A portfolio of tattoo artwork, 2-metre Chinese dragon and a life-size cut-out of Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp are among the odd items left at Travelodge hotels.
Over the past 12 months plenty of weird and wonderful things have ended up in the lost property department at the hotel chain, including a replica of Queen Elizabeth’s state imperial crown and a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee doll.
With 19 million people annually staying in one of the 580 Travelodge hotels across the length and breadth of the UK, it isn't too surprisingly that some strange items would turn up in the wash.
Here are some of the oddest:
- A Hóng Bāo (Chinese wedding envelope) containing 10,000 Chinese Yuan
- A life size cut-out of Jürgen Klopp
- A Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee doll
- A LEGO Technic Ferrari 488 GTE
- A sleigh full of Christmas presents
- A 5ft Chinese temple bird house
- An oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II
- An Oxygen tank
- A personalised ‘John’ number plate worth £15,000
- A pilot’s licence
- A dress made from the Commonwealth country flags
- A 4ft light up Earth
- A 50-year-old Paddington Bear
- £250,000 worth of share certificates
- A barrister's wig and gown
- A photo album detailing the life of Queen Elizabeth II
- Framed wedding vows from 1946
- A Union Jack printed sari
- A suitcase full of Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee memorabilia
The 2022 lost and found inventory report showed a particularly a high volume of royal and patriotic memorabilia being left behind at Travelodge hotels, especially across the group’s London, Edinburgh and Cardiff hotels.
There were enough Union Jack flags left behind to run across the breadth of London if they were placed side-by-side.
One forgetful guest staying at Luton Airport Travelodge had to make a return journey from Jersey to collect her prized album documenting the life of Queen Elizabeth II from princess to Queen in photographs.
The customer’s grandmother had started the album in 1947 and it had been passed down the generations to continue the life story.
Another customer staying at Windsor Travelodge booked an extra room to store his oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II, only to fail to pick it up when he left.
The forgetful royalist had to have the painting taken by courier to York.
The housekeeping team at Kings Cross Travelodge got a royal surprise when they entered room 40 and found a replica of Queen Elizabeth state imperial crown sat on a cushion in the middle of the Travelodge Dreamer Bed.
The customer, a French jeweller, was in such a rush to catch his Eurostar train to Paris, that he had forgotten the glitzy headwear.
During the last 12 months, Travelodge hotel staff have also seen an increasing number of wedding items and gifts being left behind at Travelodge hotels.
The team at Liverpool Central Strand Travelodge received plenty of cheers when they crossed the city to save a bride’s day after the Best Man forgot to take the five tier Liverpool Football Club themed wedding cake to the wedding reception.
The hotel manager at Hull Central Travelodge had to jump onto his scooter and help a grandmother who was staying at his hotel and forgotten to take her Hóng Bāo – a lucky Chinese wedding envelope containing 10,000 Chinese Yuan for her granddaughter.
Luckily the hotel manager managed to reunite the grandmother with the red envelope in time for the gift giving ceremony.
The housekeeping team at Derby Cricket Ground Travelodge got quite a surprise to find a pair of Segways decorated in roses left behind at their hotel.
The customer, a groom’s mother, had got the two-wheeled vehicles as a surprise for her son’s wedding - so that the couple could enter the wedding reception on them.
Luckily the hotel maintenance team was on hand to transport the Segways to the wedding reception, allowing the extravagant entry to go ahead.
Other interesting items that made the Travelodge 2022 Lost & Found inventory report include a ball gown belonging to a well-known Instagrammer made out of the 54 Commonwealth countries at Birmingham Bullring Travelodge.
A car from London was sent to pick up the dress a few days later.
The hotel team at Manchester Piccadilly Travelodge got quite a fright when they found a 2-metre large Longwu Chinese dragon smiling at them when they entered room eight.
A well-known tattoo artist from New York was in such a dash to catch his flight that he left behind his prized life-time portfolio of artwork.
The artist only realised when he had passed airport security and as he could not return, he called the hotel and booked a room for the artwork until it was collected a few days later by his assistant.
One guest staying at Bath Central Travelodge forgot her pair of Japanese Chin puppies called JLo and Ben.
The customer thought her husband had taken the puppies as they were travelling in separate cars.
When she got home to Cheshire she realised their mistake and her husband had to drive back immediately to collect JLo and Ben.
A forgetful chief executive sent his assistant 250 miles to Woking Central Travelodge to pick up his new ‘John’ personalised number plate which he had accidentally left in his hotel room as he could not wait to place it onto his car.
