Geordie Claire Good has been appointed the chief operating officer for Travelodge - the first woman ever to hold the post.
The company operates 592 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain – including six across Newcastle.
Claire, from Chapel Park East who attended West Denton High School, has been serving as chief operating officer of Travelodge on an interim basis since January 2021.
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She will continue to report directly to Travelodge group chief executive, Craig Bonnar.
She said: “I feel hugely proud and privileged to be appointed Travelodge’s chief operating officer, especially as the first woman to take up this role, at this exciting and important time for the business.
"Whilst growing up in Newcastle, I did dream big but never thought that I would hold such a prestigious position one day.
"Travelodge is a fantastic brand and during my five years here, I have seen the business transform at a remarkable pace, showing incredible resilience, in particular over the last year; a time which has challenged the whole industry.
"Looking ahead, I am excited to build on the brand’s strong foundation and continue working with the leadership team and our brilliant colleagues as we look ahead to the next phase of our growth.”
Claire joined Travelodge in 2016 as head of central operations and later moved to the role of director of central operations, leading a company-wide productivity programme including strategy development and contingency planning, as well as leading the hotel’s operational change programme.
Over the last year in particular, the company says, Claire has played a key role leading the company’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She has also overseen the automation of Travelodge’s operation model, with the introduction of a “mobile first” programme and industry leading task management solutions.
Mr Bonnar said: "I am delighted to confirm the appointment of Claire as our permanent chief operating officer.
"Claire has a wealth of operational experience across many customer-facing businesses and I have had the pleasure of working closely with her at Travelodge over the last few years.
"During this time, I have been deeply impressed by her leadership skills, industry knowledge and extensive customer experience, which has had a strong positive impact on our operations function, helping maximise efficiency and productivity.
"Over the past year in particular, Claire has played an instrumental role in the group’s Covid response, and with her strong skillset and passion for hospitality, she is the ideal choice to continue leading our operations and support us in our on-going transformation as we emerge from the pandemic.”
