Hotel carpets and doorknobs are on holidaymakers most wanted lists this summer as three million Brits plan to take UK hotel room furnishings and comforts home with them (1).
Over 200,000 Brits have managed to sneak a bed past reception but the top five most unusual items ever pilfered from hotel rooms are:
1. Mirrors taken by (2.3 million Brits)
2. Light fittings (1.2 million)
3. Curtains (1.1 million)
4. Door knobs (900,000)
5. Carpets (450,000)
Holiday habits research by Travelodge found more women (54%) than men (45%) are likely to swipe an item and stash it in their suitcase while on holiday.
The favourite hotel items for light-fingered Brits this year are:
1. Towels (25%)
2. Ashtrays (15%)
3. Drinking glasses (11%)
4. Slippers (10%)
5. Bathrobes (8%)
Kyle Rowe, Travelodge Operations Director said, "As a no frills hotel chain, we dont offer luxury items like slippers and bathrobes and it means we dont have much of a problem with items going walkabout. However, we did see a lot of our branded ashtrays go missing and appear on an auction site after Chantelle appeared on Big Brother!
"At the end of the day, replacing items comes at a cost which drives hotel room prices up, particularly for 4 and 5 star hotels which lose more luxurious items."
A staggering 8.5 million adults admit to removing items from hotels in the past year alone. One in five borrower Brits say the main reason they take hotel goodies is to get as much value as possible from the cost of their holiday. Over 150,000 Brits say they take items specifically to sell online or at car boot sales.
The study also revealed which regions have the UKs most light-fingered travellers:
1. London (14.1%)
2. North West (13.6%)
3. East Midlands (13.5%)
4. Scotland (13.3%)
5. Wales (12.9%)
6. East Anglia (12.5%)
7. West Midlands (11.8%)
8. North East (9.4%)
9. South East (8.3%)
10.South West (7.7%)
Almost twelve million Brits are planning to holiday in the UK this summer. The top five UK destinations are:
1. South West (2.8 million visitors)
2. Scotland (1.5 million visitors)
3. South East (1.4 million visitors)
4. Wales (1.25 million visitors)
5. London (1.2 million visitors)
-Ends-
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact:
Jo Begbie
Travelodge PR Manager
01844 358 624
07841 725 053
Travelodge research conducted by 72 point in June 2006 among 2000 UK adults.
(1) 11.7 million Brits will holiday in the UK this summer - 3.2 million Brits intend to
take items from their UK hotel this summer
Figures based on Office of National Statistics:
- 46,613,000 Britons over 18 yrs (24,121,700 women and 22,491,300 men)
As the first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985, Travelodge currently has approximately 292 hotels in city centres, near attractions and airports.