Applegate River Lodge - Hotel Hell Update - Open or Closed?

In this Hotel Hell episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Applegate River Lodge in Applegate, Oregon.

Applegate River Lodge is owned by Richard and Joanna Davis but run by them and their family.

The couple designed and built the lodge 22 years ago but since their divorce the hotel, family and the business has started to suffer.

Gordon arrives at the hotel and notices an ugly area near the entrance and a pungent smell coming from somewhere.

He is impressed by the size of the lobby but he finds it almost devoid of furniture and people.

There is a sign directing guests to buzz for an attendant, Gordon presses the buzzer but Richard takes his time responding to it.

Gordon sits on the floor waiting for someone to help him, seeing as there are no chairs available in the lobby.

Richard greets him introducing himself as ‘Pa Butt’ and shows him his back office, which will become a party venue later.

The smell gets stronger and Richard tries to pass it off as incense and cooking herbs but on close inspection Gordon identifies it as Cannabis.

Richard finally admits to it being medicinal marijuana and that he is high.

Richard shows Gordon his room, called the ‘Cattleman Room’ and Gordon comments that it smells like cattle.

The room has a splendid view but Gordon is distracted by the stained furnishings, ugly bed covers and dead and alive insects.

Richard admits he doesn't see the hotel as a business but his ex-wife who runs it tries to keep on top of things.

Gordon meets Joanna and she says she is the one who keeps the books and basically runs the place.

She reveals they owe close to $1 million and are losing between $5,000 - $15,000 a month.

Their sons, Dusty and Duke, run the restaurant and music events but don’t share profits with the profits they make with their mother or the hotel.

Gordon is shocked the hotel isn’t profitable with its location and all of the fantastic views of nature.

Gordon meets with Duke first, who collects $15 as a gate fee but doesn't share the profits with the hotel.

Gordon takes Duke outside but can’t get anything out of him as he is high, having smoked earlier in the day.

Next, Gordon meets with Dusty in the restaurant. Dusty says he makes about $150,000 a year.

Joanna is shocked to hear this as she didn’t know it was that profitable and also he pays nothing back to the hotel or his mother.

Gordon goes for a walk on a balcony and comes across Dusty and Duke in a heated argument with Joanna trying to separate them.

As news has spread that Gordon is at the hotel it is fully booked and is full.

The restaurant is busy but patrons send back dishes and complain about the food. Gordon notices a dog is sitting by the tables.

In the kitchen, Gordon sees kitchen prep staff putting ketchup on a salad trying to make ‘Thousand Island’ dressing.

The restaurant cooks frozen salmon even though there is fresh salmon in the river close by.

Gordon meets with the restaurant staff and tells them they are playing at running a restaurant because their service and food is awful.

By 10pm, a loud concert is started in the lobby while guests are trying to check in to the hotel.

The paying guests can’t relax with the noise and Joanna gives out rooms for free to compensate for the inconvenience.

Richard joins the party as a dancing mushroom and there are other guests of the party in fancy dress.

After midnight, the concert in the hotel lobby finally wraps up and Gordon goes to bed.

He uses a black light and finds bodily fluids on the pillow, mattress, walls and lampshade.

Bringing out his sleeping bag he tries to sleep but Richard starts his own party in the lounge out the back and the noise resumes.

Gordon immediately calls a family meeting and lays into them about the goings on at the hotel.

Both sons made money that evening with their businesses within the hotel but Joanna lost money because of the noise from the party.

Richard is insistent that the hotel is their home first but Gordon reiterates it’s a hotel and business always has to come first.

Gordon tries to make them see they are making Joanna suffer but Richard jumps in asking them not to talk about money or business.

Joanna dismisses him, telling him to go off and to have a smoke. Everyone goes to bed.

The next morning Gordon takes Joanna to meet guests who have stayed in the lodge.

Their complaints include the concert noises, having to clean their own bathroom, finding dirty underwear in their bed and Richard offering guests marijuana.

Joanna takes Gordon aside and shows him the photo history of the hotel and how they built the hotel from scratch with their own hands.

She tells him how much she is invested and how the reality has fallen short of her dream for the place.

This inspires Gordon to try to get her sons to reconcile as they need to be united to keep the hotel in business.

He meets with all three of them and another altercation starts but Gordon makes them see their mother should be their focus to keep their business alive.

They apologise to their mother for the pain she has endured whilst they have been feuding.

Gordon goes for a swim in the river to reflect on the potential of the hotel and what he needs to do to turn the place around.

He calls the family together for a business meeting and asks Richard to excuse them as he is not interested in that area. He leaves gladly.

Joanna asks the boys to help her out in running the hotel so they can turn it around and make it a success.

They both agree, call a truce and hug each other to much tears from Joanna.

Gordon’s team gives the hotel a makeover but reiterates that they need to run all parts of the hotel as one business.

First in the reveal is the reception and lobby, with the addition of chairs so that guests can sit in there.

There's also a new hotel management system run by Lavuu Hospitality for their guests to check-in online. It’s also synced to the restaurant and their music.

Next is the hotel room which has been redecorated and cleaned extensively. The restaurant is not left out and a new simpler, smaller menu is revealed.

The family sit down to sample the dishes and notice they have never sat down to eat together to eat before.

The final reveal is their outdoor area. There are 4 new luxury tent bedrooms and a BBQ area to compliment the festival set up.

At the relaunch, Dusty is busy with the restaurant, while Duke has his concert event outside. It is far enough away for guests to remain undisturbed in their rooms in the hotel.

What Happened Next at Applegate River Lodge?

Applegate River Lodge is open.

The hotel was sold to new owners in 2022.

The new owners renamed the hotel to The Lindsay Lodge

Joanna sold the hotel after wanting to travel more.

Yelp reviews since filming were mixed, the negative reviews seem to be about the hotel and weddings and the positive reviews about the restaurant.

Trip Advisor reviews also seem to be mixed, with both positive and negative comments about the wedding service, accommodation, service and food.

Applegate River Lodge aired on August 04 2014, the episode was filmed in June 2013 and is Hotel Hell season 2 episode 3.

Read About More Hotel Hells

Next episode - Hotel Chester

Previous episode - Monticello Hotel