A domestic abuse survivor says she was attacked in her London Travelodge room after reception staff handed her abuser a key card and directed him to her door, a breach of the chain's own security policy. The woman, identified only as 'Lucy', had booked a night at the budget chain in October 2025 for what she called 'a night away from the fear' after a sustained period of abuse. She said her ex-partner walked into the London Travelodge, told the receptionist his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure, and asked which room and floor she was in. Staff not only provided the information but issued him a key and directed him to her room.
'I couldn't believe it. The one place I thought he could never get to, he had somehow reached. I felt sick with panic. My safe place disappeared in an instant,' she said. Once inside, Lucy says her ex-partner physically assaulted her and tried to take her phone. She persuaded him to leave, but he returned 'banging, shouting and becoming more aggressive', kicking the door off its hinges to force his way back in, despite the room's internal deadbolt and electronic key-card lock.
