TRAVELODGE almost became a travel-dodge for one reluctant Romeo who wanted a hotel receptionist to go on a blind date in his place.

The not-so-romantic request was one of a list of bizarre demands guests staying at the Travelodge in Cathedral Plaza, Worcester, have made in the last 12 months.

The stunned male receptionist was told by the man that he had got cold feet after agreeing to be set up on a date with a woman he had never met before.

While the request was politely declined by the staff member, it is not known if the man plucked up the courage and went to meet his date or stood her up.

Shakila Ahmed, from Travelodge, said “Annually our hotel teams receive about 200,000 bizarre requests and we certainly receive our fair share of them across Worcestershire.”

However, the dating debacle is not the only time a staff member has been asked to go above and beyond the call of duty by someone staying at the budget hotel.

In one instance, a guest even asked for the shirt off another staff member’s back. The man had been due to attend a prestigious service at Worcester Cathedral when he spilled coffee down his only smart shirt.

Arriving in reception, he asked if it would be possible to have the shirt the staff member was wearing.

Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel chain, has revealed the most unusual requests some of its 16.5 million customers have asked while staying in any of the company’s 513 hotels.

The idea that Britain is a nation of pet lovers was upheld by the list which showed a continuing trend for travelling with your pets.

Most queries are about pet dogs or cats but staff at Worcester’s Travelodge have also had a call about a more unusual travel companion. The female caller was in a bit of a flap and wanted to check whether the hotel’s pet policy covered her parrot.

And it is not just Worcester’s branch that has had some odd queries. A mother staying at Kidderminster Travelodge came to reception and asked if anyone could help her son with his maths homework.

Mrs Ahmed added: “Our staff will always try their utmost to accommodate all customer requests but occasionally there are some requests that we just can’t help with such as dodging a blind date or doing someone else’s homework.”