Closing the Gap: Confronting the Problem of Hotels as Venues for Child Sexual Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a hidden and growing problem. Here, we consider the extent to which hotel environments present opportunities to sexually exploit children and young people; and the challenges which might be encountered in attempts to address this and disrupt offenders. There is a dearth of research on this topic and during the course of our discussion we reflect on data which emerged from a small‐scale, exploratory study in which we sought the views of hotel staff and professionals working in the safeguarding field. We conclude by examining the implications of our work for safeguarding policy and practice.