Pigs and cockatoos among belongings left by Travelodge visitors

Staff at Carlisle Travelodge have described the surprising things visitors have forgotten when checking out.

Housekeepers in Carlisle have been left shocked by some of the items they have discovered in visitors’ rooms. After a micro-pig was left at a Travelodge branch located on Cecil Street near Carlisle city centre, hotel staff were forced to use the booking system to return the patient pig to its owner.

A spokeswoman for Travelodge admitted: “The micro pig was just one of the weird and wonderful things that were left at one our Travelodges in the Carlisle area.” Across the Central, Todhills and M6 Travelodge locations, unlikely discoveries included a tandem bike, an artist’s easel, a set of diamond earrings and a brand-new iPhone X.

Pet owners across the UK seem to be particularly forgetful. Staff at Brighton Seafront Travelodge described an abandoned blue-eyed cockatoo called Brexit, while in Swindon a customer left without her two Persian cats, and at London Covent Garden Travelodge a fashion designer left her three butterfly tail fish named Kim, Kourtney and Khloe.

It’s not just animals that have interrupted housekeepers’ duties, however, with staff in Cambridge describing their discovery of a man in tears, spending his wedding night alone after being jilted by his fiancée.

Communications Director, Shakila Ahmed blames the “fast and furious” world we live in today for the sheer quantity of strange belongings left behind, which this year, she contends, also include an ice-cream van and a 5ft teddy bear made of popcorn. With almost 19 million visitors staying at UK Travelodges each year, it is hardly surprising that some interesting items are found by staff.

Travelodge is the first choice for many travellers looking for reasonably priced accommodation, with 80 percent of its hotels situated in major city centres, towns and popular holiday destinations.