Guests at a hotel in the Dutch city of Vlissingen got a furry surprise when they entered their hotel room one evening and found a sleeping seal on the floor of their accommodation, AD has reported. 

Grey seal takes a nap in Vlissingen hotel room

Dierenwelzijn Zeeland, the animal rescue service for the area, received a call from employees at a restaurant nearby about a seal in a hotel room. “We often receive strange reports and are not surprised that quickly anymore, but when we received a report tonight we could not believe it at first,” reported the rescue service on Facebook the night of the incident.

After hearing more about the situation, it became clear to the animal welfare organisation what happened. Zandpaviljoen Pier 7, which has restaurants and hotel rooms that open directly onto the beach, is located where wildlife can easily enter from the beach. The seal then made its way into the room and found a comfy spot on the floor to doze. 

Hotel seal returned safely to Dutch beach

“It was a strange sight, the guests who were standing outside were a bit nervous and the completely relaxed seal was sleeping inside,” said Dierenwelzijn Zeeland. The Dutch Sea Animal Rescue Team (RTZ) was called in to safely remove the seal and take it to a safer and quieter spot on the beach since it was becoming “quite grumpy due to its disturbed beauty sleep”.

According to RTZ, grey seals like the hotel’s unexpected visitor are often found in the strangest places. “They are looking for a place to rest and sometimes lie in the middle of a terrace or on the road.”