Business
Top 10 Best Hotel Hell Moments
Gordon Ramsay’s hit TV show, Hotel Hell, has seen quite a few disastrous hotels over the years. However, thanks to Ramsay’s interventions many of them were able to find redemption and become superstar businesses, so stay tuned for the top ten changed hotels from Hotel Hell!
10. The Haunted Hotel
When visiting the oldest inn in Connecticut, Ramsay probably expected antique charm instead of complete dilapidation. Owned by siblings TJ and Chris, the Curtis House Inn struggled to draw customers before Ramsay arrived. Ramsay was blown away by the state of the rooms, as his first inspection of them revealed a dirty old footprint on his pillow, an unlock-able door, and dead flies coating his room. The inn’s restaurant offered no salvation, as Ramsay was served a raw burger. When he stepped back into the kitchen to see how bad things really were, he was disgusted to find Chris in the back wiping down plates with a filthy cloth. Ramsay’s sentiments were mirrored by the inn’s guests. During an intervention with the owners, the guests explained that they suffered with gross windows and unwashed and unsanitary bedsheets. To top it all off, apparently the inn was haunted by a ghost! TJ and Chris struggled to work cohesively with one another until Ramsay sat down with their mother and attempted to salvage the sibling’s relationship. This marked the start of a new beginning for the Curtis House Inn, and Ramsay’s team blew everyone away by completely remaking the hotel, with working locks, a new menu, and a much needed computer. A paranormal expert also gave their seal of approval that the inn was indeed haunted, making it a tourist destination for ghost hunters everywhere. The inn has continued to flourish since Ramsay’s visit, with TJ and Chris capitalizing on the paranormal aspects of the building and numerous positive reviews online.
9. A Hotel for the Dogs
Gordon Ramsay has never had to save a real Four Seasons hotel, but he came pretty close when he was called in to help an inn in Vermont with a confusing name – the Four Seasons Inn. He was confused to learn that the owner, Sandy, was in no way affiliated with the popular hotel chain but had somehow managed to avoid being sued. Meant to be a dog-friendly inn, neither humans nor dogs were interested in visiting the hotel until Ramsay’s arrival. Sandy’s dog, Layla, was the only canine companion during Ramsay’s visit, and she made sure to spread dog hair all over the establishment much to Ramsay’s chagrin. The staff of the inn were not overly motivated, as none of them were receiving salaries from Sandy. To make matters worse, when Ramsay tried to get some relaxation in the hotel swimming pool he was confronted with dog poo in the water. Obviously this inn needed a lot of help from Ramsay! Luckily he came prepared, and got to work saving the inn. First of all Ramsay fixed the hotel’s name to be Layla’s Riverside Lodge, and also update all the hotel rooms to be clean and comfortable. Ramsay was willing to drop some cash to liven the place up, with an investment of $100 000 in new linens for the rooms. The dog kennels received the same attention from Ramsay’s team, and soon guests were finally giving Sandy’s inn a chance. The inn was able to survive and flourish as a popular dog friendly hotel.
8. The Challenge of Hotel Chester
Ramsay revealed his compassionate side when he dedicated himself to salvaging Hotel Chester and the lives of its owners, David and Sukie Mollendor. Apparently the hotel had been a success until a car accident severely injured David, leaving him bed ridden for months. Ramsay was willing to help get the business back on its feet, and began by addressing the key issues. This included the hotel restaurant, which took so long to put out food that Ramsay had to leave and take a nap while waiting for some disappointing sushi. Ramsay put his cooking skills to good use by revamping the hotel menu to appeal to locals and the college crowd nearby, and also gave the hotel a beer garden to attract new customers. He even hired a professional chef to replace Sukie in the kitchen and produce some quality meals. Ramsay also addressed the old, outdated hotel rooms by painting them and refurnishing them, much to the owners’ delight. Ramsay’s fixes seem to have worked, as the hotel remains in business. Online comments show that the beer garden is a huge hit, and hopefully things are looking up for both David and Sukie as their business flourishes.
