A Wigwam, a wedding tiara, a roulette table, a personalised Monopoly board and a ship made out of matchsticks were just some of the unusual items discovered in the Lost & Found offices at Travelodge hotels in and around the Warrington area.
The UK’s first budget hotel chain, Travelodge, has revealed some of the interesting items left behind in its 582 hotels including those in Warrington over the last 12 months.
With millions of people annually staying in a Travelodge hotel across the length and breadth of the UK, detailed below are some of the unusual treasures that have been left behind at the company’s hotels in Warrington and surrounding areas:
With the Staycation being a top holiday choice in 2021, Travelodge hotel staff have reported a significant rise in items being left behind in their hotels over the last 12 months.
As well as the finds made in Warrington other interesting finds include a suitcase full of Blackpool rock, left behind by a guest from the Scottish Highlands at Blackpool South Promenade Travelodge, a large jar labelled ‘Brighton Sea Air’ at Brighton Seafront Travelodge and a dress made out of postcards at Bournemouth Seafront Travelodge.
The housekeeping team at Rhyl Seafront Travelodge were also pleasantly surprised when they entered a room to be greeted by a huge inflatable unicorn pool float sitting on the bed, while a Newcastle customer had to arrange for a courier to pick up his inflatable banana boat that he forgot to pack whilst staying at Newquay Seafront Travelodge.
The 2021 Travelodge Lost & Found audit has also revealed a growing trend of wedding-related items being left behind by brides, grooms and wedding guests across the company’s 582 UK hotels. A newlywed couple staying at Birmingham Airport Travelodge were in such a rush to get to the airport to catch their honeymoon flight to Dubai that they left behind their Nikah Nama, their Islamic marriage certificate.
A bridesmaid staying at Liverpool Exchange Street Travelodge had the important job of bringing the bride’s pet lovebirds, Will & Kate, to the ceremony which she forgot, due to being too focused on her ‘bad hair day’. Luckily, the hotel manager managed to get Will & Kate to the wedding on time for the vital ceremony.
A forgetful groom staying at Edinburgh Central Travelodge PLUS was in deep trouble with his new bride when he forgot to bring the bespoke 5ft wedding cake piñata to the wedding reception. Luckily, the hotel team, who love a challenge, stepped in and got the wedding cake piñata to the reception in time for the cake-cutting ceremony!
At York Central Travelodge, the hotel manager had to go on a special mission to reunite a bride with her Jimmy Choo Cinderella shoe that she forgot to take to her wedding reception. The bride left the hotel wearing wedding sneakers and only realised that she had left her right foot Cinderella shoe behind at the hotel
when she had to change shoes for the wedding ceremony.
Beloved pets still remain a firm favourite on the Travelodge Lost & Found inventory report. The 2021 audit includes a cute Pomsky dog called Beyoncé being left behind at Manchester Central Travelodge. Beyoncé’s owner thought her sister had put Beyoncé into her car seat and they only realised when they were 50 miles into their journey back to Leamington Spa. The owner of a miniature horse called Red Rum was beside herself when she got home and realised that she had forgotten her horsebox at Cockermouth Travelodge car park housing Red Rum.
With more road warriors staying at Travelodge hotels than ever before, the hotel chain has seen a rise in items being left behind by workers across all sectors.
This includes a brand new Bentley convertible car being left behind at Stratford upon Avon Travelodge Plus, a 50 year old lucky penny belonging to a builder being left behind at Birmingham Bull Ring Travelodge and a portfolio of shop front designs being left at Leeds Central Travelodge.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: “In 2021, following Freedom Day, we welcomed back millions of customers to our 582 UK Travelodge hotels including our hotels in Warrington, and we saw a significant increase in bookings. This has led to a range of interesting items being left behind by our customers across our UK hotels. This year’s Lost & Found audit includes a rise in
holiday themed items, wedding props, precious sentimental items, smart gadgets and beloved pets. This includes a DJI Phantom 4 Drone, a Pomsky called Beyoncé, a 5ft wedding cake piñata, a GT V8 Bentley convertible car and even Cinderella’s shoe.
“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.”
Listed below are the top ten most popular items left behind in Travelodge hotels during 2021:
∙ Chargers for mobile phones, smart devices, kindles and laptops
∙ Mobile phones, tablets and Kindles
∙ Books
∙ Teddy Bears
∙ Toiletry bags with contents
∙ Jewellery
∙ Clothing
∙ Toys
∙ Business papers / notebooks / presentations
∙ Gifts / presents
All items left behind in Travelodge hotels that have not been claimed within three months are donated to the local British Heart Foundation Charity Shops, Travelodge’s nominated charity partner.
