A GLADIATOR costume, a Coutts cheque book, a sequin wall and a giraffe adoption certificate are just some of the items left behind at Chester's Travelodge hotels in 2022.

The budget hotel chain, which has four branches in Chester, has found some interesting items in its Lost & Found offices inventory.

Chester Central Travelodge on Little St John Street was left with a £625 pair of Balenciaga knitted Speed trainers, a sequin wall and the commercial lease for a designer clothing store.

The hotel chain's Central Bridge Street branch collected a gladiator costume, a cheque book for the highly exclusive Coutts bank and eight rolls of Kelly Hoppen wallpaper.

A gold adoption certificate for a giraffe at Chester Zoo and a selfie ring light were handed in at Chester's Northop Hall Travelodge.

A guest at Chester's Warrington Road hotel left behind a bouquet of 20 iridescent snowflake balloons and another left without a black and white framed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

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. One forgetful guest staying at Luton Airport Travelodge had to make a return journey from Jersey to collect her prized album documenting the life of Queen Elizabeth II from princess to Queen in photographs. The customer’s grandmother had started the album in 1947 and it had been passed down the generations to continue the life story.

Another customer staying at Windsor Travelodge booked an extra room to store his oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II and then forgot to take the painting when he left and had to arrange for a courier from York to collect it. Whilst the housekeeping team at Kings Cross Travelodge got a surprise when they entered room 40 and found a replica of Queen Elizabeth state imperial crown sat on a cushion in the middle of the bed. The customer, a French jeweller, was in such a rush to catch his Eurostar train to Paris, that he forgot his crown.

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 Liverpool Central Strand Travelodge received plenty of cheers when they crossed the city to save a bride’s day, when the Best Man forgot to take the five tier LFC (Liverpool Football Club) themed wedding cake to the wedding reception.

One guest staying at Bath Central Travelodge forgot her pair of adorable Japanese Chin puppies called JLo and Ben. The customer thought her husband had taken the puppies as they were travelling in separate cars. When she got home to Cheshire she realised their mistake and her husband had to drive back immediately to collect JLo and Ben.

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: "With nearly 19 million customers annually staying at our 580 UK Travelodge hotels, including our four hotels in Chester, for thousands of different reasons, we do get a range of interesting items left behind. During 2022, this included a gladiator costume, a Coutts cheque book, a sequin wall and a giraffe adoption certificate.

"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."