Where would you find a 5ft unicorn made out flowers, a 65-year-old lucky Bonsai tree that has been passed down three generations, a pair of Alpacas called Ant & Dec, a brand new Aston Martin car, a dissertation, a gingerbread village with residents, a Best Man and an illuminated full moon – where else but Travelodge’s Lost and Found office
The UK’s first budget hotel brand, Travelodge, has revealed some of the interesting items left behind in its 571 properties during the last 12 months.
With nearly 19 million people annually staying in a Travelodge hotel across the length and breadth of the UK – detailed below are some of the other unusual treasures that have been left:
- A Tiffany engagement ring
- A Vertu Touch Mobile phone
- Artwork for a company’s new brand logo
- A 3ft long lucky heather wedding bouquet
- A 30-year-old autograph book full of celebrity signatures
- A diamond Chopard watch
- A Persian Chinchilla cat called Angel
- An urn containing ashes of a beloved father
- A Gibson guitar
- A 75 inch smart TV
- A gallon of water from Loch Ness
- A jeweled wedding saree
- A 4ft angel wings piece of artwork
- Bridal Louboutin Swarovski shoes
- Deeds to a shop
- A 6ft flower wall
- A pair of artificial 6ft palm trees
Interestingly, the hotel chain has seen a growing trend in wedding props, wedding attire and even a Best Man being left behind at its hotels. The housekeeping team at Leamington Spa Travelodge got a beautiful surprise to find a 5ft unicorn made out of flowers occupying one of the bridal group party rooms. The team at Liverpool John Lennon Airport Travelodge – were over the moon to find a huge full silver moon taking forty winks on the Travelodge Dreamer bed. The full silver glitter moon was a photograph backdrop attraction at a guest’s wedding the night before.
One forgetful guest staying at London City Travelodge forgot to pack his Tiffany engagement ring that he placed in his pillowcase case. The guest had made a special journey to London from the Hebrides to purchase the ring. Luckily the hotel manager found the ring box as soon as the guest left the hotel and speedily managed to get to Heathrow airport and reunite the gentleman with the engagement ring 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. The manager literally had less than an hour to arrange a sea tractor and get the Best Man to Burgh Island for his brother’s wedding – which he successfully did.
A guest dedicated to philography – collecting celebrity autographs – had to make a return journey from the Netherlands to pick up the precious 30-year-old autograph book that they forgot to pack when staying at Manchester Central Arena Travelodge for a concert.
During the last 12 months, Travelodge hotel staff has seen a growing trend in forgetful pet owners. One guest staying at Stratford Upon Avon Travelodge forgot her pair of Alpacas called Ant & Dec. Whilst one cat show enthusiast staying at Stirling Travelodge thought her husband, John had placed her treasured Persian Chinchilla cat, Angel, into the car and only realized Angel was still in the room, 50 miles into their journey.
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 includes a brand new Aston Martin car being left behind 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. Whilst 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 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. This year’s audit includes a pair of Alpacas called Ant & Dec, a 65-year-old luck Bonsai tree, an Aston Martin, a dissertation, a gingerbread village with residents and a precious 20-year-old celebrity autograph book.”
“Interestingly our hotel teams have reported a rise in wedding and proposal props being left behind in our hotels in 2019. This included a 5ft floral unicorn, a huge full moon, a flower wall, palm trees, a Tiffany engagement ring, and even a best man”
“As we have more business customers staying in our hotels than ever before, we are seeing a continuous rise in important business papers, valuable items and lucky charms being left behind in our hotels. This includes a 65-year-old lucky Bonsai tree that has been passed down three generations, important business documentation, and a brand new identity artwork.”
“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 some of the bizarre items left behind at Travelodge’s 571 UK hotels Travelodge 2019.
| Item | Travelodge Hotel |
| A 5ft unicorn made from flowers | Leamington Spa |
| A huge full moon | Liverpool John Lennon Airport |
| Tiffany Engagement Ring | London Central Travelodge |
| Best Man | Torquay |
| A gingerbread village with residents | Cardiff Atlantic Wharf |
| A 6ft flower wall | Rugby |
| A 3ft long lucky heather wedding bouquet | Edinburgh Central |
| Artwork/presentation for a new brand identity | Edinburgh Park |
| A pair of Alpacas called Ant and Dec | Stratford Upon Avon |
| A pair of artificial palm trees | Cambridge Central |
| A jeweled wedding saree | Wolverhampton |
| Vertu Phone | Aberdeen Central |
| A 65-year-old good luck Bonsai tree | London Waterloo |
| A dissertation | Leeds Central |
| A 30-year-old autograph book | Manchester Central Arena |
| A diamond Chopard watch | Manchester Central |
| Blood pressure Monitor | Loughborough |
| A Persian Chinchilla cat called Angel | Stirling |
| An urn with father’s ashes | Stowmarket |
| A Gibson Guitar | Welwyn Garden |
| A 75 inch TV | Brent Cross |
| Bridal Louboutin Swarovski shoes | Harrow |
| An Aston Martin | Marlow |
| Deeds to a shop | Harrogate |
| A set of 4ft angel wings artwork | Windsor |
Listed below are the top ten most popular items left behind in Travelodge hotels during 2019:
- Chargers for mobile phones and electronic devices such as laptops
- Mobile phones, tablets, and Kindles
- Business papers / notepads / presentations
- Books
- Teddy Bears
- Toiletry bags with contents
- Jewelry
- Clothing
- Toys
- Gifts / presents
All items left behind in Travelodge hotels which have not been claimed within three months are donated to the local British Heart Foundation Charity Shops, Travelodge’s nominated charity partner.
