donkeys, puppies, Queen Elizabeth painting

January 6, 2023

Always scan your room before you check out — you never know what you may have left behind.

Hotel chain Travelodge revealed the strangest items left across their 580 hotels in the UK, as tallied in their 2022 lost and found audit. While you may expect an abandoned phone charger or two, the items that housekeeping came across in the past 12 months were a little more extravagant and curious than that.

With big-ticket items left behind — like royal memorabilia and an oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II, the latter booked in its own room — Travelodge spokeswoman Shakila Ahmed said guests’ forgetfulness actually had a positive side.

“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,” Ahmed told Hotel News.

A pair of Japanese Chin puppies called JLo and Ben were left behind - then quickly picked up by their owners. — A pair of Japanese Chin puppies like this one, named J.Lo and Ben, were left behind — then quickly picked up by their owners.

While there were several weird and whacky items left behind after their owners went home, some of the most notable included: a Liverpool Football Club-themed wedding cake at the Liverpool Central Strand Travelodge, where the wedding’s best man had been staying, as well as cardboard cut-outs of the Shelby family from the Netflix series “Peaky Blinders” at the West Midland location.

At the Bath Central hotel, a pair of Japanese Chin puppies — named J.Lo and Ben, after rekindled Hollywood couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck — were left behind after their husband-and-wife owners mistakenly thought the other had picked them up. They reportedly drove off in separate vehicles, only to get home and realize their error; the husband turned back to retrieve the forgotten furry friends.

One guest booked an extra room for his oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II and then forgot to take the painting when he left.

Unfortunately, they weren’t the only animals left behind. At the Poole North Travelodge, a pair of donkeys, named Daisy and Duke, were forgotten by their new owners, who had purchased them locally while staying there.

Some travelers were left with empty stomachs, too: At the Monks Cross location, 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of caviar were behind.

“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,” Ahmed explained. “In the rush, valuable possessions are easily forgotten.”

All items left behind at Travelodge hotels that have not been claimed within three months are donated to the local British Heart Foundation Charity Shops.

Other items left behind: