High level reshuffle at Travelodge

 

 

Travelodge UK managing director Guy Parsons has been promoted to the role of CEO as part of a top level reshuffle.

 

Grant Hearn, who has been CEO of the budget chain since 2003, becomes executive chairman.

 

Keith Hamill is retiring as non-executive chairman, but has agreed to remain on the board as deputy chairman and stays as an investor in the company.

 

Jon Hendry-Pickup becomes operations director, moving from Tesco where he was most recently based in the Czech Republic as operations director for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

 

Parsons will head the day to day running of Travelodge and Grant Hearn will focus on the company’s growth opportunities. 

 

The changes come in to effect on July 1.

The boardroom moves come against a background of the budget hotel sector being forecast to double in size over the next two decades.

 

Travelodge plans to add around 40,000 rooms during the same time period.

 

Hearn said: "The last seven years have been very exciting. We have doubled the size of the business and more recently, delivered very resilient performance in one of the most severe recessions on record.  Now that we are recovering from this challenging period, it is time for the next phase of development for this company. 

 

"Travelodge will flourish under Guy’s leadership whilst I will be able to focus on new expansion opportunities to provide us with another gear of growth going forward."

 

Parsons added: "Despite the recession we have continued to grow during the last 12 months.  More importantly, we have created an exceptional platform for growth that we can exploit now that the downturn is fading. 

"As our business moves close to securing our ten millionth customer and its 400^th hotel, we will focus on the future needs of the consumer and place our own people at the heart of our business.  With a very strong board and the recent additions to the executive team, I believe that this company has never been better placed for the future."

 

by Phil Davies