At Travelodge, we are committed to developing future focused, capable and credible leaders who will lead our purpose: To 'Help people to go and do their thing, by Being The Brilliant Base’. 

To achieve this, we foster a leadership culture that balances innovation, cost efficiency, sustainability and - most importantly - Being The Brilliant Base for our Customers and Colleagues.

As our Chairman, Martin Robinson says, "You can be there when it was happening, or you can be the one who made it happen".  

Our leadership development programmes are designed to turn brilliant ideas into brilliant results.

Leadership at Travelodge is built on our Career Growth Model, which focuses on:

✅ Career Drive – Developing self confidence and belief, self-awareness and a growth mindset.

✅ Capability – Enhancing career relevant knowledge, technical skills and emotional intelligence. 

✅ Credibility – Building strong internal and external networks, including, guiding and motivating others.

By strengthening these areas, we empower our leaders to think differently, act with accountability and take bold steps toward brilliance.

We believe wellbeing is fundamental to leadership success. Through Better Me Emotional and Better Me Physical, we help leaders prioritise:

💙 Emotional Wellbeing: Stress management, work-life balance and resilience
💪 Physical Wellbeing: Nutrition, rest and physical activity.

And through our development programmes, we help our leaders develop the mindsets, skills and behaviours within the Career Growth Model:

Career Drive (mindsets)

🔹 Self-Efficacy – Confidence in your ability to succeed.

🔹 Growth Mindset – Embracing challenges and continuous learning.

🔹 Self Awareness – Understanding personal strengths and areas for growth.

🔹 Locus of Control – Taking ownership of your career progression.

🔹 Self-Belief – Trusting in your abilities and potential.

Capability (knowledge & skills)

📚 Career Knowledge: Understanding your job, business and market.

🛠️ Technical Skills: Job-specific expertise.

🧠 Cognitive Skills: Mental agilty, focus and strategic planning

💡 Emotional Skills: Self compassion and emotional regulation.

🤝 Social Skills: Building meaningful connections and leading with empathy.

Credibility (behaviours & reputation)

🌍 External Networks: Expanding relationships within your field, industry and supplier network.

🤝 Internal Networks: Strengthening relationships with colleagues, line managers, peers and stakeholders.

🚀 Leadership Skills: Including others (encouraging participation and relationship building), motivating others (recognition and empowerment) and guiding others (coaching, alignment and problem solving)

Over the next 3 years we will focus on:

• Growth Mindset - Develop a strong growth mindset, thinking differently and striving for brilliance.

• Alignment - Act with accountability and hold others accountable.

• Self-Efficacy - Take more calculated risks and bold decisions to advance towards brilliance.

• Future Minded Leadership - Proactively identify emerging problems, not waiting for them to become problems by moving from a focus on problem resolution to problem pre-emption.

• Coaching Culture - Deliver effective feedback bravely, and without fear.

Bespoke leadership development sessions 

Our Senior L&D Manager, Paula Wessely plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of leadership at Travelodge.

Through bespoke development experiences, Paula empowers authentic and compassionate leaders who create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be their true self and belong .