2nd January 2018

Where would you find a Starchaser space rocket, a WW2 bravery medal, a diamond Indian bridal necklace called a Mangala sutra, a pilot’s licence, tickets for the Orient Express, land deeds, a mother-in-law, and a Lionhead rabbit called Bugs Bunny - where else but Travelodge’s Lost & Found office.

 

Today, the UK’s first budget hotel brand, Travelodge, has revealed some of the more interesting items left behind in its 542 UK hotels during the last 12 months.

 

With nearly 19 million people annually staying in a Travelodge hotel, some of the other unusual treasures that have been left behind include:

 

·       A 50 year old teddy bear called Rupert (Aberdeen)

·       Land Deed & Title to land in Scottish Highlands (Edinburgh Central Princes Street)  

·       Script for a movie (Heathrow T5)

·       Antique urn containing ashes of a beloved husband (Dudley Town Centre)

·       A bath full of jersey potatoes (Eastleigh Central)

·       A vintage Louis Vuitton Trunk filled with ball gowns (Manchester Central)

·       A winning Euro Millions lottery ticket (Newcastle Central)

·       A black Range Rover Sport and keys (Redhill Town Centre)

·       A silver tabby cat called Baskin and a Yorkshire Terrier called Robbins (Weston-Super-Mare)

 

Interesting the hotel chain has seen a growing trend in forgetful brides. One new bride staying at York Central Travelodge left behind her Mother-in- law, she only realised when she got home that she forgot her most important new family member. Whilst another bride staying at Birmingham Bullring left the hotel without her diamond Mangala Sutra which is an Indian wedding necklace with the same significance as a wedding ring.        

 

The hotel manager at Manchester Trafford Park Travelodge got quite a shock when they found a 27ft ‘Starchaser’ space rocket at their hotel.

 

A pilot, from a well-known airline, was in quite a rush to get to the airport that he left his pilot’s licence at Gatwick Airport Travelodge. Luckily the hotel manager flew to his rescue and personally took the licence to the airport.    

 

With more business customers staying at Travelodge than ever before, the hotel chain has also seen a number of precious items being left behind such as one executive who left behind his 50 year old teddy bear called Rupert at Aberdeen Travelodge. The destressed gentleman sent his PA to personally collect the vintage bear from London as he could not sleep without him.  

 

One superstitious business man had to take a day’s holiday to come back from the Netherlands to collect his rare Montblanc, Meisterstück Solitaire Skeleton Fountain Pen worth £8,000 as he said he could not sign any paper work without his lucky pen. 

 

An American stockbroker left London Liverpool Street Travelodge without his briefcase which contained over £500,000 worth of share certificates for a client.

 

One female businesswoman sent a car to pick up her 24ct gold, lucky laughing Buddha necklace which she forgot at Bicester Travelodge after an extensive shopping spree.    

 

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said:With nearly 19 million customers annually staying at our 542 UK Travelodge hotels, for a wide variety of reasons, we do get some interesting items being left behind. This year’s inventory list includes a Starchaser space rocket, a WW2 bravery medal, deeds to land in the Scottish Highlands, a pilot’s licence, a mother-in-law and a Lionhead rabbit called Bugs Bunny.”

 

“Also as more business customers are staying with us than ever before, we have had some precious items being left behind such as a 50 year old teddy bear called Rupert belonging to a high flying executive, a movie script, a rare Mont Blanc pen, share certificates worth £500k and a 24-ct lucky laughing Buddha necklace.

 

The running theme our customers do tell us, is that the pace of modern life is so fast & furious that time is off the essence especially when getting from A to B and  therefore valuable possessions are easily being forgotten.”  

 

Listed below are some of the bizarre items left behind at some of the 542 UK Travelodge hotels throughout 2017.

 

 

 

Hotel

 

Lost and Found Item

 

Aberdeen

 

 

A fifty year old Teddy Bear called Rupert

 

 

Bicester

 

24ct Gold Buddha necklace 

 

Birmingham Broadway Plaza

 

 

Twenty Bob the Builder Costumes including work belts and hard hats

 

Birmingham Bull ring 

 

A diamond Mangala sutra (A wedding necklace worn by Indian brides)

 

Birmingham Streetly

 

Eighty four pairs of builders boots – which meant that many builders left our hotel barefoot

 

Blackpool South Promenade

 

Mobility Scooter

 

Bradford Central 

 

Swarovski encrusted wedding coat worth £5K

 

Brighton Seafront

 

A canoe

 

Cambridge

 

A degree in Engineering 

 

Carlisle

 

A personal diary spanning over forty years

 

Coventry 

 

A 100 year old alarm clock

 

Eastleigh Central

 

A bath full of jersey potatoes

 

Edinburgh Central Princes Street

 

Land Deed & Title to land in the Scottish Highlands

 

Gatwick Airport

 

Pilot’s Licence

 

Harrogate

 

Tickets for the Orient Express

 

Harrogate West Park

 

Life size cut outs of Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt

 

Heathrow T5

 

Script for a movie

 

Leamington Spa

 

 

A  drone

 

Leatherhead

 

Pet Lionhead rabbit called Bugs Bunny

 

Liverpool Exchange Street

 

Set of Hermes Tarot Cards 

 

London Bank

 

Montblanc - Meisterstück UNICEF Solitaire Skeleton 149 Fountain Pen worth £8K

 

London Farringdon

 

A Hublot Watch

 

London Finchley

 

Eight baskets of wooden spoons

 

London Kings Cross

 

Moncler ski suit

 

London Liverpool Street

 

£500,000 Share Certificates

 

Manchester Central  

 

 

A vintage Louis Vuitton trunk with ball gowns

 

 

Manchester Trafford Park

 

 

A large space rocket

 

Milton Keynes at the Hub

 

 

A Mixologist priceless book of cocktail recipes

 

Newcastle Central

 

A winning Euro Lottery ticket

 

Reading Central

 

A statue made from screws

 

Redhill Town Centre

 

 

A black Red Range Rover Sport and keys

 

Ryde IOW

 

A gold WW2 Bravery Medal

 

 

Sunderland Central

 

Eight suitcases of designer clothing and shoes from Bond Street  

 

(A customer living overseas left behind eight suitcases of clothes after a shopping spree on Bond Street)

 

Torquay

 

Six 6ft Christmas trees fully decorated

 

Towcester

 

A Belgian Malinois dog called Betsy

 

Weston Super Mare

 

A Silver Tabby cat called Baskin and a Yorkshire Terrier dog called Robbins

 

Dudley Town Centre

 

 

Antique urn containing ashes of a beloved husband

 

York

 

A pair of Oranda fish called Gin & Tonic 

 

York Central

 

A Mother-in-Law

 

Listed below are the top ten most popular items left behind in Travelodge hotels during 2017:

 

·         Chargers for  mobile phones and electronic devices such as laptops

·         Tablets

·         Mobile phones

·         Business papers / notepads / presentations  

·         Teddy Bears

·         Toiletry bags with contents

·         Drones

·         Pyjamas

·         Socks and ties

·         Books

 

All items left behind in Travelodge hotels which have not been claimed within three months, are donated to local British Heart Foundation Charity Shops, Travelodge’s Charity Partner.

 

Ends

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Travelodge Press Office on 01844 358 703 or email: pressoffice@travelodge.co.uk