The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Guests forget cash, unicorns – and dogs
Coin collections and Loch Ness monsters all left at hotel chain
A coin collection worth £200,000 was left behind by an absent-minded guest at a Perth hotel, bosses have revealed.
The valuable cash cluster was among the most bizarre items found by staff at Travelodges across Scotland in 2017.
A set of company accounts was left at the Dundee Central branch by a businessman, who had to send his assistant from London to collect the vital paperwork, while another firm’s statutory paperwork was forgotten about at Kinross.
Elsewhere, a 33ft model of the Loch Ness monster model – made from papier mache and Irn Bru cans – was found in Fort William, while housekeeping staff at Stirling were left caring for a Scottie dog called Taggart after his owner absentmindedly drove off without him.
The same team at Stirling were surprised to also find a giant inflatable unicorn.
Meanwhile, a politician left his speech at the Edinburgh Princess Street hotel, although Travelodge has refused to reveal which one. Staff there also found title deeds for land in the Highlands.
Everything left behind was dealt with by the company’s Scottish lost and found office.
The chain, which has 542 hotels across the UK, 43 in Scotland, said it had seen a growing trend in forgetful brides, with one leaving behind her bespoke Vera Wang tartan wedding dress at Helensburgh. It was later picked up by her bridesmaid.
A 4ft wedding cake designed like Ben Nevis and made from shortbread and Dundee cake was another notable loss.
And staff at Glasgow Central scrambled to track down the pantomime company which left behind Cinderella’s glass slipper – just an hour before she was due to go on stage.
Travelodge spokeswoman Shakila Ahmed said: “With millions of customers staying across our 43 hotels in Scotland, for a wide variety of reasons, we do get some interesting items being left behind.
“The running theme our customers do tell us is that the pace of modern life is so fast and furious that time is of the essence, especially when getting from A to B and therefore, valuable possessions are easily being forgotten.”