Travelodge launches probe after Jewish guests greeted with "Free Palestine" message

Jewish guests staying at a Travelodge hotel in London have expressed their shock and horror after being confronted with a "Free Palestine" message on their rooms’ televisions.

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon, when two visibly Jewish tourists checked into the London Manor House hotel in Finsbury Park.

Footage uncovered by LBC shows that upon entering his room, one of the guests was met with a message that read: "Welcome Guest. Free Palestine."

It’s understood that the second guest, staying in a separate room, received the same message.

Travelodge’s CEO, Joy Boydell, told LBC that the company has launched an immediate internal investigation and has reported the incident to the police.

Shomrim, a Jewish community policing network in north London, said the men’s treatment “bears all the hallmarks of targeted antisemitism”.

"The two gentlemen contacted Shomrim expressing their shock and horror at being welcomed in such a manner,” the group’s president, Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE, told LBC.

"We, of course, did everything to help them - reporting this to the police, ensuring they were comforted and reassured that this is not the regular way people are welcomed into our great city."

The two men, travelling from the United States, have visited London on multiple occasions and previously enjoyed "positive experiences".

???? Travelodge Manor House Greets Jewish Guests

???? With a "Free Palestine" message on their room TV

???? Two visibly Jewish guests report finding the message displayed on their televisions upon arrival.

❗ Allegations of hostile treatment by a member of staff have further… pic.twitter.com/7L8b9yo0Js

— Shomrim (London North & East) (@Shomrim) June 3, 2026

“Therefore the shock was greater when this time they were faced with this type of situation, which is very unnerving, to put it mildly," the Rabbi added.

“This shouldn’t happen to anyone, this type of abuse - this is totally out of order.

“These are isolated incidents, but they need to be stopped in the bud... we have to take decisive action regarding these matters.”

Antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom have surged since the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.

According to the Community Security Trust (CST), there were 3,700 antisemitic incidents across the UK in 2025, representing the second-highest annual total on record.

 Earlier this year, the hotel chain faced controversy after a man was convicted for sexually assaulting a hotel guest having obtained a keycard to her room from staff. Travelodge has since made sweeping changes to its keycard policy to ensure that replacement room keys are only issued with the explicit permission from the person staying in the room.

Addressing the incident at the hotel in a statement to LBC, Travelodge’s boss, Joy Boydell, said: "We are taking the report of an antisemitic message that appeared on the TV screen in a room in one of our hotels yesterday afternoon with the utmost seriousness.

“We were made aware of this late yesterday and launched an immediate investigation to understand how something like this could have happened. We are urgently investigating to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible and have reported this matter to the Police.

“There is no place in society for antisemitism and we will not tolerate this in our hotels or in our wider business.

“In the meantime, we have now spoken with the customer in question and apologised unreservedly, and further apologise for any distress or concern caused to the wider Jewish Community."

The Metropolitan Police has been approached for comment.