Travelodge Chief Executive – Craig Bonnar

Craig Bonnar was officially appointed as Travelodge’s new Chief Executive in May this year.

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 had 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 in 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.