The boss of hotel chain Travelodge, Jo Boydell, is stepping down as the group addresses safety issues after a sexual assault at one of its hotels.
A woman staying at a hotel in Maidenhead, Berkshire was sexually assaulted in December 2022 after a man lied to staff to get a key card to her room, triggering an independent review of security measures at the hotel giant.
Kyran Smith was jailed for seven years and six months for the attack.
Boydell had been criticised for the company’s handling of safety issues. In March, the then Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote to Boydell urging her to “seriously engage” with the government over security at Travelodge hotels.
Boydell, who had worked at the group for 13 years, stood down on 17 August and has been replaced on an interim basis by the company’s chief financial officer Ray Reidy.
In a statement, Reidy said: “We remain focused on the safety and well-being of our guests and will continue taking the actions necessary to strengthen the business.
“We will also continue to engage proactively and constructively with government and the wider hospitality industry on the issue of safety and security.”
Following the court case against Smith, the BBC was contacted by many people over concerns about security failures at the hotel.
Earlier this month, a domestic violence victim told the BBC how she was attacked in her hotel room after Travelodge reception staff gave a key to her abuser.
The woman said she was “failed” by the chain and described it as one of the “most traumatic nights of my life” after the man kicked the door off its hinges.
In another incident, a couple in Scotland woke to find a shirtless man in their hotel bedroom after he was mistakenly given a key card to their door.
In yet another case in April, a group of hotel guests said they were given keys to other people’s rooms twice in one week at a Travelodge branch in Newham, east London.
John Nowell, who was part of a corporate group staying at the hotel, told the BBC that his key card allowed him into a room where the occupant was in the middle of a shower.
An independent review into security at the hotel chain is under way and is being led by barrister Paul Greaney KC.
Travelodge said when the review was concluded it would “engage constructively, as we have done throughout this process”.
It added: “Our commitment to guest safety does not change with this announcement — it remains our absolute priority.”
In its statement released on Thursday, Travelodge also outlined several measures it was taking to address security issues.
Any additional or replacement room keys now require explicit permission from the guest staying in the room, the firm said.
It also has also carried out checks across all of its UK rooms to confirm that all key-card doors have a secondary deadbolt.
