Stranger Enters Couple’s Travelodge Room After Staff Give Wrong Key Card in Lincoln

A couple staying at a Travelodge in Lincoln faced a security breach on 8 April when a stranger entered their room after being given a key card by staff, according to the BBC and other outlets.

Chris Adamson, 63, from Leeds, was enjoying a mini-break with her husband Paul at the hotel when she heard the door click and a man entered their room, the BBC reported.

BBC

The incident happened just days after Travelodge’s boss promised to improve security measures after a man was jailed for sexually assaulting a woman in her room in Maidenhead, the BBC said.

The BBC described how Adamson and her husband checked in shortly after 14:30 BST and reported a fault with the television, after which two members of staff came up, fixed the TV and adjusted the air conditioning.

Adamson said one staff member suggested they could change rooms if it did not improve, but she said there were no further issues.

When the couple were getting ready to go out for the evening at about 18:00, Adamson told the BBC that the man walked in with his suitcase and quickly left.

She later followed him down to reception to make a complaint, and she said the staff response was dismissive, telling the BBC: "The people on reception said, all we can say is we're really sorry, accidents happen, and they were quite dismissive of it."

Travelodge said the room-key error occurred after staff processed a proposed room change but did not update the system when the couple decided to stay in their original room, the BBC reported.

The BBC quoted a Travelodge spokesperson explaining: "After Ms Adamson complained about a fault in her room, we offered to move her into another room and processed this room move on our systems."

BBC

The spokesperson added: "Subsequently we were able to fix the fault, and Ms Adamson made the decision to stay in her original room, but this was not reflected on our systems."

The company said this led to another guest being issued a key for the occupied room, with the spokesperson stating: "This led to another guest being issued a key for Ms Adamson's original room in error."

In the same statement, Travelodge said it was retraining staff on room security and check-in procedures, saying: "We are retraining the hotel team on room security and check-in procedures."

The Independent similarly described the technical sequence, saying the error occurred because a proposed room change was processed on the system but not updated when the couple decided to remain in their original room.

GB News also placed the timing of the couple’s check-in shortly after 2:30pm and said the security lapse occurred merely days after Travelodge’s chief executive pledged to strengthen safety protocols.

The Lincoln incident is repeatedly linked to a prior Travelodge case in which a man was jailed for sexually assaulting a woman after being wrongly issued a key card to her room.

“- Published A woman says she was left shaken when a stranger came into her Travelodge room having been given a key card by staff”

BBC

The BBC said the episode in Maidenhead, Berkshire, involved Kyran Smith, 29, from Staines, Surrey, who was jailed in February for seven-and-a-half years following the attack in December 2022.

The BBC also said the Lincoln incident occurred just days after the hotel chain's boss promised to improve security measures after that Maidenhead assault.

In its account, GB News likewise said Smith received a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a woman in her room at a Travelodge in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in December 2022, and that Smith gained access after staff provided him with a key card to the victim's accommodation.

Both the BBC and GB News referenced Travelodge’s March response, saying the chain announced it had made "immediate changes" to its door key policy after the assault case.

The BBC quoted Jo Boydell, CEO of Travelodge, saying on 30 March: "We're working really really hard to make sure that we get this right going forwards."

Daily Express also echoed the same timeline, describing the Lincoln incident as occurring just days after the chain's boss promised to improve security measures following the jailed case.

Chris Adamson told the BBC that she is now unlikely to stay at a Travelodge on her own after the room-key incident, describing a personal fear about what could happen to someone alone.

She said: "My worry is if it happens to someone else who is alone in a room, because there doesn't seem to be the security checks in place."

Daily Express

She added: "I don't think I would stay in a Travelodge by myself now."

The BBC also recorded that Travelodge expressed regret, with a spokesperson saying they were "extremely sorry" and that the incident "should not have happened."

In the BBC’s account, Adamson described the man as looking "as startled as I was" and said he quickly left, and she followed him to reception to lodge a complaint.

GB News presented the same core quotes and emphasized that the couple arrived shortly after 2:30pm, reported a problem with the television, and then had staff adjust the air conditioning because it felt warm.

The BBC stated the independent review would "look at how we can strengthen our procedures and training to prevent these situations occurring".

While all the outlets describe the same core incident—an unknown man entering the couple’s Travelodge room in Lincoln after being given a key card—their framing and emphasis differ.

“A woman from Leeds has described being left shaken after a stranger walked into her Travelodge hotel room in Lincoln, having been handed a key card by reception staff”

GB News

The BBC focuses on the timeline of check-in and the couple’s report of a television fault, saying Adamson checked in shortly after 14:30 BST and reported the fault before staff came up to fix it and adjust the air conditioning.

GB News

GB News similarly highlights the timing, stating the couple arrived shortly after 2:30pm and that the security lapse occurred merely days after Travelodge’s chief executive pledged to strengthen safety protocols.

The Daily Express uses a more immediate narrative tone, describing the moment as the couple were getting ready to go out for the evening having both taken a shower at around 6pm and quoting Adamson: "We'd both just come out the shower and were ready to go out, but half-an-hour earlier and we wouldn't have been."

The Independent frames the story as Travelodge under fire, describing the incident as a man entering the couple’s room after staff mistakenly issued him a key card for their occupied accommodation.

It also stresses the link to the earlier jailed case, saying the incident adds to increased scrutiny following the recent case where a man was jailed for sexually assaulting a woman after being wrongly issued a key card to her room.

Even the apology language is consistent across the accounts, with Travelodge described as being "extremely sorry" and saying the incident "should not have happened."