Where’s Brolly? Read all about our exciting new umbrella partnership with DripDrop and GOSH!

James Latham from Premier Inn said:
“Despite over 60% of Brits owning two or more umbrellas, it seems they still can’t help losing and breaking them and needing to buy new ones on the spur of the moment. Our survey shows people never learn when it comes to keeping their umbrellas safe, with people losing them, forgetting them and or never seeing them again after lending them to friends."

“Umbrellas are one of the most commonly requested items from our reception team, so we decided to team up with DripDrop to introduce their brolly rental service into some of our hotels to help our guests avoid turning up soaked to everything from job interviews to weddings.”

Almost a fifth of those polled revealed that they had broken or lost an umbrella after just one use, while 28% said that they had once turned up to an important work meeting soaking wet as they didn’t have a brolly at all. Buses, trains, restaurants and offices seem to be the top four places where Brits lose their brollies. Other popular spots are local shops, someone else’s car, cafés and kids’ play centres!

Of those who said they’d broken a brolly, a quarter admitted it was their fault for opening it “too vigorously” or accidentally getting it trapped inside a car door, while a massive 85% said that they’d been caught out by the wind blowing their brolly inside out. Surprisingly, mischievous pets were to blame for almost 10% of brolly breakages!

According to the OnePoll.com figures, almost a fifth of those we surveyed said that they got caught in the rain without an umbrella up to 10 times a year – with 54% blaming forgetfulness and 38% saying they hadn’t bothered to check the forecast before heading out. As a result, nearly 20% said they’ve had to regularly jump in a taxi or bus instead of walking to avoid a soaking. 

Along with days at work and important meetings, our poll also revealed that 27% have turned up wet to birthdays, 24% to funerals, 23% to a gig, 22% to a date and 18% to an anniversary dinner due to their lack of a brolly.

From our rainy-day research though, perhaps one of the most important revelations for us was that a whopping 81% agreed that it was a good idea for hotels to offer umbrellas to guests – enter the Premier Inn DripDrop brolly! Renting an umbrella at one of our Premier Inn hotels costs £2 per 24 hours. Guests will have five days to return their umbrellas before being automatically charged the purchase price of £20, and our stylish umbrellas are currently available to rent in 30 hotels nationwide.