Travelodge readies for budget hotel battle

Travelodge has confirmed Catriona Kempston in the position of sales and marketing director as the budget hotel chain begins retrenching under new ownership.

Travelodge

The company’s senior executive team was overhauled in April when CEO and lead marketer Guy Parsons left the company.

Rival low budget chain Premier Inn, owned by Whitbread, has just reported revenue up 3.8 per cent like-for-like for its half year but sales and marketing Gerard Tempest is to leave the company for a new position and has not yet been replaced.

Travelodge is now under the control of its three main lenders Goldman Sachs and two US hedge funds, Avenue Capital and GoldenTree Asset Management.

It is having to dispose of some of its underperforming sites after creditors and landlords voted for a rescue deal last month in the form of a company voluntary arrangement.
Kempston, a former Europcar and Premier Inn marketer, has worked at Travelodge in an interim capacity since the shake-up.

Her hotel experience includes the rebrand of Premier Travel Inn to Premier Inn and the introduction of Lenny Henry as brand ambassador.

Travelodge is reviewing its operations, including its current marketing strategy focused on the soft toy character Mr Sleep. The marketing team is also being strengthened with the appointment of new ecommerce and brand managers.

Kempston reports to CEO Great Hearn who says: “Catriona’s wealth of expertise combined with her customer and market knowledge will be a great asset in helping us to drive the Travelodge brand into new consumer markets.”

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