Today, Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel chain which currently operates over 580 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, announces the appointment of Craig Bonnar as its new Chief Executive.Craig’s understanding of the Group, his vast experience within the retail and hotel sector and his strong leadership skills are all assets to successfully lead the on-going transformation of Travelodge and to make it a world class business within its sector.
Craig has been serving as Travelodge’s Interim Chief Executive since the start of this year and has been a member of the group operating board since his appointment as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in January 2017. During this time, he has made a significant contribution to the running of the company and its financial and operational performance.
As Chief Operating Officer, Craig held direct management responsibility for leading the group’s operations across its hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain.
Among his key achievements, Craig defined and implemented a three year strategic review of the hotel operating model which helped deliver significant improvements in the company’s ‘Net Promoter Score’, colleague engagement, and also generated millions of pounds in productivity savings. During this time,
Travelodge was also awarded its highest ever number of Tripadvisor Certificates of Excellence and placed on the platform’s Top 10 Global Hotel Chains for the first time.
Prior to joining Travelodge, Craig worked at Asda for over twenty years, having started on the shop floor Craig joined the Graduate programme and progressed through the business holding a variety of senior roles including: Head of Retail Operations; Operations Director for Scotland and Northern Ireland; Managing Director of City Facilities Management and Vice President Store Proposition and Format Development.
Martin Robinson, Travelodge Chairman, said: “I am delighted to confirm the appointment of Craig as our permanent Chief Executive, which comes at an important and exciting time for the brand. In the short time I’ve been with Travelodge I have been extremely impressed by Craig’s energy, strategic insight and exceptional leadership qualities. He has led us through a critical period of recovery and with his in-depth knowledge as COO and passion for the brand;
Craig was the natural choice to lead the business on the next leg of its journey. I look forward to working with Craig, both professionally and personally, as we embark on our next phase of growth.
Craig Bonnar, Travelodge Chief Executive said: “Travelodge is one of the UK’s great brands and the engine of this business is its people, and I am honoured to be given this opportunity to lead the company forward in its next phase of growth. I take on this new role with great ambition for the Group and I am looking forward to working with the leadership team to build upon the brand’s strong foundation with Travelodge being well positioned to benefit from recovery as restrictions are lifted and demand builds. Our immediate priorities are to reopen all our hotels and resume full trading, continue to rebuild relationships with our landlords and plan for the future.”
Source: Traveldoge
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