- Jo Boydell has stepped down as Travelodge chief executive after 13 years with the company.
- Two separate incidents involved men gaining access to women’s hotel rooms after staff handed them keys.
- Travelodge has introduced tighter room-access rules and additional training for its customer-facing staff.
Travelodge chief executive Jo Boydell has stepped down as the hotel chain continues to face scrutiny over the safety of its guests following two separate incidents in which women were attacked after men gained access to their rooms.
Boydell, who joined Travelodge in 2013 and became chief executive in May 2022, has been replaced on an interim basis by chief financial officer Ray Reidy while the company searches for a permanent successor.
Travelodge has not said that Boydell's departure was directly linked to the incidents. But her exit comes after months of criticism over the chain's handling of the cases and its room-security procedures.
The first incident happened at a Travelodge in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in December 2022. A man, Kyran Smith, falsely told reception staff that he was the victim's boyfriend and obtained a key card to her room. He then sexually assaulted her.
Smith was jailed for seven years and six months in February after being convicted of sexual assault and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.
The second case involved Lucy, who was identified by her first name in BBC reporting. She stayed at a London Travelodge in October 2025, hoping to spend one night away from an abusive relationship that had left her “frightened and exhausted”.
She later told the BBC that her alleged abuser arrived at the hotel and told reception staff that his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure. He asked for her room number and floor, and was allegedly given a key and directed to her room.
Lucy said he entered the room and physically attacked her before trying to take her phone. She managed to get him to leave, but he returned and became increasingly aggressive, eventually kicking the hotel room door off its hinges to get back inside.
She ran downstairs asking staff for help.
“I thought someone would protect me,” she reportedly said.
Lucy said she was instead offered another room at the hotel.
Travelodge's investigation found that the man had provided Lucy's full name at reception. The company has a policy of never confirming to a third party whether a guest is staying at one of its hotels, but acknowledged that its procedures had not been followed.
The two cases have raised questions about whether Travelodge's safeguards were strong enough to prevent unauthorised people from gaining access to guests.
The £30 refund that added to the criticism
The Maidenhead case attracted further attention after Travelodge offered the victim a £30 refund following the assault.
The decision was widely criticised, and Travelodge later apologised and acknowledged that the offer was inappropriate.
Boydell also apologised to the victim and said the company had got things wrong and should have acted sooner.
More than 20 MPs subsequently sought a meeting with Boydell to discuss the incident, Travelodge's security procedures and its response to the victim.
The meeting was later cancelled, prompting further criticism.
Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer subsequently urged Boydell to “seriously engage” with the government over concerns about women's safety.
The pressure came as Travelodge began a wider review of its security procedures.
The company commissioned an independent review led by Paul Greaney KC, alongside an internal review into the incident and its room-security procedures.
Travelodge has since changed its rules on issuing keys. A guest must now give explicit permission before an additional or replacement room key can be handed to someone else.
The company also said staff will never confirm to a third party whether a particular guest is staying at one of its hotels.
Travelodge is changing how guests access their rooms
The hotel chain said new room-access security measures are now in place across more than 600 hotels, while around 12,000 customer-facing employees have received additional training.
Travelodge has also checked that key-card-operated rooms across its UK estate have a secondary deadbolt.
Senior executives are undertaking a training programme developed by an expert in tackling violence against women and girls.
The company said it was continuing to implement recommendations from its reviews and engage with the government and wider hospitality industry on safety and security.
Ray Reidy, who has taken over as interim chief executive, said Travelodge remained focused on the safety and wellbeing of its guests and would continue taking steps to strengthen the business.
The leadership change comes alongside Travelodge's latest financial results. Revenue rose 4.2 per cent to £491.3 million, while adjusted profit was broadly flat at £47.9 million, compared with £47.3 million a year earlier. The company said significant cost pressures, including higher staff costs, had held back profit growth.
For Travelodge, the challenge is now bigger than introducing another key-card rule.
The company has to demonstrate that its procedures work when a guest is vulnerable, frightened or trying to escape an abusive situation — and that staff know what to do when someone turns up at reception asking for access to another person's room.
