Mark Wenlock went through life-changing Triple Heart Bypass surgery in February, and seven months later the Travelodge Regional Estates Manager says he now looks at life differently
Mark Wenlock, Travelodge Regional Estates Manager, began suffering with pains and cold sensations in his chest around two years ago. Earlier this year, Mark awoke with serious pains in his chest and, despite not thinking that anything was seriously wrong, called 999 only to immediately be told by Emergency Services upon their arrival that he was having a heart attack.
Four days later, on 29th February, Mark was undergoing life-saving Triple Heart Bypass surgery.
Mark went through a long and difficult recovery to get back to full health, and has praised his Travelodge colleagues and Manager for not rushing him back to work too soon. “From the minute I had the heart attack until I came back to work, Travelodge were absolutely world class. It was the best experience I’ve ever had from an employer,” he said.
With World Heart Day just around the corner (29th September), Mark highlighted the need for further awareness around the topic of heart conditions. He said that he wishes he had sought advice about his condition sooner.
In 2017, British Heart Foundation (BHF) was selected by Travelodge employees as their charity of choice. Since that year, Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel brand, has raised more than £970,000 for the UK’s leading heart charity. Moreover, in 2022 Travelodge became the first company within the UK hospitality sector to pilot and roll out the British Heart Foundation’s first-of-its-kind online CPR training tool: RevivR, with the RevivR QR code now in every one of Travelodges UK rooms to encourage customers to complete the lifesaving CPR training in just 15 minutes.
With the help of Travelodge’s customers and colleagues, British Heart Foundation hopes to fund further life-saving research that will help create a world free from heart and circulatory diseases once and for all – giving people more time with the ones they love.
British Heart Foundation is dedicated to tackling the world’s single biggest killer, and is the single biggest independent funder of cardiovascular disease research in the UK. With 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK today, the charity’s determination is greater than ever.
When Did You Start at Travelodge and Where Were You Working Before?
I started in April of 2022 after leaving my job at a well-known gaming company where I did a bit of everything. I’m really into my video games – just last week I spent the entire weekend indoors playing them – so it’s a job I enjoyed. I joined that company when I was 23 and I was there for 24 years, so towards the final seven or eight years of my time there, I was overseeing a large portion of its estate.
When I came to Travelodge, I came into a relatively new team. My role involves being the liaison between Travelodge and our landlords and I spend a lot of time looking at information and data we will then use to make decisions that are best for the business. This role is bigger than the one I had before, as I am responsible for more than 200 hotels across our estate. What I love is that it is specific to one area, instead of what I was doing before which was a bit of everything.
Heart Condition
Like every middle-aged person, I had some aches and pains and just put it down to being a little bit unfit, maybe having too much of a youthful existence when I was younger. These pains started a few years ago, when my chest would feel as if you’d just stepped out in the cold; I’d have a chill across the top of the chest. This went on for well over a year, until February this year, when I woke up at midnight with the pain back, but this time I left the heating on, so I knew it wasn’t the cold. At 4am I decided that it would probably be wise to call 999.
When they arrived the paramedic said “I think you’re having a heart attack, you need to go to hospital.” I didn’t think I was, but I agreed to go. I walked into the ward and this nurse stood there, looking visibly shocked, and told me again that I was having a heart attack. With that, they rigged me all up onto a machine and drew some more blood and 20 minutes later they had the results.
From there I got transferred from Preston Royal Hospital up to Blackpool Victoria Hospital and, a couple of days later, the doctor said we need to have a discussion and told me that I needed to have a Triple Heart Bypass – it was as brutal as that. After that I stayed in hospital for two and a half weeks before my surgery and, four days after surgery, I came out of Blackpool Hospital.
You have four arteries that go into the top of your heart and three of them were 95% blocked. The doctor told me afterwards that if I hadn’t called the ambulance that night, I had about three months left before my life was in serious danger.
What was your reaction to going through this traumatic experience?
I suppose shock is the correct word. What I would say is that a lot of us knock the NHS, but when it’s needed, it does work. Within two hours of going to Preston, they knew exactly what was wrong with me. You go in with a broken toe and you think you need that level of care. It’s not until you really need that level of care that you realise how lucky we are.
What effect(s) did this have on your Personal and Professional Life?
After this type of operation, you can’t do anything for yourself. And when I say anything, I mean anything – you become like a baby. You can’t make a cup of tea because the mug is too heavy. You can’t drink a cup of tea because what’s inside it is too heavy, you have to have support. This changes from day-to-day – some days you can, some you can’t. This lasted for about three weeks. Also, it’s a rare side-effect, but I don’t feel hungry anymore. I have to remember to eat. I can go all day and not eat. So physically I’m in better shape than I was last year – I’ve lost an incredible amount of weight.
The biggest challenge for me was the toll it took on me mentally. I was itching to get back to work. A lot of my job is conversing with people, attending meetings and things like that. But physically you can’t even move the mouse on your laptop. I wasn’t trying to come back to work, but I was saying if I can just work my mouse around the screen, I can see about getting back to work.
How were you supported by Travelodge and your Colleagues?
