Entertainment
Gordon Ramsay’s 10 Worst Hotel Hell Experiences
For some reason, Chef Gordon Ramsay thought it was a great idea to put himself through hell. Literal Hotel Hell. He has stayed in hotels across America to help them fix their business and in doing so, he has been in some compromising positions. From bodily fluid-soaked sheets to food that was practically raw. Gordon has risked his stomach and catching some kind of flesh-eating bacteria by laying his head on the pillows. Like Kitchen Nightmares, he is there to help the business, but he ends up doing so much more. He helps families torn apart by money issues, sibling rivalries and lack of business knowledge. That being said, he has had to endure a lot of crap in order to get to that point.
10. Applegate River Lodge
The Applegate River Lodge is located on beautiful land and run by hippies who are now divorced. The husband Richard better know as “Pa Butt” gets high all day and leaves his ex-wife Joanna to deal with all the drama. It’s supposed to be a family run business, but no one gets along especially their two sons. Richard keeps saying that he isn’t a businessman but it’s a little too late for that. The lodge is beautiful and was built by Richard but it’s empty. No furniture and no guests. When they do have guests, they hold so many loud parties the guests leave and get a refund on the way out. Gordon couldn’t even go to bed because of the loud partying. Because the brothers can’t get along they run the hotel separately. One brother runs a separate restaurant and bar. All the food looks grey and they actually use ketchup on their salads. And the other brother runs the lounge and music room. Richard was so high he couldn’t even show Gordon to his room properly and couldn’t even explain why the business was failing. What’s worse is the kids make money off the hotel and don’t give any of the profits to the actual hotel knowing their parents are in $900,000 debt. Using the blacklight, Gordon saw a multitude of bodily fluids on the ceiling, lampshades and on his pillow. Need we say more?
9. Juniper Hill Inn
The Juniper Hill Inn is a historic building owned by a man and his partner who apparently think it’s preposterous to pay their staff. The locals have stated that they don’t feel “classy” enough to be accepted by the owners so they would never stay there. That is saying a lot. The lobby of the hotel looks like someone went antiquing and is building their own museum. There is even a sign that say’s “please don’t touch the artwork”. So, who would feel comfortable in there? It’s a beautiful place on a beautiful piece of land and 3 Presidents have dined there. They have no money, which is why Gordon is here, but something tells us if they sold those antiques they would be able to pay some bills. Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come, Gordon’s room smells like sewage and that’s never a good sign. There is clearly a plumbing situation that everyone is avoiding. In addition, the head chef left because she had to buy all the food on her credit card and was never paid back. The owner comes off as pompous and out of touch. He is living above his means, he knows it and frankly, he doesn’t care.
8. Monticello Hotel
First off, we will say, this hotel is a complete mess purely due to the owner Phillip Lovingfoss having a drinking problem. He makes a mockery of himself and the hotel when he shows up drunk and acts a fool. He said he wanted to own the hotel since he was 8 and he obtained it by marrying the owner when he was in his 20s and she was in her 60s. She passed away and just like that everything went to him. Now, he is rich and has a new girlfriend who is 30 years older than him and living the high life off of the deceased wife’s money. Sounds crazy, right? The hotel is sorely neglected, it’s literally falling apart. There are only 4 suites available for rent because the countless other rooms are being used as storage for Phillip and his girlfriend’s stuff. Gordon was forced to stay in the “north wing” which is a motel beside the hotel that Phillip bought. To make it worse the motel is furnished with old stuff that Phillip and his girlfriend no longer want in their home. This hotel could definitely be on an episode of hoarders. AND, Just before filming started, Phillip got arrested for a DUI which he didn’t really seem to mind. Let’s be honest, we don’t need to go into the dining experience because like the hotel, it’s horrible.
7. Curtis Hotel
The episode featuring the Curtis House Hotel did not get off to a good start. The Curtis House is the oldest inn in Connecticut and has been run by one family for 59 years. Yet, there was a compilation of complaints from customers. They included ants on their food plates (AKA in their damn food), stains on their pillows, water damage in their rooms. The water damage was so bad in one room it looked like the ceiling was going to cave in. For some reason, the staff put Gordon in room 16 “the haunted room”. But, it should be called something else, the dirtiest room, maybe? It has dead bugs all over the place a dirty footprint on the pillow and before he could sleep on the bed, the canopy fell down. And of course, like all the hotels, the food is horrible and nothing is cooked to order. The head chef who is also the co-owner was wiping down plates with a cloth that was covered with grease and food. It was essentially the same cloth he used to clean drips on plates before they went out. This hotel is one that should be strong because almost everyone who works there is part of the family. One would assume they could work together finally after 4 generations. Too much to ask maybe?
6. Four Seasons Inn
Four Seasons is a popular chain of hotels so it’s shocking to see that one is struggling. The owner Sandy seems to be confused as to how to run an inn. He is $1.5 million in debt and no staff members are being paid. However, they do get to live in the inn for free. The inn was supposed to be animal-friendly because of a dog kennel across the yard. But, no one brings their pets except the owner and everyone complains about dog hair being everywhere. In their food, on their linens and everywhere else you can find it. In Gordon’s room, the bed isn’t spread, there is a 6-pack (an empty one) in the garbage bin and the wallpaper is atrocious. The viewers eventually find out that the hotel is not affiliated with the real Four Seasons. We have to wonder, legally, is that allowed? That’s a question for another day though. Sandy is also head chef but has no culinary experience. Gordon called the food bizarre and weird, it looks like vomit to be honest. All the food just looks grey and the risotto, in particular, looked like dried lifeless rice. Everyone that works there just looks defeated especially one of the chefs who went to school for culinary and can actually cook.
