Two sheep dogs, a trunk full of royal memorabilia and a bottle of whisky worth thousands of pounds are some of the more bizarre items left behind by guests staying at Scottish Travelodge's during the last 12 months.
Employees at the Fort William Travelodge said they got a surprise when they found a pair of “perfectly behaved and professionally trained” sheepdogs called Hamish and Ramsey in one of the rooms.
They said the owner thought her husband had taken the dogs as they were travelling in separate cars, but when she got home she realised their mistake. The husband was made to drive immediately from Aberdeen back to Fort William to collect “Ham and Ram”.
A 70cl bottle of Balvenie 40-year-old single malt whisky, worth more than £5,000, was left behind by a business traveller staying at Ayr Travelodge.
It is understood the bottle had been given to her as a congratulations gift after completing a successful business deal, and her personal assistant was sent from Jersey to pick the item up the following day.
Meanwhile, a black book of jokes left behind by a comedian who had been performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Employees at the capital’s Central Rose Street Travelodge said a car from London was sent back up to Scotland to return the treasured book to the famous comedian.
The list of items left at the chain's 41 hotels across Scotland also revealed a high volume of royal and patriotic memorabilia being left behind by guests.
Staff said there were enough Union Jack flags left behind in the hotels to run across the breadth of Edinburgh.
One guest staying at Edinburgh Central Travelodge apparently left behind a 24ct gold photo frame showcasing a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II from her coronation in 1953. The guest, who was of a similar age as the late queen, had her son-in-law drive back from Shetland to collect her treasured possession once she realised that she had left it behind.
Another customer staying at Edinburgh’s Central Queen Street Travelodge left behind a chest of royal memorabilia which his family had collected over four generations.
He had travelled to Edinburgh from Fort William so that he could pay his respects to the Queen while she lay in rest at St Giles’ Cathedral. After realising he had left the chest, he drove back to the capital to collect it.
A few wedding-related items have also been discovered, including a five-tier, red tartan, wedding cake left behind by a groom’s best man. The hotel team at Dundee Central Travelodge received plenty of cheers when they crossed the city to save a bride’s day by returning the stacked sponges to the wedding reception.
A set of wedding vows from the 1950s was also found at Falkirk Travelodge.
A couple, who were in their nineties, had been celebrating their Platinum Anniversary in Falkirk and had bought their original wedding vows to share with their guests. As soon as the housekeeping team found the precious items, the hotel manager arranged a special courier to return them to the couple.
The hotel team at Helensburgh Seafront Travelodge reunited a forgetful groom with his tartan sherwani and turban (Asian wedding suit) which he had forgotten to take with him to his castle wedding venue to change into later that day.
Other bizarre items found included a first class honours dentistry degree certificate, a set of Peter Henderson heritage bagpipes, a large fresh black truffle and a 6ft Japanese temple.
The hotel team at Stirling M80 Travelodge also got quite a surprise when they were met with a family of 12 Scottish Guard Ducklings set up in a perfectly straight line when they entered room 10.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman, said she found evidence of society striving for a healthier lifestyle after seeing “a significant rise in smart watches being left behind”.
Chargers for phones and laptops, mobile phones, Kindles and tablets were also the some of the most common items found left behind.
Ahmed added: “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.”
She noted that all items left behind in Travelodge hotels which have not been claimed within three months are donated to the local British Heart Foundation’s charity shops.
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