The toddler accidentally left his beloved toy behind at a Holiday Inn Express
A family is singing the praises of hotel employees at a Richmond, Virginia, hotel after they helped reunite a young boy and his beloved plush toy.
A four-year-old boy was traveling with his family when they stopped to stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Richmond, Virginia.
After departing, the family realized their four-year-old son had left his stuffed animal toy behind.
Employees at the Holiday Inn Express in Richmond, Virginia, were quick to find the missing item — and said they would ship it to the family as soon as possible.
IHG Hotels & Resorts said in a press release that employees of the Holiday Inn Express went the extra mile to ensure the boy and his toy were reunited — but not before they had some fun with it.
A toddler's stuffed animal was accidentally left at a hotel in Virginia while a family was traveling. (IHG Hotels & Resorts)
Employees took the stuffed animal around the hotel, placing it in various spots and snapping some pictures.
One picture shows the animal getting some work done on a hotel computer.
MAN JUMPS INTO FAST-FLOWING RIVER TO RESCUE LITTLE GIRL: SEE THE HEROIC MOMENT
Another picture shows the animal greeting guests in the hotel lobby — with employees noting he was "the star of the show."
The toddler's dad said his son (not pictured) was sad to be without his toy, but the pictures the employees took did cheer him up. (iStock)
Hotel employees also took the animal to the hotel gym where he sat on the seat of an exercise bike.
WOMAN SWITCHED AT BIRTH SPENDS HOLIDAYS WITH BIRTH MOM AFTER DECADES-LONG SEARCH: ‘FEEL AT PEACE’
"To help their son feel better about being without his friend, we had a little fun and shared photos of the adventure the toy pup had during its time with us," said Holiday Inn Express general manager Katia Diazin a press release.
The stuffed animal toy was spotted in the hotel gym getting in a workout on the exercise bike. (IHG Hotels & Resorts)
Diaz also thanked her employees, who "sprang into action" upon learning about the missing plush toy.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
The dad of the toddler, named Michael, said in a media statement that the pictures the hotel employees took helped ease the pain of the missing toy.
"He was really upset that it was missing, as it’s one of his favorite toys," he said.
Employees took photos of the animal around the hotel to help the toddler cope with his missing animal. (IHG Hotels & Resorts)
The Holiday Inn Express, however, emailed the fun images and captions to Michael after realizing the toy went missing, and he said that totally changed his toddler’s demeanor.
"He was so happy to see how much his snuggle puppy was having and wanted me to read it over and over so everyone could hear," he said.
Michael posted an image of the email on X — where it now has over 3.8 million views.
A toddler (not pictured) is much happier after being reunited with his beloved stuffed animal (shown above left) — which he accidentally left at a hotel in Virginia. (IHG Hotels & Resorts; iStock)
One user responded and wrote, "This is amazing."
Another commented, "This wins the internet today."
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Brittany Kasko is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital.
