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The UK government has agreed to work with UKHospitality and its members, who 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.
Ministers have met with hospitality and tourism bosses to discuss industry plans to bolster safety standards for women and girls.
The roundtable discussion at 11 Downing Street focused on preventing violence and sharing best practice between the government and businesses.
UKH is consulting on an updated guest safety protocol covering room access procedures, privacy and staff responsibilities.
The framework will provide vulnerability training to frontline workers, supported by charities including Rape Crisis and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
Official figures show about 5.1 million people experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in the year ending March 2025.
The government has committed £550m to victim support over the next three years to halve violence against women within a decade.
The hospitality and tourism sector contributed £64.3bn to the UK economy in 2024 and employs 1.3 million people.
Natalie Fleet, safeguarding and violence against women and girls minister, 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, UKHospitality chair, added: “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.”
