**This post is written in collaboration with Premier Inn

Does your little one have a teddy that they can’t sleep without, and have to take everywhere with them? A recent survey* reveals over 50% of UK children cannot sleep without their favourite toy. Yet despite this reliance, 72% of forgetful children leave their fluffy best friends in hotels after a holiday, with over two thirds of parents (67%) even going as far as driving back to the hotel to collect lost property due to inconsolable children. In an effort to avoid any forgotten teddy related distress, hotel chain Premier Inn is trialling a new ‘teddy check in’ service at its Heathrow Terminal 4 hotel.

Emily Frank from Premier Inn said

“We’ve seen cases of lost teddies rise over the holidays with team members finding on average 3,000 a month, with over 45,000 being left a year across our 760 hotels. Often they are found tucked under the duvet at the end of the bed or under the bed itself, but our team members try and treat these lost teddies differently to other lost property so its never long before families are reunited. Our Teddy Check In service will help ensure no more fluffy family members gets left behind again.”

Due to this rise of teddies being lost over the summer holidays, Premier Inn has made the decision to trial the Teddy Check In service over the next few months at Premier Inn Heathrow Terminal 4, where it is perhaps even more important that these special friends continue their journey with their family. Guests will receive a special teddy check in card upon arrival which will act as a reminder for parents plus with added top tips from the Premier Inn house keeping teams on where teddies and toys are most commonly found, so parents can make sure all family members are accounted for.

Apparently the most common places that lost teddies are found are:

Lost within the bed sheets  – this is the most common so make sure you check in the sheets before you leave.

Under the bed or down the side of the bed – as there are small gaps here where they can easily fall

In a wardrobe or drawer – children may enjoy a game of hide and seek but won’t be so happy if teddy doesn’t get found!

In the hotel restaurant – we know children want to take teddies everywhere, even to breakfast, so make sure they leave with them too.

At reception – our team members love to be introduced to all teddies but a number have been left lost on the check in desk, so make sure when leaving the hotel you have all your toys with you.

Don’t worry if you still forget that favourite teddy though – team members at Premier Inn hotels have been reuniting lost teddies with their owners for years, sending these fluffy friends as far as France, Spain, Sweden and even New Zealand!

Toby is much more attached to his purple blanket than any teddy, and unbelievably we’ve only lost it once in the last four years – and that was only in our doctor’s car park and it was still there when we went back to get it a few hours later. I’ve still got my childhood teddy – a panda called ‘Little Bow Tie’, I don’t remember ever leaving him anywhere but perhaps my mum will tell me different!

Have you ever left your little one’s favourite toy in a hotel or somewhere else on holiday? Did you go back and it? Hopefully this new service from Premier Inn might mean a few fewer teddies get forgotten and need to be reunited with their owners!

 

*Research conducted by One Poll in August 2017. 1,500 British adults were surveyed with children aged 1-12