The boss of Travelodge has resigned after widespread criticism of her handling of security failings at the hotel chain, including a shocking case where a domestic abuser was given a key to a woman’s room before assaulting her.

In a brief company statement on Thursday, Travelodge said Joanna Boydell had stepped down and been temporarily replaced by its finance chief, Ray Reidy. The company has launched a formal search for a permanent substitute.

Travelodge chair, Stephen Shurrock, said the announcement “does not change anything about our focus on safety and security”.

Boydell’s resignation comes months after the former prime minister Keir Starmer wrote to her warning that she must “seriously engage with MPs” over concerns about women’s safety, after a spate of shocking breaches of security that left guests at risk of attack.

The letter was sent after a hotel guest in Berkshire was sexually assaulted by a man who was wrongly given access to her room in 2022. He falsely claimed he was her partner, before sexually assaulting her in her hotel bed. The victim was later offered what she described as an “insulting” £30 refund after the incident.

Travelodge said it had also conducted an ‘audit’ to ensure all of its UK rooms had a secondary deadbolt, and was making changes to its room access security policy. Photograph: PA Thompson/Getty Images

Earlier this month, it emerged that another woman who had been staying in one of Travelodge’s London hotels to escape her domestic abuser in October 2025, had been attacked after the man was given a key by reception staff.

He persuaded staff to give him access, saying his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure. Staff did not check with the woman before giving him the card, and pointed him to her room where he kicked in the door, assaulted her and tried to grab her phone.

The woman, who is remaining anonymous, said that she ran “shaking, crying and begging for help”. “I thought someone would protect me,” she told the BBC. Staff then offered her another room in the hotel.

Travelodge has previously defended itself, saying such instances are “very rare” and customer safety was a priority.

In its latest financial results, released on Thursday, Travelodge said a leading barrister had conducted a review of its room access security policies and escalation procedures, and that its own internal review was ongoing.

The company added that it had also conducted an “audit” to ensure all of its UK rooms had a secondary deadbolt, and was making changes to its room access security policy.

“Any additional or replacement room key now requires explicit permission from the guest staying in the room. This builds on our existing policy to never confirm to any third party that a guest is staying at one of our hotels,” Travelodge said.

Travelodge also said 12,000 of its customer-facing staff across more than 600 of its UK sites were being trained in the new room access security policy, and a violence against women and girls expert had been brought in to train Travelodge’s senior bosses. “They have reviewed our existing policies and procedures and will assist with how we respond to the independent review and its recommendation,” the hotel chain said.

“The safety and security of customers in our hotels is extremely important and we want everyone to be safe, and feel safe, in our hotels. We have acted quickly to make changes to improve safety and security across our operations,” the company added.