Travelodge CEO Jo Boydell has resigned from her position with immediate effect, the budget hotel group announced on Thursday. Her departure follows 13 years in the role and comes as the company pursues an overhaul of its safety measures.
Boydell had faced widespread criticism for her handling of an incident at a Travelodge hotel in Maidenhead, Berkshire. In December 2022, a guest was sexually assaulted by a man who had been given a key card to her room. Kyran Smith was jailed for seven-and-a-half years for the assault in February.
The backlash over the incident led then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer to urge Boydell to "seriously engage" with the government after she cancelled a meeting with MPs. Ray Reidy, Travelodge's finance chief since April last year, has been appointed as interim CEO.
Travelodge stated that senior lawyer Paul Greaney KC has completed a review of its room security policies and incident handling, concluding that the group "acted quickly to make changes to improve safety and security across our operations." The company has implemented a new room access policy requiring explicit guest permission before providing extra keys and is working with UK Hospitality to develop best-practice guidance.