British hotel chain Travelodge apologized to a Jewish guest after a “Free Palestine” message appeared on the television in his room at a London hotel, prompting concern in the Jewish community and investigations by the company and police.
The incident took place at the London Manor House Travelodge in north London. The guest, 24-year-old Sruli Vogel, an Orthodox Jew from New York who was visiting Britain for a wedding, recorded the message in a video published by the Jewish security group Shomrim. The footage shows the television screen displaying a pop-up message reading: “Welcome Guest – Free Palestine.”
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A television screen in a London Travelodge hotel room displays the message 'Welcome Guest – Free Palestine'
Vogel said the incident left him deeply uncomfortable. He also said he encountered hostility from a hotel employee during check-in, and that the appearance of the message in the room assigned to him, while he was visibly identifiable as an Orthodox Jew, heightened his sense of distress.
Travelodge opened an internal investigation after the complaint, reviewing television system activity logs, room keycard access data, security camera footage and interviews with employees and guests. The company said it was unable to determine who entered the message or exactly when it was added to the system.
A review of all rooms at the hotel, as well as checks at other Travelodge hotels across Britain, found the message appeared only in Vogel’s room. The company said it found no evidence that hotel staff were involved.
Travelodge CEO Jo Boydell spoke with Vogel and personally apologized for his experience. The company said that under its “zero tolerance” policy toward discrimination, including antisemitism, it is working with a leading Jewish organization to develop employee training on cultural sensitivity and combating antisemitism.
London police also investigated the incident but said they closed the case after carrying out checks and finding no further evidence, unless new information emerges.
The decision by police and the hotel chain to close their investigations drew criticism from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which said it was difficult to understand why those responsible could not be identified.
“There is a limited number of people with access to these systems, and there is CCTV,” the group said. “The Jewish community deserves clearer answers.”