Woman housed in Chiswick Travelodge says fellow tenant tried to kiss her twice

Chiswick High Road Travelodge

The BBC’s Local Democracy Service is reporting that a woman housed in a Chiswick Travelodge by her housing association says a man staying at the same hotel grabbed her hand and tried to kiss her on two separate occasions, once outside the hotel and again the next morning in the breakfast area

Kelly Butler, 38, has waived her right to anonymity, automatically granted in cases involving alleged sexual assault.

She and her partner, Ashley Dudman, 42, were placed in the Travelodge on Chiswick High Road to allow repairs to go ahead on their Ravenscourt Park flat, owned by their housing association, Notting Hill Genesis.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service had previously covered the couple’s efforts to get the landlord to deal with months of leaks, damp and mould at the property. Repairs were only agreed after that story ran, and the family was moved out, first to the Chiswick Travelodge, so the work could begin.

Ms Butler said the man, also a Notting Hill Genesis tenant staying at the hotel, approached her as she stood outside. ‘He basically walked past me, he grabbed my hand and was like trying to pull me in and was like, “can I kiss you?”, and I was like “woah, what are you doing?”‘ she said. She told her partner but left it there. The following morning, she said, he did the same thing in the breakfast area.

Following the incident, Travelodge removed the man from the hotel, and the matter was reported to the Met Police.

The family’s housing troubles did not end there. On June 30 they were moved again, this time to a flat in Hounslow. They had been told by email that it would be on the ground floor, but on arrival Ms Butler said the property was on the second floor, which caused problems for Mr Dudman.

She also said the surrounding area felt unsafe. ‘My partner and I genuinely feared we were going to be attacked and robbed,’ she said. ‘With our daughter present we had absolutely no choice but to leave. We cannot return to that property.’

The family contacted the emergency team, who arranged a further hotel stay, their third location in 24 hours. They are currently in a Travelodge in Acton.

Ms Butler said much of the work her home needs still hasn’t started, and that on one visit she found little going on beyond a coat of paint. ‘Why is it I’ve got to wait when they should be doing the work now?’ she said, adding: ‘They should be in there doing the work to the standard it should bloody be.’

Mr Dudman has scleroderma, an autoimmune condition affecting his immune system and connective tissue that has reduced his lung capacity to 50%. In May, the couple’s daughter was taken to A&E with respiratory problems, which the family fear may be linked to conditions in the flat.

An occupational therapist’s report found the property unsuitable for Mr Dudman, leading to the move to the Chiswick Travelodge on May 14.

A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson said repair work on the heating system was due to start on July 7, to be followed by ventilation and window repairs, and that surveyors had kept Ms Butler informed throughout and would continue to do so, apologising for how long the project has taken.

On the Hounslow flat, the spokesperson said it was a suitable like-for-like two-bedroom home. They said the association knew of Ms Butler’s preference for a ground-floor home, since her permanent Ravenscourt Park flat is on the third floor with no lift, but staff had wrongly been told the Hounslow alternative was on the ground floor, an error they apologised for.

The spokesperson said Ms Butler initially accepted the offer and had furniture delivered before later saying she did not feel safe in the area, at which point the association arranged a further hotel stay.

They said the family’s alternative accommodation and reasonable expenses are being covered under the association’s relocation policy.

A Travelodge spokesperson said guest and colleague safety was the company’s priority, that the allegation had been investigated and the man removed, and that the Met Police had agreed with the hotel’s handling of the matter and found no grounds for further investigation.