We’re a funny bunch sometimes, us humans. And if you need proof of that, you need look no further than the countless weird and wonderful objects (and livestock) that are often left in hotel rooms across the world.

If you’re a hotelier, you may have experienced this yourself. Equally, if you’re a guest and the housekeeping team hasn’t done their job properly, you may have encountered a surprise addition to your room upon checking in.

Here’s our ten favourite strangest things people have left in hotel rooms:

1. Merry Christmas!

We all like a bit of festive cheer come that time of the year, but staff at a Travelodge hotel in the UK were arguably dealt rather too much of it when they discovered six (yes, six) 6ft Christmas trees in a vacant room. The guest didn’t stop there, either – each tree was fully decorated, ready for Santa to place presents beneath.

2. Don’t read this if you hate spiders

When a young couple checked into their hotel room in Mekong, Thailand, they were met with a tarantula that, “must have been the size of both of my hands combined,” explained the guy.

Admittedly, it’s debatable whether this was someone’s forgotten treasured pet or nothing more than a six-legged intruder, but regardless, that’s one very unwelcome room companion!

3. Quick, upstairs!

Whether you’re a Dr Who fan or couldn’t care less about the Time Lord, finding a life-size Dalek inhabiting your hotel room would give you every right to momentarily consider running for the hills (or stairs). Exterminate!

4. Happy graduation!

Extra towels, an iron, champagne… there are lots of entirely normal things you might expect to find in a hotel room, but what about a degree in engineering?

That’s exactly what a guest left in a hotel during 2017. Whether it was accidentally left in a post-graduation hangover fuzz or an unbelievably generous gift to the next occupant, we’ll never know.

5. Salad: I love you

A bed and breakfast owner was so perplexed by an item left by a guest at his bed and breakfast that he took to Reddit to tell the world about it.

The craziest thing in his eight years as a B&B owner? An 80-page book about why salad is amazing. Because, why not?

6. An unwelcome bath companion

Picture the scene: you’ve had a long day exploring the best Australia has to offer. You’re tired and in need of a long soak in the bath. So, you head back to your hotel room, open the bathroom door… and find a live shark in the bathtub, thanks to a fishing expedition on behalf of the previous guest.

That’s a call down to reception you never thought you’d have to make, eh?

7. We know it’s a cliché, but…

It’s an often rolled-out joke that the in-laws are to be feared, loathed and given short shrift. But would you leave yours in a hotel room?

That’s what someone did a couple of years ago with their mother-in-law. No, really.

8. Don’t panic – it’s not real

We’ve all laughed at the guys in The Hangover when they wake up in their Las Vegas hotel room to find a live tiger in the bathroom. But what if you discovered a crocodile in yours, thanks to the previous guests Thankfully, this particular crocodile was stuffed.

9. Is anyone staying with you?

Imagine the surprise a housekeeper would get to find not one, not two, but eighty-four pairs of builder’s boots left in a hotel room?

We’ve tried to think of a logical explanation for this, but it simply doesn’t exist.

10. We can’t see the problem here

Pechanga Resort & Casino staff in Temecula, California were left rather perplexed by a guest’s lost item. Residing in a glass of water by one of the slot machines was a glass eye. Thankfully, the eyepatch-wearing owner returned a little later to collect it.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve found in a hotel room?

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CMS Hospitality holds over 30 years of experience in delivering hospitality software solutions. CMS offers the most complete solution in hotel property management software, whether you’re running a hotel, a resort or a hostel. Our highly experienced support and installations team holds a unique understanding of the hospitality industry and will aim to provide software that suits your property’s needs.

Call us today at (+61) 2 9440 9711, or email us at sales@cmshospitality.com. We will be happy to guide you to the GuestCentrix solution that’s right for you.