An ex-wife and a ventriloquist’s dummy among strangest items left behind at Morecambe Travelodge in 2022

The items, along with a box of 100 Queen Elizabeth II Cypher Platinum Jubilee crowns, have made the 2022 Travelodge Lost & Found audit for Lancashire hotels.

Travelodge have revealed some of the interesting items left behind in its 582 hotels, including in Lancaster (now an Ibis) and Morecambe, over the last 12 months.

With millions of people annually staying in a Travelodge hotel across the length and breadth of the UK, detailed below are some of the unusual treasures that were left behind at the company’s local hotels:

Morecambe Travelodge:

An ex-wife

A ventriloquist’s Mr Parlanchin dummy

Lancaster Travelodge:

A unicycle

A box of 100 Queen Elizabeth II Cypher Platinum Jubilee crowns

The Travelodge team members that work at the budget hotel chain had some slightly more obscure items being forgotten by guests last year, such as an ex-wife.

The day after their son’s wedding in Morecambe, an ex-wife was expecting to be picked up by her ex-husband who had offered to drive her back to her home in London.

He forgot her but the hotel team were on hand to assist her to catch a train home.

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.

And in Lancaster, a box of 100 Queen Elizabeth II Cypher Platinum Jubilee crowns was left behind.

Shakila Ahmed from Travelodge said: “With nearly 19 million customers annually staying at our 580 UK Travelodge hotels, including our nine hotels in Lancashire, for thousands of different reasons, we do get a range of interesting items left behind.

"During 2022, this included two canaries called Cassandra and Clive, a ventriloquist’s Mr Parlanchin dummy and a vintage metal ‘Kentucky Fried Chicken’ sign.”

“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 time poor, juggling multiple tasks and being in a hurry to get from A to B. In the rush, valuable possessions are easily forgotten.”

Some of the bizarre items left behind at Travelodge’s 580 UK hotels Travelodge 2022

A portfolio of tattoo artwork by a famous New York tattoo artist – Gatwick Airport Travelodge

A box of 500 National Lottery scratchcard wedding favours – Newcastle Central Travelodge

Keys to a Sunseeker Hawk 38 Power Boat – Torquay Travelodge

A Hóng Bāo (Chinese wedding envelope) containing 10,000 Chinese Yuan – Hull Central Travelodge

A life size cut-out of Jürgen Klopp – Liverpool Exchange Street Travelodge

A pair of Segway’s decorated in roses – Derby Cricket Ground Travelodge

A Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee doll – London Central Waterloo Travelodge

A LEGO Technic Ferrari 488 GTE – Leeds Central Travelodge

A sleigh full of Christmas presents – Aberdeen Travelodge

A 5ft Chinese temple birdhouse – Bournemouth Travelodge

A Déesse Pro LED Phototherapy mask – London Central Covent Garden Travelodge

A Liverpool Football Club themed five tier wedding cake – Liverpool Central The Strand Travelodge

A box of personalised Viennese snow globes – Canterbury Chaucer Central Travelodge

An oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II – Windsor Travelodge

A jewelled treasure chest full of Indian Mithai sweets – Rugby Travelodge

An Oxygen Tank – Manchester Upper Brook Street Travelodge

Personalised ‘John’ number plate worth £15,000 – Woking Central Travelodge

A large Longwu Chinese dragon – Manchester Piccadilly Travelodge

Replica of Queen Elizabeth II state imperial crown – London Central Kings Cross Travelodge

A ball gown made from the 54 Commonwealth country flags – Birmingham Bullring Travelodge

A 4ft light up Earth – Plymouth Travelodge

A 50-year-old Paddington Bear – London Central Euston Travelodge

£250,000 worth of share certificates – London Central Bank Travelodge

A private pilot’s licence – London Heathrow Heston M4 Westbound Travelodge

A barrister’s wig and gown – London Central Covent Garden Travelodge

An album detailing the life of Queen Elizabeth II from princess to Queen via photographs – Milton Keynes at The Hub Travelodge

Framed wedding vows from 1946 – Blackpool South Shore Travelodge

A pair of Japanese Chin puppies called JLo & Ben – Bath Central Travelodge

A Union Jack printed sari – Solihull Travelodge

A five generation family cookbook heirloom – Norwich Riverside Travelodge

A suitcase full of Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee memorabilia – Watford Travelodge

Top ten most popular items left behind in Travelodge hotels during 2022

Chargers for mobile phones and electronic devices such as laptops

Mobile phones, tablets and Kindles

Smart watches

Business papers / notepads / presentations

Books

Teddy bears

Toiletry bags with contents

Jewellery

Clothing

Toys

Gifts / presents