5. Calumet Inn
The Calumet Inn is run by two sisters who are described by their staff as only “spoiled”. Their father put up the money to buy the hotel and they don’t realize how serious it is that they turn a profit. One sister cries ALL the time and the other is delusional about how hard she actually works. In order to save some money, the father likes to walk around and take the bulbs out of lamps, so no one can turn them on. Gordon’s room has a moldy mini fridge and no wardrobe. In addition, the room looks unbelievably cluttered. There are pee stains on the walls (not sure why that’s a thing) and holes in the wallpaper. The biggest problem, however, is that the sisters/owners are completely delusional. They think they have done no wrong and are running the hotel the best way possible. The entire episode, the sisters kept saying that they wouldn’t personally spend their money to eat or sleep at the hotel. The staff can’t stand the owners and have no respect for them. They are just so bitter and angry towards the owners that they are all on the verge of quitting. Mandy the sometimes General Manager is the best thing about the hotel. They managed to make her so mad she quit and she’s a single mom of 2 kids. One of the funniest things about the hotel is they boast about having a gym but it’s a rec center down the street. Seeing Gordon try to walk down the street in a robe was hilarious.
4. Cambridge Hotel
Televisions with no remote controls and beds that are spread with people’s hair all over it. That isn’t even the worse part, the owner is ex-military and he runs his hotel like the staff are troops. Oh, did we mention that the hotel is supposedly haunted by a little girl named Alice? The owners seem to be playing up that haunted thing because their entire hotel has photos of people from like the 1900s. Oh, and no one knows who they are. The decor is dreadful and not only are they still using wallpaper, but it’s the worse wallpaper you could ever have. Everything that comes out of the kitchen is sous vide meaning boiled in a bag. So technically, no one in the kitchen is actually cooking. The owners have borrowed money from every one of their kids including $10,000 from their daughter in college. They are about to lose their home and the hotel rendering them homeless. This hotel invented the pie a la mode and they have even managed to butcher that. They microwave their apple pie, and not only does it supposedly taste like crap it looks like it as well. But what takes the cake is the owners don’t lock the door at night. This allowed Gordon to tell the owners and the guest how many sex offenders and burglars are currently active in their town. The rate was shocking. This hotel wouldn’t be able to battle a lawsuit.
3. Brick Hotel
The staff calls the owner Verindar a dictator. “She screams out demands”. This hotel used to have a great reputation, but it has taken a severe hit in the last several years. Before Gordon even went to the hotel he decided to meet with ex-staff to see why they quit or got fired. They surely ripped into the owner. The hotel is literally falling apart, there are broken windows that have been there for years. Like most of the hotels, the place was filthy; dust was everywhere, and it had turned black. There is mold all over the hotel and in places that most wouldn’t even know mold could be in. Mold on the carpet, on the shower curtains, visible sweat stains on the linen. It’s just absolute disgust. All the rooms looked cryptically old and overdone. The food was even worse; cauliflower steak which is exactly what it sounds like. A big ol’ piece of charred cauliflower. Crab cake sandwich from a can, Gordon gave up pretty quickly. He opted for salted water and said it tasted better than anything else. The kitchen itself is so full of grease everywhere that the stoves are sliding around. Verindar is in complete denial about her hotel, she’s basically hopeless.
2. Mason De Mesilla
This New Mexico hotel is pretty dreadful. Owner Cali is in complete denial that her hotel is a crap show. In addition, she is one of the main reasons why the guests leave early. She thinks she is Cher (the singer). While her guests eat, she is screaming Cher songs in their ears thereby completely running their dinner. Or any kind of quiet conversation they were trying to have. The décor isn’t as bad as some of the other hotels on this list but its certainly questionable. The entire hotel is a weird beige color, the tables in the dining area are covered in a vinyl slip. One of the most awkward things about this hotel is that there is a “cleaning waiver”. It states weird things like “if you throw red wine on the walls, you will be fined”. To top it off, there is no room service AKA you are expected to clean your own room. The theme of the NEW MEXICO hotel is TUSCANY because Cali wanted something different. There is just so much wrong with this hotel including the drama between the GM and the owner. The GM was ultimately fired. Another downside to the hotel was no breakfast was served which means guest have to leave the hotel and look for food. What in the world, how can you run a hotel and not offer breakfast? There was too much wrong with this hotel to list here.
1. Roosevelt Hotel
The Roosevelt Hotel was meant to be an ode to Sherlock Holmes. However, the real mystery was what in the world was going on inside the hotel? The hotel’s owner John didn’t even consult his wife when he decided to buy the hotel. This caused marital strife and an awkward presence in the hotel. One of the first things that Ramsay said when he walked into the hotel was that it smelled. He soon found out that it’s because there are dogs everywhere. The entire hotel was a nasty shade of pink. The hotel was filled with dust as if no one has ever cleaned it. Once a month they hold a murder mystery party night that makes zero dollars. It has some of the worst actors EVER. Whenever Gordon confronted the owner about his horrible hotel, he would run away, literally. To Gordon’s surprise, John was also the chef, but he couldn’t even boil an egg. No, really, Gordon requested a boiled egg and it came out raw. On to the bedrooms, the black light test revealed that their linens were some of the filthiest on the show. A lot of changes needed to be made and there was only so much Gordon could do.