UKHospitality and its members have driven forward a proactive
programme of further work to promote the safety and security of
women and girls, including enhancing guidance on guest safety.
Government and industry agreed to work together to build on
existing partnership work at both national and local level to
protect guests and teams, as well as share best practice to
prevent any opportunities for perpetrators in or outside of
venues.
An updated guest safety protocol, developed by UKHospitality, is
currently out for consultation with the sector and will set out
guidance covering room access procedures, protection of guest
privacy and the responsibilities of staff.
The framework will also highlight additional vulnerability
training and safety protocols available, in order to complement
other safety procedures and support teams on the frontline.
Businesses will be supported by third-sector organisations
including Rape Crisis and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust in how to
identify and report abuse.
The roundtable, held at 11 Downing Street, was attended by
representatives from across accommodation, short-term lets, bars,
nightclubs, and charities dedicated to tackling violence against
women and girls.
It was chaired by , Minister for Sport,
Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, and co-hosted by , Minister for Employment
Rights and Consumer Protection; , Minister for Victims
and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls; and , Minister for Safeguarding
and Violence Against Women and Girls.
Tourism Minister said:
It is vital that everyone, whether a visitor, a guest or a member
of staff, feels safe and secure.
I am encouraged by the ambition shown by businesses building on
the work the sector is already doing to protect guests and
visitors and look forward to seeing these further commitments
translate into meaningful, measurable change.
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls,
, said:
Women should be able to sleep at night knowing they are
safe.
As Minister for Safeguarding - and as a Mum and Nana - I am
excited about the work we are doing to halve violence against
women and girls in a decade. We're working cross-government to
deliver our ambitious strategy, but we cannot keep women safe
alone, that's why this meeting was so important.
It was great to talk to representatives from across the
hospitality sector to reflect on how we had got here, and what we
can do to avoid this happening again.
I really did leave the meeting feeling optimistic about next
steps. Violence against women and girls is a national emergency
that every one of us has a responsibility to tackle.
Kate Nicholls, Chair of UKHospitality, said:
The safety of our guests is our utmost priority, and it's a
responsibility that the entire hospitality sector takes
incredibly seriously.
Together with our members, we have been enhancing existing
guidance on guest safety and we've been pleased to share our
plans with Ministers.
It's positive to hear recognition of the sector's ongoing work in
this area and it's critical we work together to support our teams
on the frontline, including the need to expand protections for
retail staff to hospitality.
Currently out for consultation with the sector, we look forward
to finalising this in the coming weeks and continuing our
dialogue with the Government on this issue.
Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Minister
said:
Every woman should be able to check into a hotel, enjoy a night
out or dinner, or book a short-term let without fear for her
safety.
I am pleased to see major businesses stepping up alongside expert
organisations to ensure that staff at every level are equipped to
identify abuse and take action.
That kind of joined-up approach is exactly what tackling VAWG
demands and this Government will pull every lever at its
disposal.
, Minister for Employment
Rights and Consumer protection, said:
We're showing how government and the hospitality sector can work
together so that everyone, including women and girls can enjoy
the nighttime economy whilst feeling safe and supported. Working
with our tourism and hospitality sector is essential in keeping
our towns and cities safe.
Initiatives delivered by the sector include the Ask Angela, Best
Bar None, Pubwatch and Purple Flag.
Businesses also agreed to continue to promote the government's
Enough campaign and to deepen existing co-operation with
specialist third sector organisations.
In the year ending March 2025, around 5.1 million people
experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking -
approximately 10.6% of adults aged 16 and over.
The Government is treating tackling VAWG as a top priority,
committing £550 million into victim support over the next three
years and setting out its ambition to halve VAWG within a decade
through its strategy published in December 2025.
The hospitality and tourism sector - which contributed £64.3
billion to the UK economy in 2024 and employs 1.3 million people,
over half of whom are women - has a critical role to play in
meeting that ambition.
The roundtable marks the beginning of an ongoing dialogue between
government and the sector.
