Where would you find a bill of sale for a boat called ‘Oh Buoy’, a Golden Buddha statue and hearing aids? Where else but the Travelodge’s Lost & Found offices in County Durham?   

Today, the UK’s first budget hotel chain, Travelodge, has revealed some of the interesting items left behind in its 582 hotels including its five hotels in the North East 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 have been left behind at the company’s hotels in County Durham:

  • A Roman goddess costume - Durham Travelodge
  • A golden Buddha statue - Sedgefield Travelodge
  • A box of 200 Pride Rainbow flags - Durham Travelodge
  • A paddleboard - Hartlepool Marina Travelodge
  • A silver ‘GOOD LUCK’ balloon letter bouquet - Chester-le-Street Travelodge
  • Paw Patrol Walkie Talkies - Darlington Travelodge
  • Hearing aids - Darlington Travelodge
  • A bill of sale for a boat called ‘Oh Buoy’ - Hartlepool Marina Travelodge
  • A portable blood pressure machine - Chester-le-Street Travelodge
  • A first class honours Criminology degree certificate - Durham Travelodge

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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.

During the last 12 months, Travelodge hotel staff have also seen an increasing number of wedding items and gifts being left behind at Travelodge hotels.

The hotel team at Newcastle Central Travelodge went the extra mile to reunite a forgetful bride with her box of 500 National Lottery scratch card wedding favours.

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Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman said: “With nearly 19 million customers annually staying at our 580 UK Travelodge hotels, including our five hotels in County Durham, for thousands of different reasons, we do get a range of interesting items left behind. During 2022, this included a bill of sale for a boat called ‘Oh Buoy’, a Golden Buddha statue and Grandpa’s hearing aids.

“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.”         

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