Hotel firm Travelodge has launched an investigation after a “pro-Palestine” message appeared on the screen of a Jewish guest’s room at a branch in north London.
The words “Free Palestine” were displayed on TV screens of the two “visibly” Jewish guests at the Travelodge Manor House in Finsbury Park.
The guest, Sruly Fogel, 24, from New York, told Jewish News that he was visiting the UK for a wedding when the incident occurred.
He told the publication: “It was really, really uncomfortable and I didn’t feel safe,” adding that the five-member group booked two rooms at the hotel, both of which displayed the message.
Mr Fogel said the group had been so unsettled by the incident that one member stayed awake through the night while the others slept.
He said he did not anticipate returning to London after the “terrible experience.”
Footage of the incident was first shared by Shomrim, the Jewish community protection organisation, in north and east London, before it was widely circulated online.
In the video, the camera pans to the television screen which lights up with a welcome message and underneath it, the words “Free Palestine”.
🚨 Travelodge Manor House Greets Jewish Guests
— Shomrim (London North & East) (@Shomrim) June 3, 2026
📺 With a "Free Palestine" message on their room TV
😟 Two visibly Jewish guests report finding the message displayed on their televisions upon arrival.
❗ Allegations of hostile treatment by a member of staff have further… pic.twitter.com/7L8b9yo0Js
According to the post by Shomrim, the guests also alleged hostile treatment by a member of staff, with the force adding that “this behaviour bears all the hallmarks of targeted antisemitism.”
The hotel chain has now escalated the incident and is looking into the allegations.
In a statement to The Standard, chief executive Jo Boydell said: “We are taking the report of an anti-Semitic message that appeared on the TV screen in a room in one of our hotels yesterday afternoon with the utmost seriousness.
“We were made aware of this late yesterday and launched an immediate investigation to understand how something like this could have happened.”
Ms Boydell apologised “unreservedly” to the guests.
She added that the incident had been reported to the police and that “there is no place in society for anti-Semitism and we will not tolerate this in our hotels or in our wider business.”
