Kim Hutchison, 60, and Harry Grieve, 57, from Buckie, Moray, were staying at the Travelodge in Dundee when the incident occurred after 02:00 on Saturday 11 July. Ms Hutchison reported hearing the door click and then seeing a man, wearing only shorts, at the foot of their bed.
The couple stated that the man argued the room was his before eventually leaving after about a minute. Ms Hutchison described herself as "petrified" during the encounter. Mr Grieve went to reception but found no staff present.
Travelodge has apologised to the couple, stating that their updated room access security policies were not correctly followed in this instance. The company confirmed it has retrained the team at its Dundee Strathmore Avenue hotel on room security and check-in procedures. The couple received a room refund and a £100 Travelodge voucher.
This incident follows other reports of strangers accessing rooms at Travelodge hotels, including a case earlier this year where a man was jailed for sexually assaulting a woman after being given a key card and her room number by staff at a Maidenhead branch in December 2022. Travelodge's previously announced safety review is ongoing.