
• managing group and corporate bookings.

Mr Greaney said he hopes other hotel bosses will take the findings on board when reviewing their own policies and procedures. With intrusion reports still surfacing at roughly 60 Travelodge properties alone, sector-wide adoption of the new guidance will test whether the industry closes a gap one barrister has now documented in public.