"Can I meet Poldark?": Travelodge reveals bizarre requests across Cornwall
Other highlights include questions from guests about the best of Bodmin and stargazey pie
A hotel chain has revealed some of the most bizarre requests it's had from guests across Cornwall over the past year.
Travelodge staff in the Duchy have been asked some rather strange questions, ranging from 'where’s the best place to go to see the Beast of Bodmin?' to 'can you arrange us to meet the pirates of Penzance? ' and 'how many stars do you need to make a Stargazy pie?'.
Another favourite of ours - 'can you arrange for me to meet Poldark?'. We'd like that too.
In the company’s South West-based Travelodge hotels, the team has received hundreds of customer requests throughout the year.
The top ten most bizarre requests from customers staying in Cornwall include:
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: “Following the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions earlier this year, we have experienced a significant increase in bookings across our 582 UK Travelodge hotels including our 17 hotels in Cornwall and the South West. With more Britons holidaying on British shores than ever before our hotel teams have also received a high volume of interesting requests and questions especially around place names, local dishes, customs and traditions across the British regions. Where possible, our hotel teams will go above and beyond to help customers as they relish a good challenge.
“However, there are some requests beyond their control, such as a guest checking into St Austell Travelodge who requested a room with a large south facing window so that they could be flooded with light at dawn to recharge their aura.”
Following the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions earlier this year, Travelodge experienced a stampede of customers checking into its hotels across all corners of the UK this summer including, of course, the very popular South West region.
With so many people enjoying a Great British Staycation in 2021, a high volume of Travelodge hotel teams received interesting requests and questions – especially around place names, local dishes, customs and traditions across the regions.
One customer asked where Welsh Rarebits live, and when might be the best time to see them, while another wanted to know what time the snake comes out on Snake Pass in Derbyshire. Another customer staying at Manchester Trafford Travelodge asked whether Manchester Caviar ‘is imported from Russia’, and a couple staying at Liverpool Exchange Street Travelodge were keen to know where they could find a tasty Liverpool tart.
With weddings and receptions back after an extended hiatus, a groom’s mother staying at Solihull Travelodge asked the hotel team to help make six necklaces out of £50 and £20 for her son’s wedding. Whilst a bride staying at Birmingham Moor Street Travelodge asked the reception team to arrange 12 gondolas to take their wedding party to their wedding venue.
Travelodge hotel staff also received a host of interesting room requests. This included a guest staying at York Central Travelodge asking the receptionist to come and sing in the room next door to his allocated room in order to check that he had received a ‘quiet room’. The hotel team at Newcastle Quayside Travelodge were surprised when a customer asked for a children’s paddling pool so that their pet fish could have a spacious bed for the night.
Interestingly this year’s audit also revealed a growing trend of customers asking hotel teams especially in the northern regions such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool and Cardiff to record voice messages on their phone because they love their regional accent. Parents away from home also asked hotel teams if they could call home pretending they were Father Christmas to ensure their children did their homework.