Overview
- Travelodge said on Thursday that Joanna Boydell has stepped down after 13 years with the group and that finance director Ray Reidy will serve as interim chief executive while a permanent successor is sought.
- The leadership change follows reporting of a December 2022 attack at the Maidenhead Travelodge in which a woman was sexually assaulted by a man who had been given a room key, and the attacker, Kyran Smith, was jailed in February.
- The company commissioned an independent review by Paul Greaney KC and has rolled out specific changes including requiring explicit guest permission before issuing extra or replacement room keys, installing a new room-access system at more than 600 hotels, and checking secondary deadbolts on doors.
- Travelodge has retrained front-line staff with a violence-against-women expert, faced political pressure after the CEO cancelled a meeting with MPs, and saw other guests come forward with security concerns following media coverage.
- The group reported underlying earnings of £47.9m for the six months to June 30 and says it will continue an internal review, engage with government and the hospitality sector, and focus on rebuilding trust under interim leadership.