Erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey has captured the imagination of avid readers across the globe who just can’t seem to get enough of the central characters’ page-turning antics.
Now it has emerged that, as well as topping the best seller charts and boosting US tourism, Fifty Shades has taken the top spot in a poll of the books that Brits are most likely to leave behind in hotel rooms.
According to the results of a survey by budget hotel chain Travelodge, a staggering 7,000 copies of the novel have been recovered from Travelodge hotel rooms since the title first made its debut earlier this year.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo grabbed second place in the poll, while the next two instalments in the Fifty Shades trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed and Fifty Shades Darker, took fourth and seventh place respectively.
The last spot in the top five was occupied by The Hunger Games, while The Help grabbed the final place in the top 10.
“It is interesting to see for the first time ever that our top ten books left behind index is not being dominated by celebrity biographies and chick lit books which it has done in the past,” said Shakila Ahmed, a Travelodge spokeswoman.
“Trilogies have dominated the charts this year with Fifty Shades of Grey topping the poll. So popular is this book, our hotel staff have reported that business and leisure customers of all ages are reading this trilogy.
In 2009, Katie Price’s autobiography Pushed to the Limit took pole position, while Alastair Campbell’s The Blair Years took the accolade of the most left-behind book in 2007.
Earlier this year, the the Damson Dene Hotel in the Lake District replaced copies of the bible in all 40 of its hotel rooms with the steamy Fifty Shades of Grey.
“Customers cannot get enough of Mr Grey and Miss Steele, they are even reading the book while eating breakfast and dinner,” added Ms Ahmed.
(Images: Cornerstone Publishing)
