STORY
Travelodge chief executive Joanna Boydell has left the budget hotel chain following criticism of its handling of guest security incidents. Boydell departed after 13 years with the company and chief financial officer Ray Reidy has been appointed interim chief executive while Travelodge searches for a permanent replacement.
The company has faced scrutiny after two cases in which men were given access to rooms occupied by women. In one case, a guest at a Travelodge in Maidenhead was sexually assaulted in December 2022 by a man who had been given a key card to her room. Kyran Smith was jailed for seven and a half years in February. A second woman later said staff at a London hotel gave a key to a domestic abuser who then assaulted her.
Travelodge has introduced a new room access policy requiring explicit permission from the guest before an additional or replacement key can be issued. It has also commissioned an independent review led by barrister Paul Greaney KC, introduced additional training and carried out a deadbolt audit across its UK rooms. Reidy said the company would remain focused on the safety and wellbeing of guests.