As any parent can attest, the misplacement, or worse, loss of a child's beloved comfort item, can be heartbreaking for all.

So when the Lodge family returned home from a stay at Hilton Grand Vacations at MarBrisa in August, they were devastated to discover that their four-year-old son, Jax, accidentally left his lovey, Louie the Lion, behind.          

What followed was a roller coaster of emotions, as Kerri Lodge retells the story, starting with what is usually the ending, "The resort found him, and was shipping him home!...but UPS never received the package...Louie was missing again, and after a few weeks, they called off the search team."

Once again, the MarBrisa resort team, led by General Manager, Megan C., rose to the occasion — thoughtfully ordering a replacement Louie.

   

But they inadvertently ordered the Daddy Louie instead of Jax’s beloved Little Louie.

Feeling awful that Louie went missing in their care and that their attempt at replacing him went awry, the gracious Hilton Grand Vacations team concocted a plan for the Lodge family's upcoming stay. 

Lodge explained, "We told Jax that 'Daddy Louie' came to keep him company until we reunited with Little Louie, who was having too much fun at the resort."      

All the while, the team at MarBrisa was busy scouring eBay for "Little Louie," a retired beanie baby, and handcrafting a book to explain the story of Little Louie's month-long adventures at Hilton Grand Vacations at MarBrisa. 

"When we checked in, we were greeted with Little Louie, and the book AND they surprised us with birthday decorations, too! Jax LOVED seeing Louie's adventures, and we've read the book every night," exclaimed Lodge.

   

She went on to explain that the special treatment didn't end there. During their stay, Jax and Louie were a hit everywhere on the property.

The entire MarBrisa team, some of whom worked so hard to reunite the two, and some who only heard of the tale, wanted to meet the two behind the story. 

   

"The staff at Hilton Grand Vacations at MarBrisa went above and beyond to make this story a happy ending! I’m so thankful for their thoughtfulness, creativity and stellar customer service in going the extra mile!"

Read "3-Day Getaway: Carlsbad, California" to plan a Southern California trip so you can experience the service at this MarBrisa resort yourself.