Poole Travelodge apologises after naked man is found in hotel bathroom

Niki Pridmore, from Portland, was staying at the Travelodge hotel in Holes Bay Road on Friday, March 17, with her friend to watch a show at Lighthouse that night.  

The hotel has since apologised to Mrs Pridmore for the “genuine misunderstanding” and a refund has been offered. 

Mrs Pridmore said: “We were given rooms on separate floors so we asked to stay in rooms next to each other, staff said yes and gave us another room key which my friend took. 

Poole Travelodge in Holes Bay Road (Image: Daily Echo)

“My friend went into her room and there was builder’s stuff in there, boots and clothes, but we knew there was work going on so we assumed that was their room and asked to change the room.” 

When they returned to their respective rooms after the show, Mrs Pridmore’s friend knocked on her door a couple of minutes later “very distressed”. 

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“She said there was a naked man in the room and he had refused to leave,” Mrs Pridmore said. 

“Two young female workers then came upstairs to ask the man to leave and my friend said she saw another naked man in the corridor who quickly went into the builder's room.” 

She said one man refused to leave the room and another stayed until the police arrived. 

“One of the men said he had a master key to every room in the hotel, which was the biggest worry of it all. 

“It’s quite scary; imagine that was somebody in there on their own or they were in bed.  

“He was really drunk, not that that excuses him, but he must have realised that wasn’t his room because of all the make-up and clothes.” 

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Mrs Pridmore’s husband then drove from Portland to pick the women up and take them home. 

A spokeswoman for Travelodge said: “We would like to sincerely apologise to Mr and Mrs Pridmore for the isolated incident that took place in our Poole hotel.  

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“The safety of our customers is of paramount importance to us, and when this incident was reported to the hotel reception team, they immediately followed protocol and informed the police.” 

She said an investigation into the incident is underway and thanked the guests for their patience. 

A spokesman for Dorset Police said the incident, reported to them at 11.36pm, arose from a “genuine misunderstanding with no malicious intent”, adding: “Apologies were offered and words of advice were given. 

“No further police action was required.”