Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Buzz Lightyear, bravery medal and live seagull found at hotels
From a three-foot tall Buzz Lightyear, to a stand-up comic’s handwritten notes, some weird and wonderful things were left at Travelodges in the county last year.
We’ve all left something behind at a hotel, whether it be a toothbrush or piece of clothing, but some people lost something more unusual at the budget hotel in 2022.
The model space ranger was found at Ramsgate Seafront Travelodge, as was a King Lear dressing-up costume.
One romantic visitor to Maidstone’s Travelodge left 100 red roses behind.
A few miles away at the Chatham site, next to the Historic Dockyard, a forgetful comedian left behind their handwritten notes and prompts for an upcoming show. The M2 Travelodge, between the Gillingham and Sittingbourne junctions, became the new owners of a gold bravery medal from the Second World War.
Meanwhile there were business opportunities in Dartford and Ramsgate for some people. One lucky guest could have been in for a new venture when the commercial lease for a fish and chip shop was found at the Travelodge in Charles Street, Dartford, or a new job after a contract of employment was discovered at the Ramsgate seafront Travelodge. Elsewhere, a framed employee of the month certificate, a bag of homemade Christmas puddings and a set of copper saucepans were found at another site in Spitfire Way, Sandwich. Dover’s hotel in St James Street was a popular place for people to lose things, with staff finding a Swarovski crystal personalised Macbook Pro, a live seagull, a model of a London bus and a large framed photo of the White Cliffs of Dover. In Gravesend, a vintage tailor’s dummy was found while in Canterbury one Sherlock Holmes fan left their costume behind in the room.
One sweet-toothed customer had 300 candy canes stashed in a duffle bag which was left behind at Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, while a buddha board for painting was found at the Rochester site in Cory’s Road.
In Sittingbourne a balance bike was discovered, as well as a framed vintage 1980s Athena “Long Distance Kiss” poster. Travelodge explained the most commonly left behind items at their sites were laptop and phone chargers, mobile phones, tablets and kindles, watches, business papers, books, teddies, toiletries, jewellery, clothing, toys and gifts. Speaking about the finds, Travelodge spokesman Shakila Ahmed said: “With nearly 19 million customers annually staying at our 580 UK Travelodge hotels – including our hotels in Kent – for thousands of different reasons, we do get a range of interesting items left behind. During 2022, this included a vintage tailor’s dummy, a gold WW2 bravery medal, a comedian’s stand-up hand-written prompts and a duffle bag containing 300 striped candy canes. “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 timepoor, juggling multiple tasks and being in a hurry to get from A to B. In the rush, valuable possessions are easily forgotten.”
The 2022 lost and found inventory report 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. 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. During the last 12 months, Travelodge said its staff have also seen an increasing number of wedding items and gifts being left behind at their 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.
It’s basically due to us all being timepoor, juggling multiple tasks and being in a hurry to get from A to B. Valuable possessions are easily forgotten