WHERE would you find a commercial lease for a Greek takeaway, a signed Wolves rugby shirt and best friends contract? Where else but the Travelodge’s lost and found offices in Warrington.
The UK’s first budget hotel chain, Travelodge, has revealed some of the interesting items left behind in its 582 hotels including its five hotels in Warrington over the last 12 months. With millions of people annually staying in a Travelodge hotel across the length and breadth of the UK, detailed below are some of the unusual treasures that have been left behind at the company’s hotels in Warrington:
| Lost and Found Item | Travelodge |
| A commercial lease for a Greek takeaway | Warrington Travelodge |
| A 4ft Christmas fairy | Warrington Gemini Travelodge |
| A vintage 1970’s wedding dress | Warrington Lowton Travelodge |
| A signed Wolves rugby shirt | Warrington Travelodge |
| A case of Laurent Perrier La Cuvée champagne | Haydock St Helens Travelodge |
| A friendship contract between two best friends | Warrington Gemini Travelodge |
| A rainforest terrarium | Warrington Lowton Travelodge |
| A box of 100 Queen Elizabeth II Cypher Platinum Jubilee crowns | Warrington Travelodge |
The 2022 lost and found inventory report also revealed 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. 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 and then forgot to take the painting when he left and had to arrange for a courier from York to collect it. Whilst 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 forgot his crown.
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 hotel team at Liverpool Central Strand Travelodge received plenty of cheers when they crossed the city to save a bride’s day, when the Best Man forgot to take the five tier LFC (Liverpool Football Club) themed wedding cake to the wedding reception.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: “With nearly 19 million customers annually staying at our 580 UK Travelodge hotels, including our five hotels in Warrington, for thousands of different reasons, we do get a range of interesting items left behind. During 2022, this included a commercial lease for a Greek takeaway, a signed Wolves rugby shirt and a case of Laurent Perrier La Cuvee Champagne.”
“Interestingly the 2022 lost and found audit also revealed that we are a nation striving for a healthy lifestyle as we have seen a significant rise in smart watches being left behind in our Travelodge hotels during the last 12 months.
“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 the top ten most popular items left behind in Travelodge hotels during 2022:
- Chargers for mobile phones and electronic devices such as laptops
- Mobile phones, tablets and Kindles
- Smart watches
- Business papers / notepads / presentations
- Books
- Teddy Bears
- Toiletry bags with contents
- Jewellery
- Clothing
- Toys
- Gifts / presents
