Woman Shocked After Hotel Workers Find Lost Childhood Stuffed Animal (Exclusive)

Anyone who has lost something special on vacation knows how stressful it can be.

That’s how Ava Shulman felt when she left Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club and realized that her beloved childhood stuffed animal, Lamby, was missing. Shulman, 23, got Lamby when she was a kid and took the plushie, her “most prized possession,” everywhere. Every time she left the house as a kid, Lamby was by her side. 

Nowadays, Lamby doesn’t go on as many trips as he used to, but Shulman recently decided to take him along to Hawaii for a family vacation.

However, on the last day, she realized Lamby was missing, believed to have been tossed up in the sheets and taken out by the cleaners.

“I was calling everyone I could, and I filed a lost item report,” Shulman shares with PEOPLE. “I had accepted that he was gone already.”

Lawton Mauai, the Director of Safety and Security at Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club, says they “immediately started a search” when they “were alerted that Lamby was missing.” As suspected, they “discovered that he’d been swept up in the sheets during routine housekeeping.”

“We tracked him down in the laundry center and assured Ava that Lamby had been found,” Mauai tells PEOPLE.

Once Lamby was returned to the beach club, the staff moved quickly to show Lamby a good time. 

“This all started as a lighthearted way to reassure Ava that Lamby was in good hands, and we saw a chance to create a special moment for a guest,” Mauai says.

“After tracking Lamby down, I snapped a photo with him to offer Ava some peace of mind, and from there, more associates joined in on the fun to create a full-on VIP experience for Lamby that we shared with Ava before sending him home,” he adds.

Mauai says the staff “wanted to bring a little joy and playfulness to the situation while showing how much we care.” 

One of the photos showed a Marriott employee named Madelyn with Lamby on her shoulder, captioned, “Aloha family! I know you must be worried about me but I wanted to let you know I am doing just fine. Madelyn our Villa Attendant was so sweet she even let me hang out with her as I was scared when I couldn’t find you.”

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Other staffers took Lamby on adventures, taking pictures of him at the club, hanging out with the workers, and even enjoying some shaved ice. Lamby spent the entire day with the team before they sent him back to Shulman safely.

Along with the plushie, they also sent Shulman a few bonus items, such as a custom robe, tumbler, a Hawaiian shirt for Lamby, an AirTag, and a suitcase. 

“It’s such a beautiful display of humanity,” Shulman shares. “A lot of employees in hospitality and service are going above and beyond every day, and a lot of people don’t see it.”

“They did things that they didn’t have to and took time out of their day to do these things on top of the already insanely hard and busy job that they have,” she adds. “It is really an amazing show of  how much they love their job and it’s such a good display of character.”