COLUMBUS, Ind. — Hotel Indigo’s newest worker has been on the job less than two weeks, and already seems like he could be Employee of the Month.
He dresses sharp, in a festive bow tie. He greets visitors with a bounce in his step and the exuberance of a long-lost relative. He welcomes every warm hug.
“He loves everybody, and he doesn’t know a stranger,” said front desk worker Mandy Shonk.
But he’s young and sometimes still learning — that he can’t go anywhere near the dining room, and that he’s got to be more disciplined when nature calls.
Because this staffer is 6-pound, 2-ounce, 13-week-old Tripp, a heart-stealing Bichon Frise who is the facility’s newest ambassador, following in the footsteps of Miles, the same breed in the same role before his death this summer.
On a recent morning, Tripp frolicked under the lobby Christmas tree like a battery-operated toy. He ran and slid on the floor near the front desk. And he carried his stuffed moose toy like an innocent child, dropping the plush item near the feet of Cindy Waddle, hotel general manager and regional manager of Dora Hotel Company.
“He’s a little like having a baby around,” Waddle said. “We have to have eyes on him at all times.”
For the complete story and more photos, see Saturday’s Republic.
