Travelodge launches first Levelling Up Impact report

The minister for Employment, Guy Opperman MP, has launched the first Levelling Up Impact Report for the UK hospitality sector at Hexham Travelodge. Produced by This is Purpose and Travelodge, the report highlights a number of key strengths which see Travelodge progressing on the levelling up agenda, and also outlines the group’s social mobility approach for the future. The report identifies the group’s social impact against a framework of 14 Purpose Goals created by The Purpose Coalition and supports the group’s sustainability plan called ‘Better Future’. It also makes a series of recommendations about potential future action that will “ensure Travelodge continues to have a significant social impact”, including a focus on social mobility cold spots to maximise that impact, measuring and tracking the socio-economic make-up of its workforce. To support the launch of its Levelling Up Impact report, Travelodge has also pledged to support its employees with a series of new initiatives: An expanded development programme called Aspire. This four level comprehensive programme provides a pathway of development and career mapping for hotel and maintenance colleagues to progress from entry level roles through to a District Manager level. Two of the levels allow colleagues to gain a formal qualification by way of an apprenticeship. For head office workers, Travelodge has introduced a new development programme called Limitless aimed at middle managers with a strong focus on good health and wellbeing being fundamental to drive team performance. An investment of £6m and a commitment to place 6,000 colleagues on the Travelodge Aspire programme over the next ten years. Travelodge has identified that it can expand its UK hotel network with a further 300 target locations for new hotels across the UK and has written to 220 Local Authorities proposing a joint development partnership. In addition Travelodge is currently recruiting for 430 jobs across the UK. Hannah Thomson, Travelodge chief people officer, said: “We are very excited to be the first company within the UK hospitality sector to be leading the way on the levelling up agenda. With nearly 600 hotels across the UK, Spain and Ireland, Travelodge is well placed to support the levelling up agenda across all regions of the UK. “Our colleagues are at the heart of our business and we are committed to providing an inclusive workplace where everyone can Learn More, Earn More & Belong. Working with The Purpose Coalition has helped us to understand and celebrate all the great things we are currently doing, but more importantly, to start understanding where we can do more to support the country’s levelling up agenda and improve our social impact across all the communities that we operate within.” She added: “We hope our Levelling Up Impact report will inspire other hospitality companies to support the UK Levelling Up agenda, so together we can make a real difference to the people that make UK Hospitality a world class industry.”