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Travelodge has issued an apology to a Jewish customer after a “Free Palestine” message unexpectedly appeared as a welcome greeting on the television in his hotel room. This incident took place at the Manor House Travelodge located in north London earlier in the month. A video capturing the pop-up message was shared online by the Jewish safety charity Shomrim, drawing attention to the event.
The affected guest, Sruly Fogel, a 24-year-old visibly Orthodox Jewish visitor from New York, was in the UK to attend a wedding. He described the experience as making him feel “really uncomfortable.” Fogel reported that the message appeared immediately upon switching on the TV, and he further claimed that a hotel staff member had acted with hostility towards him during check-in. The Manor House Travelodge is situated close to Stamford Hill, which is home to Europe’s largest strictly Orthodox Jewish community.
Following the complaint, Travelodge launched an investigation to determine how the message was displayed. Despite extensive inquiries—including reviewing CCTV footage, analyzing TV activity logs and room swipe data, and interviewing staff and the guest—the investigation failed to identify anyone responsible. The hotel chain checked all rooms in the Manor House location and other hotels nationwide, confirming that the message was only present on the TV in this particular guest’s room. Travelodge classified the message initially as antisemitic and has now reported the matter to the police.
Travelodge’s chief executive, Jo Boydell, personally reached out to apologize to the guest. The company has emphasized its zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination, including antisemitism, and is working with a prominent Jewish organization to develop cultural sensitivity and antisemitism training for staff. While details on the scope and mandatory nature of this training for employees remain unclear, the hotel chain has stated that its internal investigation is nearing conclusion. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police conducted inquiries but have closed their investigation for the time being, pending any new information. The Campaign Against Antisemitism criticized the closure of the investigations, highlighting the limited number of individuals with access to the room’s equipment and the existence of CCTV footage. In response to related concerns, Travelodge is also undergoing an independent review of its room access policies led by a barrister
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