To be honest, Travelodge wouldn’t hear about me returning to work early. It was the best experience I’ve ever had from an employer. From the minute I had the heart attack until I came back to work they were absolutely world class. There was no pressure. My Manager came to see me in the hospital within a week of me being there and the team also brought someone in to cover my role in my absence – it was fantastic. There was no expectation to come back too soon. The support I had from colleagues; you just can’t put it into words. They got me a box of goodies, which matched my personality. I got a little Lego set, which I love. I got a Blackburn Rovers mug, the football club that I support, as well as regular check-ins from my Line Manager which were health and not work related.
What more, do you think, needs to be done to raise awareness on health conditions like this?
Awareness is massive; it’s so important as it could be a prevention. Prior to what happened to me, I always thought if you had a heart attack you would be, what I call, ‘breakdancing’. I didn’t realise something so simple could happen like pains in your chest and that that could also be a heart attack. It’s not always how Hollywood films depict it! I don’t smoke, I’ve drunk alcohol in the past, but over the last 5 years I haven’t drunk much at all – maybe twice a year. So most definitely awareness is key and what I would say to everybody is that if you have anything that feels out of the ordinary around the chest area, please don’t do what I did. If it had been caught beforehand, they could have stented it, which stops you going through open heart surgery. Unfortunately, I waited too long to get it checked.
What Does British Heart Foundation Mean to you?
A charity like British Heart Foundation means so much to me now. You can phone their Heart Helpline for advice if you need to, they offer mental health support, they offer you a dietician. It’s a charity that – pardon the pun – is very close to my heart. I absolutely love Lego – it’s one of my big passions – so I donated some Lego to my local British Heart Foundation shop recently. The work that they do in terms of awareness around defibrillators as well, I think, is incredibly important. It’s not until you need things like this that you realise how important the work they do and the things they offer are.
What Is Your Outlook on Life Now After Such a Life-Changing Experience?
It’s like Life Version 2. When I have a down day, I look at the scar in my chest, because we’re way past the three-month mark now, so I would probably be in a cardboard box. The most important thing is awareness. I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on anybody, and perhaps if I was a bit more aware when I was younger, I would’ve done something about it.
Sian Dickson, Corporate Partnerships Manager for BHF, said: “We are so proud of what we have achieved with our partnership with Travelodge to date. With over £970,000 raised and over 3,200 people trained in CPR through RevivR, our online training tool, and a commitment to train many more. As our partnership reaches its seventh year, we will continue to work together to save lives today through CPR and save lives tomorrow through vital funds raised. As well as continuing to improve the health and wellbeing of both Travelodge’s colleagues and customers. With the aim to reach £1M to fund lifesaving research this year, we are more determined than ever, and we are so thankful for the continued support of everyone at Travelodge.”
The BHF’s information and support services can give you help and guidance on any heart question that bothers you, no matter how big or small. To find out more, search ‘BHF questions’ or speak with one of our cardiac nurses on our Heart Helpline.
Help save a life this World Heart Day by learning CPR visit: bhf.org.uk/revivr
For further information, please contact:
Jack Thurlow
E: jack.thurlow@travelodge.co.uk
DL: 07442 338062
Notes to editors
About Travelodge
Founded in 1985, Travelodge is Britain’s very first budget hotel chain and today is one of the largest budget hotel chains in the UK, with a portfolio of over 600 hotels with over 47,000 bedrooms across the UK, Ireland and Spain.
In Spain, Travelodge has an established profitable presence and as of April 2024, its portfolio doubled to 12 hotels, having recently acquired a further six properties. Travelodge has ambitious growth plans within this market and has identified the top 20 key locations where it would like to open additional hotels in Spain.
Welcoming over 22 million guests annually across the UK, Ireland and Spain, the majority of Travelodge hotels are located in major cities, towns and holiday hotspots as well as by airports and key business hubs. With 90% of its hotels rated 4* or above on TripAdvisor, Travelodge is proud to offer guests across its diverse customer base a good value experience – whether they are travelling for business or leisure. In 2023, approximately 50% of rooms were sold for less than £60.
Whether out celebrating a birthday, going to a concert or sporting event, visiting friends and family, taking a business trip, working away from home, or taking a short break, we help people to go and do their thing by Being the Brilliant Base.
Travelodge continues to invest in its ongoing hotel refit programme which is expected to see 50% of the Travelodge room estate upgraded to its new design by the end of 2024. The brand is also continually evolving its quality offering to deliver a better experience for its diverse mix of business and leisure guests such as its new look Bar Cafe design, 85 Bar Café, which has been rolled out to selected UK hotels as part of the refit programme.
Travelodge is focussing on its environmental and social impact, with sustainability integral to its business strategy. It’s Better Future sustainability plan aims to build a more sustainable future for its customers, colleagues and the planet, and it is underpinned by three core pillars: Inclusive – ensuring we are accessible, inclusive and well-priced to our customers and colleagues; Caring – creating a caring and healthy environment for our colleagues and customers and ensuring their wellbeing; and Conscious – Travelodge is conscious of its impact on the planet, taking into account the waste it produces, the energy and other resources it consumes and the carbon emissions it generates.
For further information visit travelodge.co.uk or the Travelodge Hotels Limited LinkedIn page.