Travelodge CEO Jo Boydell steps down amid guest safety concerns

Jo Boydell has stepped down as chief executive of the hotel chain Travelodge, the company announced on August 20, 2026, following sustained criticism over its handling of guest safety issues. Her departure comes after a sexual assault at a Travelodge hotel in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in December 2022, where a man was given a key card to his victim's room. Boydell, who had been with the group for 13 years, has been replaced on an interim basis by the company's chief financial officer, Ray Reidy, while a search for a permanent successor is underway.

The incident that triggered the controversy involved a woman who was sexually assaulted by Kyran Smith after hotel staff mistakenly provided him with a key to her room. Smith was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in February 2026 for the attack. The victim, who cannot be named, told the BBC she had booked the room for a night away from a period of abuse. She described how her attacker told reception staff his girlfriend was having a seizure and was given her room number and a key. He then entered her room, physically attacked her, and later kicked the door off its hinges. The woman said she went downstairs "shaking and...