‘Oh dear, we’ve left our gnome family at hotel’
7FT PALM TREES, CAKE OF CHEESE ARE AMONG LOST AND FOUND ITEMS
IT is not often a 5ft wedding cake made of cheese, a family of Christmas gnomes and a pair of 7ft palm trees feature on the same list.
But those were just three of the strange items which were left behind in Travelodges across Leicestershire in 2020.
The items, and many more, were taken to the Leicester lost and found office, after being abandoned in hotel rooms in the county.
The hotel chain has revealed a list of 10 items left behind at their seven county hotels.
As well as the cake, gnomes and palm trees, other items left behind in Leicestershire were:
■ A bespoke wall of Krispy Kreme doughnuts
■ A suitcase full of family photos
■ A pair of Cartier diamond earrings
■ A bespoke carrying case containing vintage red wine
■ An antique engagement ring
■ A jeroboam (three litres) of Bollinger champagne
A large trunk of personalised face masks
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman, said: “With millions of customers annually staying at our 563 UK hotels, we do get a range of interesting items left behind. “This year’s audit for our seven Leicestershire Travelodge hotels includes wedding guests leaving behind a 7ft wall of doughnuts, a wine salesman’s case of vintage red wine, a family’s suitcase of old photos and a family of gnomes which was found by a housekeeping team member.”
Elsewhere in the UK, Travelodges reported some other unusual items being left behind, including an R2-D2 robot, a Swarovski wedding crown, and a Siberian husky puppy called Saskia.
More items left behind included: a money tree bearing £50 notes to the value of £10,000; a William Shakespeare outfit and skull; a 6ft cuddly polar bear; a case of union jack face masks; a 60-year-old marriage certificate; a stethoscope; a 50-year-old football sticker book belonging to a devoted Liverpool FC fan; a message in a bottle which 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 personalised Hilti drill; a valuable stamp collection; a MOVA metallic globe; and two first class tickets to the Maldives.
Also on the lost property list were: a 3ft diffuser with Italian orange fragrance; a philosophy, politics and economics degree from Oxford university; a diary belonging to a nurse; a small army of 6ft tall Nutcracker soldiers; a 3ft Italian designer diffuser; a lucky penny; a set of miniature hot air balloons; £500,000 worth of share certificates; and a model of the city of London showing key attractions.
This year, Travelodge kept some of its UK hotels open during both lockdowns for key workers, local authorities and workers who could travel for work.
The Travelodge teams which are located close to hospitals reported finding a range of items left behind by customers in the medical profession.
These included a stethoscope left behind by a doctor at High Wycombe Travelodge, and a scrub set forgotten to be packed at London Central Kings Cross Travelodge.
Shakila added: “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.”