November 2024
This article was featured in our November 2024 edition of WorkL WorLd which you can read here.
Abbey joined Travelodge as a second job to support her family – now she couldn’t be prouder in her role as Assistant Hotel Manager.
Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel chain with over 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, is proud to have a diverse and inclusive workplace, and fully embraces and respects its colleagues’ differences, which the company believes should be celebrated. As a major employer in the UK, and in the hospitality industry, Travelodge takes its commitment towards social mobility seriously, and believes it can really help people to fulfil their potential. In March 2024, a Social Mobility Manager was appointed to identify key actions that will enhance Travelodge’s ambition to continue to create equality of opportunity.
Abbey Mumtaz’s upbringing was far from easy. As one of six siblings living with her parents and her nieces and nephews, life at home, in a three bedroom flat, was often chaotic. This was made all the more difficult when, at the age of 11, Abbey’s mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and Paget’s Disease. Abbey says that the news took a “mental, physical and financial” toll on her whole family which resulted in her parents selling drugs to make ends meet and eventually both becoming drug users.
Despite a difficult upbringing, Abbey was determined to find work and support herself. She worked a number of different jobs before getting married and starting a family, eventually joining Travelodge in March 2022, working in the Bar Cafe. Incredibly, a little over a year later Abbey had been promoted to the role of Assistant Hotel Manager at Travelodge Walthamstow, and is now on her way to completing the Travelodge’s in-house management programme called Aspire*.
Abbey has praised Colleagues and former Managers for seeing potential in her that she could not see in herself and says that she “could not be prouder” of who she is today.
Travelodge works in partnership with The Purpose Coalition – a coalition made up of organisations who are working to break down barriers to opportunity – to support the cross party plans for social mobility by participating in roundtable discussions with government representatives in order to help shape social policy.
What was your upbringing like?
I grew up in a three-bedroom flat with my parents, six siblings and my nieces and nephews – at one point there were ten of us living in the flat and my parents were sleeping on the living room floor. I was 11 when my mum was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and Paget’s disease, which put further strain on my family.
My parents were under a lot of financial pressure and resorted to selling and then using drugs. Despite this, we never went without, but, as I’m sure people can imagine, it was not nice growing up in that environment. We almost went into Foster Care and, as I got older, I rebelled and was removed from school which meant I missed out on taking my GCSEs. I later enrolled in college to sit these as I really wanted to go into hospital nursing, but that didn’t work out as life had other plans for me! I fell pregnant when I was 16 and in April 2009, a few weeks before my 17th birthday, I gave birth to a baby boy. He was my saviour at a time when I needed guidance. I gave birth to my second child, a daughter, when I was 19.
What were you doing before working with Travelodge?
Before joining Travelodge I was doing the odd cleaning jobs and Kiosk work at football matches, before becoming an Admin Assistant in 2015 at a mechanical garage. In 2018, I met my now husband and my life felt like it was all starting to finally go in the right direction – I had my children, my partner and work was going well! However, in 2021 my husband was knocked off his motorbike, meaning he was unable to work due to his injuries. We had our wedding booked for late 2021 but unfortunately it had to be postponed to 2022.
When did you join Travelodge?
I joined Travelodge in March 2022, working evenings in the Bar Cafe at Thurrock, Lakeside – I was working two jobs at the time to try and give my family what they deserved and to also pay for our upcoming wedding, which took place in May that year. After I got married, my Manager approached me and asked me if I would be willing to stay with the company – they said that they could really see my potential.
Were you allowed to work flexibly?
I was really keen to stay with Travelodge, but even more so after I became aware that Travelodge offered flexible working, which is so desperately what I needed. I also loved the variety the role offered, such as the flexibility to work one morning on reception and one evening in the Bar Cafe, Travelodge’s on-site restaurant. In December, the Manager of my hotel decided to leave the business and that’s when my Area Operations Manager (AOM) approached me to see If I would like to train as an Assistant Hotel Manager. I was over-the-moon. I couldn’t believe that I had been given this opportunity and that someone was able to see my potential even if, at the time, I couldn’t.
Travelodge has always been supportive of a healthy work-life balance for its colleagues – whether that be working parents who need flexible hours that fit around the school run and holidays, students who choose to work at both their home and university locations, colleagues who simply wish to step back, as well as those looking to reach other goals alongside their working commitments.
What has your progression at Travelodge looked like?
I gave up my other job and I took on the role, full-time, as a Travelodge Food & Beverage Supervisor in February 2023. Incredibly, by April I was promoted to Assistant Hotel Manager (AHM) and started my new role at Beckton Travelodge. Later that year, I took on the role as Assistant Hotel Manager at London Walthamstow Travelodge, where I am still working now.
I have a lot of people to thank for pushing me into a career that I never dreamed I could do, but that I now absolutely love! I had Colleagues who took the time to train me, and others who have pushed me to now prove that I can run a hotel, achieve great customer feedback and reviews and deliver a brilliant base for our guests!
My journey from Team Member to Assistant Hotel Manager was just over a year, and I couldn’t be prouder of the person I am today and the life that I can give to my family!
What is the Travelodge Aspire Programme and how have you benefited from it?
Aspire is Travelodge’s In-house Management Development Programme which has helped thousands of colleagues to progress their career from an entry level position into management. Since the launch of the Aspire Programme, many individuals, like me, have joined and worked their way into more senior positions. I would recommend the Aspire programme to any of my colleagues at Travelodge who have the opportunity to apply.
I completed Aspire 1 recently and am currently working my way through the rest of the Travelodge Aspire Programme, which is so exciting!
Travelodge is fully committed to providing a flexible job structure as part of its ‘Find Where You Belong’ company initiative, which ensures inclusivity, support and flexibility for all its colleagues to be their true self at work and to belong.
This article was featured in our November 2024 edition of WorkL WorLd which you can read here.
