A six-year-old Ottawa girl thought she would have to kiss her two favorite stuffed animals goodbye after leaving them behind in an Amsterdam hotel. A package arrived last week for her.  Inside, were her two friends and creative photos of the fun the toys had ‘hanging out’ at the hotel. 

It was a big decision for 6 year old Aubrey Lapointe to figure out which of her friends was going to come with her on her big trip to Europe.  After all, there were so many to choose from.

‘For her to narrow it down to two was a little hard,’ says Aubrey Lapointe.

She settled for Koala and Bear, which are her favorites because, ‘I got them from somebody,’ Aubrey says.

After a trip to Italy and France, the family ended up at this hotel in Amsterdam before returning back to Ottawa.

‘Once on the flight, Aubrey asked for her stuffed animals and we realized we didn’t have them with us,’ says Chelsea Roelofs, says Aubrey’s mother.

‘I feel sad,’ Aubrey says.’

Back at the hotel, Maggie the housekeeper had realized what she'd found when she came across the stuffed animals in the hotel room.  The general manager of the Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Zaandam contacted the family and decided in the interim to give Koala and Bear the VIP treatment.

‘We started with a complete treatment in the hotel,’ says Rob Clerc, the hotel general manager, ‘they started by showing them a room, they went to the breakfast room, went to the fitness area and then to the pool.’

The hotel says it even put the stuffies to work helping out in the kitchen, at the front desk, even with GM Rob Clerc.

‘When you lose two of your best friends, we need to take care of them and make sure they are reunited in Canada again,’ says Clerc, in an interview through Skype.

 All this was documented in a special letter to Aubrey and her family along with a box containing, of course, Koala and Bear.

‘It was funny and really nice of them to take the time to do that,’ says Roelofs.

 

There was a similar story out of the Pearson International Airport a few days ago involving a 4-year-old Saskatchewan girl and her favorite friend. It had the same happy ending.  In fact, Koala and Bear were such a big hit; the hotel’s GM says they've secured a job there for the future.  Aubrey's mom says on one condition.

‘Only if they bring us with them.’