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The Travelodge Poll of Most Bizarre Requests

Oct 19, 12 | 12:01 am

Is it possible for the changing of the guards to change days? Can my seven penguins stay? 11th Oct 2012

Does the water come from the tap? How do you cross the M25?

Just some of the questions listed in the Travelodge poll of most bizarre requests

Travelodge, the first budget hotel chain to launch in the UK, has revealed the most peculiar and bizarre requests that guests have asked in its 523 hotels during the last 12 months. Annually Travelodge's hotel teams receive more than 200,000 bizarre requests and the oddities includes everything from accommodation for seven penguins to asking whether it's possible for the changing of the guards to change days. Also included in the list are questions as ludicrous as "does the water come from the tap?" and "how can I cross the M25?"

The list doesn't just reveal the unusual requests which hotel staff face, it also highlights a trend for guests wanting to travel with their pets - no matter how strange their beloved pet is!

Some of the most bizarre pet related request include the hotel manager at Travelodge's Manchester Ancoats hotel being asked for an outside power supply unit to accommodate his refrigeration van which housed seven penguins (while their owner stayed in the hotel). A guest at Ayr Travelodge asked the hotel team if her beloved Shetland Pony could stay in the room with her, whilst a customer from Montana, USA rang the Stafford M6 hotel en-route to ask if his pet jaguar could spend the night in his room. Thurrock M25 Travelodge had a baby alligator stay with them and a guest staying in Cardiff Atlantic Wharf asked if it would be ok to have a Boa Constrictor snake in the room - without its tank!
Other strange requests have included one guest staying in Birmingham's Bull Ring Travelodge asking where the Wi-Fi was in their room because he couldn't "see" it. Also a guest in Newcastle Central Travelodge asking the night receptionist for a bedtime story to help her nod off.

Listed below are Travelodge's top 30 most bizarre requests for 2012:

Travelodge Bizarre request

• Heathrow Central How can I cross over the M25?
• Hilsea, Portsmouth How many pets can you bring in on the pet policy? I have three dogs, nine cats, two budgies and a tortoise, oh and four children!!!!
• London City Road Is it possible for the changing of the guard to change days?
• Stafford, M6 Can my cat stay? (The cat was a pet Jaguar!)
• Middlesbrough Can you do anything about the wind? It messed my hair on the way to a meeting
• Brighton Seafront A practicing Voodoo priest insisted that his room face the sunset so that he could pray naked to it
• Birmingham Frankley Can we land a helicopter on the roof of the hotel?
• Ayr Can my Shetland Pony stay in my room with me?
• Hayle, Cornwall To the hotel manager: Could I borrow your shirt; I've got a wedding to go to?
• Halkyn, Wales Can we bring our goldfish with us?
• Cardiff Atlantic Wharf Would it be ok to have a Boa Constrictor snake in the room - without its tank?
• Teddington, London Can you stop the 12pm church bells from ringing?
• Liverpool Docks A customer once called because she thought the Travelodge logo had been painted onto her roof because she had seen it on Google Maps - we explained that it was an online map marker
• Thurrock M25 My baby alligator is coming, how much will it cost?
• Manchester Ancoats Do you have outside power supply for a refrigerated van? In the van was seven penguins that were being transported to a zoo
• Ashford, Kent Could we make the frogs in the pond behind the hotel be quiet?
• London Covent Garden Why can't I see the Olympic flame from here?
• Fulham, London An elderly guest requested a bikini shaving kit
• Saltash, Plymouth How much is it for my pet parrot to come and stay with me?
• London Excel Can I see the Olympic rowing event from my window?
• Dumbarton, Glasgow A customer had a cage full of mice and wondered if they needed to pay per mouse.
• London Liverpool Street Can I use my Oyster Card to book a limousine?
• London City Road Can I pay for my pet monkey to stay with me?
• Porthmadog, Wales Can a maid visit me every two hours?
• Newquay Seafront Where can I buy a wedding ring, and quick!?
• Wakefield, Leeds Could four adult dwarfs book one family room because they were 'only small'?
• London Stratford (During the Olympics) Why is it so busy today? Is there something happening nearby?
• Swindon Central Does the water come from the tap?
• Edinburgh Central Queen Street Can we keep 20 sheep in your car park whilst we stay in the hotel?
• Inverness Can you tell me when the Loch Ness monster comes out so we don't miss it?

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman said: "Annually our hotel teams receive around 200,000 bizarre requests. Our teams try their upmost to accommodate all customer requests but there are just some requests that we just can't help with such as stopping the windy weather or telling guests when Loch Ness has his dinner!"

The poll has revealed a surge in bizarre pet requests including penguins, a jaguar, a Shetland Pony, a Parrot and a snake.

Source: 4-Traders