7. The Car Hotel
One of the most expensive hotels that Ramsay ever visited was the Keating Hotel, owned by Eddie Kaen and located in downtown San Diego. Eddie had obviously put a lot of love and money into his prized hotel, as he spent a whopping one million dollars to hire a sports car designer to design the hotel interior. At $759 a night, Ramsay was sorely disappointed to find himself in a weirdly decorated hotel with furniture that was uncomfortable and awkward. Ramsay wasn’t impressed by the hotel’s room service either, as it came to him in cheap takeaway boxes and was inedible. The chef Brian was so overwhelmed by the poor working conditions that he fainted during a meeting with Ramsay, proving that changes definitely had to be made for everyone’s sake. Ramsay created a new menu to help Brian out, and also worked with his team to renovate the Keating Hotel into an ideal place to stay. He removed some of the strange car design furniture and replaced it with comfortable pieces that guests could enjoy. The staff were pleased with his changes, and with Ramsay’s help the hotel has remained open. New guests have kept the hotel busy, and Ramsay’s legacy lives on as a suite has been officially named in his honour!
6. Staying in School
Most people would cringe at the thought of being stuck in their school overnight, but not John Hough. John loved an old school building in his town so much that he decided to buy it and turn it into a hotel for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately his Roosevelt Inn did not catch on, and he and his wife Tina were desperate for help by the time Ramsay arrived. Ramsay was unimpressed by his garishly pink room which costed a substantial $319 per night, and he was even less pleased when he discovered an unpleasant smell permeating through the hotel. Instead of focusing his attention on filling up rooms or the ballroom with high paying customers, John was wasting everyone’s time by putting on bizarre murder mystery dinner plays. In terms of the hotel rooms, Ramsay realized that they definitely needed to be revamped after taking a blacklight to the bedding and seeing numerous stains all across the linens and mattress. Even though John was a tough man to help, Ramsay did his best. One of the main changes that Ramsay made was with the ballroom, as he worked hard with his team to create a new space where John could host events like dances and weddings receptions. This was always a dream of Tina’s, and Ramsay made it a reality by redecorating the room and securing a wedding booking for the hotel. This ballroom has changed the hotel and helped it to attract visitors from all around, and kept the Houghs in business!
5. Ramsay Saves the Day
The Angler’s Lodge in Idaho may have be situated by the best fishing spots in Idaho, but business tragically dried up for owners Dave and Dede. While the hotel had originally enjoyed success, Dave and Dede’s plans to expand the hotel were derailed when their son passed away. Luckily Ramsay turned the place around and helped the couple get their business back on track. First of all Ramsay decided that the rooms of the lodge had to change, as his bedroom consisted of stained bedding and a dark and dank atmosphere. The subpar rooms were mirrored by the disastrous hotel restaurant, run by a chef who Dave and Dede don’t even like! The food that Ramsay tasted was obviously frozen, and he had one of the worst trout dishes of his life when he was served an unscaled piece of the fish. Another issue was the lack of community surrounding the hotel, as locals did not feel welcomed by the owners. These were a lot of issues for Ramsay to take on, but he dealt with them like a pro. He redid the guest rooms with his talented team to brighten them up and make sure they were in tip top condition. Ramsay also addressed the restaurant concerns by overhauling the menu completely and inviting the community to dine at the hotel and support the local business. All of Ramsay’s efforts were a success, as Angler’s Lodge managed to survive and stay in business after Ramsay left!
4. Ramsay vs Caretaker Karan
This hotel was so messed up and disgusting that Ramsay needed two episodes to finally fix this business. We’re talking about Town’s Inn in West Virginia. Ramsay had his hands full when he met owners Jason and Ana, a couple who had planned on using the hotel both as an investment and as a hobby for Jason’s mother, Karan. Upon arrival Ramsay was greeted by clutter everywhere, from creepy dolls to expired loaves of bread. Speaking of food, the hotel’s restaurant was almost worse than the rooms. Karan was serving six month old rotisserie chicken and boiling pre-packaged burgers, much to the disgust of all the guests. Ramsay was outraged by the state of the hotel, and really needed his team’s support to try and fix the Town’s Inn’s numerous faults. They set to work and purged the rooms of all their dead bugs and dust, and cleared away the horrendous clutter and expired food. Ramsay also demanded that the restaurant be revamped with heavy cleaning and a major menu change, which helped draw locals back into the dining room. Under Ramsay’s watchful eye, the hotel remained open and the family continued to run their business. Hopefully Ramsay doesn’t have to see a six month old rotisserie chicken ever again!
