... but where did we leave mother-in-law?

MANY a hotel guest has checked out in a hurry, only to find they have left something of importance back in the room.

Now a hotel chain has revealed the bizarre list of forgotten items, including the keys to a Ferrari, a puppy – and a mother-in-law.

The list, from Travelodge Scotland, bears witness to an astonishing degree of forgetfulness over the past 12 months.

Items include VIP Little Mix concert tickets found in Falkirk, a coin collection worth more than £200,000 in Perth, and the deeds to a Highland estate.

Other lost property might have cost the guests their jobs – as one visitor left a politician’s speech in Edinburgh, and a businessman forgot to pack the company accounts in Dundee. Travelodge spokesman Shakila Ahmed said: ‘With millions of customers staying across our 43 hotels in Scotland, we do get some interesting items left behind.’

She added: ‘The running theme our customers 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 forgotten.’

Some of the odder belongings included a 100-year-old family recipe book in Inverness, a set of bagpipes in Peterhead, Swarovski encrusted Wellington boots in Edinburgh, and a 6ft antique grandfather clock, pictured, in Livingston. Brides were the most absentminded, leaving behind wedding tokens and, in one case in Glasgow, a family member. The newly-wed staying in Queen Street got all the way home before she realised she was missing her mother-in-law. At the Helensburgh Seafront, a bride-to-be left for the ceremony with her Vera Wang tartan wedding dress still at the Travelodge – retrieved just in time by her maid of honour. It slipped the mind of another bride staying in Inverness to tell the best man to bring the wedding cake to the venue.

The hotel stepped in at the last minute to ferry the 5ft shortbread and Dundee cake replica of Ben Nevis to the reception.

For some guests, mislaid belongings led to some hairy moments. One executive forgot a 50-year-old teddy named Rupert while staying in Aberdeen, and sent his personal assistant to collect the ‘bear’ from London as he could not sleep without him.

Another businessman staying in Stirling forgot his Scottie dog named Taggart and made a U-turn on the motorway to go back for the pup.