A lady has slammed Travelodge for “failing” her after lodge employees handed her room key to a person who sexually assaulted her in her mattress, resulting in his jailing for seven-and-a-half years. The sufferer, now in her 30s and unnamed for authorized causes, woke in horror to Kyran Smith attacking her on the Maidenhead department in December 2022.
The pair had attended the identical celebration earlier that evening, however she retired alone to her room round 2am—her first solo lodge keep. Smith, 29, from Staines, lied to reception employees, claiming to be her boyfriend, and obtained a reproduction key card. He slipped into her locked room and assaulted her as she slept. He fled after dressing, returning the important thing earlier than retreating to his personal room.
The sufferer instructed the BBC: “I feel like they failed me. It makes me more frustrated that they haven’t said ‘OK yes we did this wrong’. Instead they’ve put the blame aside.”
She blasted the lodge’s safety lapses, insisting employees ought to by no means have granted entry with out verification. She stated: “If I checked-in on my own and the room booking is just for me why would you think it’s OK to let someone in in the middle of the night while I’m asleep?
“At least wake me up or telephone the room or come as much as the room. Anything is best than simply giving somebody a key card.”
The woman disputed Travelodge’s claim that Smith passed security checks by providing her name and showing text messages.
She said: “The solely factor he would learn about me was my identify. They stated he was in a position to present them textual content messages, however I did not have his telephone quantity and he did not have mine.”
She recalled her confusion upon waking: “I double-checked I locked the door. I could not work out how he was in my room as a result of I did all the pieces that I’d deem to be right once you keep in a lodge.”
The next morning, she reported the assault to staff and acquaintances. Smith was arrested and, after a four-day trial at Reading Crown Court in November 2025, convicted of sexual assault and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.
He was sentenced to seven years and six months on 23 January 2026.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Arshid Ali said: “I welcome the sentencing which displays the seriousness of the offence and the damaging nature of the defendant. Thames Valley Police deal with all sexual offences with the utmost seriousness, significantly these dedicated in opposition to girls.”
Travelodge offered the victim a £30 refund, which she branded “very insulting—it will have been higher in the event that they hadn’t supplied it.” The chain admitted the offer was “inappropriate” but insisted staff followed procedures correctly. In a statement, it said: “The security and safety of our visitors is our precedence… At the time of the incident our lodge workforce adopted the right safety procedures.”
The sufferer urged Travelodge to overtake insurance policies to forestall related nightmares. Thames Valley Police inspired victims to report offences on 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Express.co.uk has contacted Travelodge for remark.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2178899/horror-woman-attacking-travelodge