The 2020 checklist of weird gadgets left behind at Travelodge resorts

Where to find a life-size R2-D2 robot, a money tree with 50 pound notes worth 10,000 pounds, a William Shakespeare outfit and skull, a 6-foot cuddly polar bear, a suitcase with Union Jack face masks and a 60-pound robot one-year marriage certificate, a stethoscope, and an adorable Siberian Husky named Saskia – where else but Travelodge’s lost property office.

Today Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel brand, unveiled some of the interesting items that have stayed at their 563 hotels over the past 12 months. With millions of people staying at Travelodge hotels across the UK annually – here are some of the other unusual gems that remain:

• A 50 year old football sticker book by an avid Liverpool FC fan
• A message in a bottle that was a wedding proposal
• A Cartier engagement ring
• A suitcase full of board games
• Keys to a new Bentley car
• A DJI Inspire Drone
• A personalized Hilti drill
• A 60 year old marriage certificate
• A valuable stamp collection
• A MOVA metal ball
• Two first class tickets to the Maldives
• A 3ft diffuser with an Italian orange scent
• Graduated from Oxford University in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
• A Swarovski wedding crown
• A nurse’s diary
• A small army of six foot tall nutcracker soldiers
• A 3ft Italian designer diffuser
• A lucky pen

That year, when Travelodge kept some of its UK hotels open during both lockdowns to support key employees, local authorities and businesses who might be traveling to work, the Travelodge hotel teams near hospitals reported they had a number of interesting items had found who were left behind by clients in the medical profession. This included a stethoscope that was left by a doctor at the High Wycombe Travelodge, a lab coat that was left at the Manchester Upper Brook Street Travelodge, and a scrub kit that was forgotten to be packed at the London Central Kings Cross Travelodge.

The Chelmsford Travelodge hotel team went out of their way to bring a customer who was a nurse back together with her precious diary, which documented her career during the previous Covid-19 pandemic. A large box of Union Jack face masks was also left behind at the London Central Waterloo Travelodge Plus.

This year’s audit also shows that items related to weddings still dominate Travelodge’s bizarre inventory list. This includes a £ 50 money tree worth £ 10,000 that was left at the Birmingham Central Bullring Travelodge by the mother of an unforgettable bride. It is their family tradition for family members to attach £ 50 bills as a gift to a miniature tree which is then presented to the bride and groom at their wedding ceremony.

A forgetful bridesmaid who stayed at the Burford Cotswolds Travelodge forgot to bring a 3 foot Italian diffuser bottle to the wedding reception, specially imported from Florence, Italy for its bespoke scent of lemon, orange blossom, rose, jasmine and wood. Fortunately, the hotel manager made sure the diffuser was safely transported to the venue before the bride arrived.

A groom who lived at the Edinburgh Central Travelodge had to send a courier to pick up his wife’s surprise wedding gift that he had forgotten to wrap – a 6-foot cuddly polar bear. While the hotel manager from Gatwick Airport Central Travelodge PLUS literally had to jump into the queues to reunite the bride and groom with their first-class tickets for the Maldives.

An elderly couple who were staying at the Cardiff Atlantic Wharf Travelodge celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary forgot their framed marriage certificate. Fortunately, after their tour of Wales, they returned to the hotel to pick her up. (The couple had originally met in Wales and wanted to relive their commercials, so they went on a tour of Wales).

A member of the housekeeping team at the Leamington Spa Travelodge was quite surprised to find six life-size nutcracker soldiers who stood out when she walked into a room to clean it. An event coordinator who lived in the room had forgotten to take the soldiers to a Christmas-themed wedding that she had organized.

Forgetful business travelers have also left a number of expensive and interesting items behind. This includes keys to a brand new Bentley car that will be left at the Chester Central Bridge Street Travelodge. A guest at the London City Travelodge Plus forgot their custom MOVA metal ball, which highlighted their global businesses, and sent their PA to pick it up.

A stockbroker who lived at the London Central Bank Travelodge forgot a file containing stock certificates worth £ 500,000 while a construction boss was devastated when he left his lucky personalized Hilti drill at the Solihull Travelodge. A CEO who lived at the Mill Lane Travelodge in Aberdeen Central Justice missed his flight home when he had to go back to the hotel to pick up the lucky penny he’d been carrying for 40 years

Travelodge spokeswoman Shakila Ahmed said: “With millions of customers staying at our 563 hotels across the UK for thousands of reasons each year, a number of interesting things remain. This year’s audit includes: an R2-D2 robot, a William Shakespeare outfit with a skull, a money tree with 50 pound bills, a 60 year old marriage certificate, a 6-foot cuddly polar bear, and a message in a bottle wedding proposal. “

“This year, when we opened some of our hotels during both lockdowns to support local communities and accommodate key workers, local authorities and businesses who might travel to work, we saw an increase in medical items left behind includes a stethoscope, scrubs, crocodiles, and a nurse’s personal diary documenting her experience of dealing with the pandemic, as well as many personalized face masks. “

“When it comes to why so many of our customers forget their valuable items, it’s basically because we’re all short on time, doing multiple tasks, and in a hurry to get from A to B. Valuable possessions are lost in a rush easily forgotten. “

Listed below are some of the bizarre items left behind at Travelodge’s 563 UK hotels over the past 12 months

Photo: Travelodge

About Travelodge

Travelodge was founded in 1985 and is one of the UK’s leading hotel brands. With over 580 Travelodge hotels and over 43,500 rooms in the UK, Ireland and Spain as of May 30, 2019, Travelodge welcomes around 19 million customers each year and more than 12,000 colleagues work across the company.