Who is responsible for keeping hotel guests safe?

The conviction of a man for sexually assaulting a guest after gaining access to her Travelodge room has raised serious questions about safety at hotels. Travelodge said it has made "immediate changes" to its door key policy. It came after it emerged reception staff at the Maidenhead branch gave 29-year-old Kyran Smith a key card to the woman's room after he falsely claimed to be her boyfriend. The Minister for Victims, Alex Davies-Jones, said on Wednesday she was "shocked" to learn there was no shared guidance around safeguarding for those staying in hotels alone. She said ministers across government would meet to discuss what it could do to ensure best practice across the industry to keep people safe. So who is currently responsible for ensuring the security of guests while they stay in hotels? Speaking on BBC Radio Berkshire, MP Matt Bishop said: "We don't believe there's any sort of regulator or industry standard that we can find. We're going to push for that change." He said he would be introducing a 10-minute rule bill in Parliament and that ministers were "keen to get something through". It is rare for such bills to become law without government support, but Bishop said it wo

Mar 19, 2026 → Mar 19, 2026