A Stormtrooper’s outfit, a suitcase full of £1 coins, a prosthetic hand...
THE STRANGE ITEMS LEFT IN OUR TRAVELODGES
A suitcase full of cash and a complete Stormtrooper outfit were among the stranger items handed in to the lost and found offices of Travelodges across Leicestershire last year.
Many of the strange treasures, which were found during a bumper year of UK staycations, prompt a head scratch and the question “what on Earth was going on there?”
The Star Wars Stormtrooper outfit was discovered at the Leicester City Central Travelodge, along with a gold genie lamp and, perhaps more puzzlingly, a prosthetic hand.
A customer at the Market Harborough branch, meanwhile, somehow contrived to leave behind a suitcase filled with 3,000 £1 coins.
A 40-year-old love letter was found left behind at the Markfield Travelodge, a handmade patchwork quilt dating back three generations in Loughborough, and a 2ft ship made from matchsticks in Lutterworth.
Business papers relating to the purchase of an online company and a suitcase full of Disney outfits were also found at the city’s Central
branch, while a potentially priceless book of exclusive cocktail recipes was left behind at Leicester’s Hinckley Road Travelodge.
The unusual items emerged during the company’s audit of lost property from its hotels in 2021.
The study also revealed that a suitcase full of Blackpool rock was among its Scottish finds, a large jar labelled “Brighton Sea Air” was found at Brighton Seafront Travelodge and a dress made out of postcards at Bournemouth Seafront Travelodge.
Perhaps the most bizarre finds, however, were pets, including a pomsky dog called Beyoncé, who was left at Manchester Central.
She was soon reunited with her owner.
All items left behind in Travelodge hotels which have not been claimed within three months are donated to the branch’s local British Heart Foundation charity Shops, Travelodge’s nominated charity partner.
Shakila Ahmed, from the hotel chain, said: “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.”