Travelodge reveals the weirdest things left in its hotels in 2016
A necklace made from £50 notes, a British Blue Shorthair cat and an antique stained glass window were among some of the stranger items left in Travelodge hotels up and down the country in 2016.
That's according to the budget chain's annual roundup of property left in hotels.
While the cat was inadvertently abandoned at the company's Cardiff outpost, a Shih Tzu called Harold was left behind in Harrogate. Harold's owner only realised he was missing after driving for 40 minutes down the M62.
In Canterbury, a guest neglected to take their antique stained glass window with them, while a CEO forgot his 40-year-old teddy bear in Edinburgh Central.
Some of the largest items to be left behind included a pair of 4ft pillars covered in fresh white roses, and a 4ft stick of rock, although it's hard to imagine how the owner of the Mercedes AMG car left behind at the Oxford Abingdon Road hotel could possibly have forgotten about it.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman said: "With over 18 million customers annually staying across our 525 UK Travelodge hotels for a variety of reasons we do get some interesting and precious items being left behind such as a cat called Yoda, a necklace made of £50 notes and wedding vows from the 1950s.
"As more business customers are now staying with Travelodge than ever before, this year's inventory list includes some interesting business related items such as: a set of annual corporate accounts, a suitcase of invoices, new Mercedes AMG car, a Swarovski encrusted waving lucky cat charm belonging to a successful businessman and a 40-year-old teddy bear whose owner is a CEO.
"Our customers tell us that the pace of modern life is fast and furious and time is off the essence especially when getting from A to B therefore valuable possessions are easily being forgotten."
The top ten most popular items left behind in Travelodge hotels during 2016 included:
• Chargers for mobile phones and electronic devices such as laptops
• Tablets
• Mobile phones
• Business papers / notepads / presentations
• Teddy bears
• Toiletry bags with contents
• Sat nav
• Pyjamas
• Socks and ties
• Books
All items left behind in Travelodge hotels which have not been claimed within three months, are donated to local charity shops.
Full list of the strangest items left behind in Travelodges in 2016:
Untitled Document
Hotel | Item |
Coventry | Sikh ceremonial helmet and shield |
Cardiff | British Blue Shorthair cat called Yoda |
Canterbury | Antique stained glass window |
Bradford | Necklace made from £50 notes |
Huddersfield | Brass octagonal gramophone which had just been repaired to its full glory |
London Covent Garden | Barristers Forensic wig & gown |
Harrogate | Shih Tzu called Harold |
Heathrow Terminal 5 | Keys to a haveli (mansion) in Deli India |
Chester Central | A large vintage cuckoo clock |
Bicester | |
London Aldgate East | Gold portrait of Elvis Presley |
Edinburgh Central | A forty year old teddy bear belonging to a CEO |
Oxford Abingdon Road | Mercedes AMG car |
London Bank | Annual set of company accounts |
Cambridge Central | Littmann stethoscope |
Newcastle | 3ft Cheetah ornament |
Birmingham Newhall Street | Suitcase of rupees |
Portsmouth | Monkey puzzle tree |
Leeds | Film footage from a documentary TV programme |
Dundee Strathmore | A family of three generations of garden gnomes |
London Docklands | Three piece Tom Ford suit |
Manchester Piccadilly | Three prosthetic legs (Each leg wore a different designer shoe. This included a Valentino, Gucci and Mui Mui shoe) |
Liverpool Strand | Wedding cake in the design of a Disney castle |
Burford, Cotswolds | A pair of 4ft pillars covered in fresh white roses |
Blackpool South Shore | 4ft stick of rock |
Bath | Wedding vows from the 1950s |
Manchester Central | Scrapbook of Coronation Street memorabilia |
Portishead | Suitcase of invoices that need to be posted out to customers |
Southampton Central | Round the world cruise ticket |