3. Bullet Hotel
Bullet holes probably aren’t what you want to see when you arrive at a hotel, but that’s what Ramsay was faced with when he visited the Brick Hotel in Newton, Pennsylvania. Run by Verindar Kaur and her son CJ, the Brick Hotel was struggling to attract customers and was eager to have Ramsay’s professional touch. Ramsay was blown away by the crazy conditions of the hotel rooms, from the aforementioned bullet holes in the walls to smashed windows. He was also informed that there was no real cleaning schedule and that there was a severe mould infestation creeping through the hotel. The mould was such a big issue that Ramsay had to shut down the whole hotel and evacuate guests to avoid breathing in the dangerous spores. Obviously Ramsay had his work cut out for him with this place! With Ramsay’s supervision the hotel was renovated from top to bottom, with the mould being one of the first things to go. The hotel rooms were also redecorated to get rid of those worrisome bullet holes, and the alterations that Ramsay made to the hotel restaurant were also a huge hit. Locals toured around the relaunched hotel and loved it, and in the months that followed CJ and Verindar saw their business start to boom again. Good work Ramsay!
2. A Royal Stay
It’s not everyday that you can spend the night in a castle, but if you pay a visit to Ohio you might just get your chance to at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. When Ramsay arrived to the castle however, it was losing money and the owners were relying on Ramsay’s expertise to make their establishment fit for a king again. Ramsay was actually impressed with the castle when he first saw it, but was much less amused by the piles of dead flies and ash that he found throughout his hotel room. The hotel was also supposed to be marketed as the prime place to hold events like weddings, but with a disastrous dinner menu people were disappointed by what the castle had to offer. Ramsay decided to test how well the hotel could perform under pressure by inviting a wedding party to stay with him at the hotel, and after watching the castle staff flounder and fail, Ramsay stepped up to save both the castle and the wedding. He had his team give the hotel event space a much needed make-over, and then set to work on the restaurant’s menu. Ramsay helped the staff create an amazing dinner for the happily married couple, cementing the castle’s reputation as an ideal wedding venue. Even after Ramsay left the owners kept up the good work by booking more rooms and events than ever, and received rave reviews. Food, hotels, castles – is there anything Ramsay can’t fix?!
1. Beachfront Showdown
One of the most challenging hotels that Ramsay ever had to fight for was the Beachfront Inn and Inlet, run by owner Brian who refused to let Ramsay help him. Ramsay quickly realized that the hotel was not up to anyone’s standards when he was shown his room, a musty bedroom with an extremely uncomfortable bed. The lack of passion put into the hotel is reflected in the hotel’s restaurant, where Ramsay was furious with the usage of frozen fish. Brian’s family worked with a fish market, and Ramsay could not understand why Brian would ignore the fresh fish that he had at his fingertips and chose to settle for cheap frozen filets instead. Not only was the food unappetizing, but it proved to be downright dangerous when Ramsay explored the hotel kitchen. Raw and cooked chicken were mixed in together, and some food items were so rotten that Ramsay couldn’t even tell what they were supposed to be. While Ramsay succeeded with renovating the rooms and upgrading the restaurant, the night of the relaunch was not perfect. Ramsay and Brian battled over the state of the food that was being served, and eventually Ramsay had to give up and leave the hotel all together when Brian refused to listen to him. However, maybe Brian listened more than Ramsay thought, because after he left Brian implemented some of Ramsay’s advice and helped to bring the business back from the edge of disaster. The hotel stayed open, and maybe one day Brian will admit that Ramsay knew what he was doing!