A five-foot floral unicorn, a pair of alpacas, a gingerbread village and a new Aston Martin: Hotel chain reveals the most bizarre items left behind in 2019
- Travelodge has compiled a list of the weirdest items in its lost and found offices
- One guest left behind an engagement ring prompting a mad dash to Heathrow
- A pair of six-foot palm trees and huge angel wings are among the novelty items
Where would you find a Gibson guitar, a treasured Persian Chinchilla cat, a Tiffany engagement ring, a gingerbread village complete with residents, and an urn filled with ashes?
The answer is Travelodge’s lost and found office.
The budget hotel chain has revealed some of the strangest items left behind by its 19 million guests across its 571 properties in 2019.
A Tiffany engagement ring was left behind by a guest in London who had placed it inside a pillowcase (stock image)
Interestingly, the hotel group has seen a growing trend in wedding props and attire left behind.
The housekeeping team at Leamington Spa Travelodge got a beautiful surprise when they found a five-foot floral unicorn in one of the bridal rooms, while at Liverpool John Lennon Airport Travelodge, a huge full silver moon – a photograph backdrop used at a guest’s wedding the night before – was left on the bed.
One forgetful guest forgot to pack a Tiffany engagement ring he had made a special journey to London from the Hebrides to buy. Luckily the hotel manager at London City Travelodge found the ring box soon after the guest had checked out and made a speedy trip to Heathrow airport and returned it to the man before his flight.
The hotel manager at Torquay Travelodge was put through his paces when he found a best man who had overslept and been left behind by the wedding party.
Cat-astrophe nearly struck when a couple left their beloved Persian Chinchilla cat behind in a Travelodge in Stirling (stock image)
The manager had less than an hour to arrange a sea tractor and get the guest to Burgh Island in time for his brother’s wedding – which luckily he did.
While an autograph hunter had to make a return journey from the Netherlands to pick up a precious 30-year-old book filled with celebrities’ signatures they accidentally left behind when staying at Manchester Central Arena Travelodge for a concert.
During the past 12 months, Travelodge hotel staff has also seen a growing trend in forgetful pet owners.
One guest staying at the Stratford Upon Avon branch managed to leave behind a pair of alpacas, while a cat show enthusiast staying at Stirling Travelodge thought her husband had placed her treasured Persian Chinchilla cat in the car and only realised she was still in the room 50 miles into their journey.
The budget hotel chain hosts 19 million customers per year and has compiled a list of the weirdest items in its lost and found
With more business customers staying at Travelodge hotels than ever before, the hotel chain has seen a rise in more executive items being left behind at its hotels.
This included a new Aston Martin car being left in the car park at Marlow Travelodge Plus hotel.
A chief executive sent his assistant to pick up a lucky 65-year-old bonsai tree that has been passed down three generations of his family, which he forgot at London Waterloo Travelodge.
One forgetful shop owner left behind the deeds to his new shop at Harrogate Travelodge.
While the hotel team at the new Edinburgh Park Travelodge found a new brand logo presentation and campaign for a well-known company.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge’s spokeswoman, said: ‘With nearly 19 million customers annually staying at our 571 across the length and breadth of the UK for thousands of different reasons, we do get a range of interesting items left behind.
‘When it comes to why so many of our customers forget their treasured items, it’s basically due to us all being time-poor, juggling multiple tasks and being in a hurry to get from A to B. In the rush, valuable possessions are easily forgotten.’