Curtis House Inn - Hotel Hell Update - Open or Closed?

In this Hotel Hell episode, Gordon Ramsay visits The Curtis House Inn in Woodbury, Connecticut.

Curtis House Inn is the oldest Inn in the state as it was built in 1736.

It has been run by the Hardisty family for almost 60 years and is currently run by Chris Hardisty and his sister TJ Brenan, the 4th generation who have run the hotel.

The downturn of the inn has created tension between the siblings, and this is affecting both the running of the Inn and the relationship between the family.

Gordon is excited to see the Inn especially on Mother’s Day and he calls his mom from the car just before arriving.

Gordon arrives at the inn and loves the outside but he hates the sign for the inn.

Inside, Gordon meets Shirley at the reception and learns there is only one guest booked for the night - him.

He has arrived 4 hours early for a 3pm check-in time and is told that there is a surcharge of $10 per hour.

Gordon is astounded and gets under a blanket on a couch in the reception for a nap but Shirley doesn’t react to the joke well and tells him off.

Gordon then goes back to the front desk and sees his credit card information written in a physical book that anyone could see.

Shirley confirms they do that but can erase it if guests wish. Gordon proves a point by grabbing the book and running out the front door with the confidential information.

Shirley threatens to call the police and Gordon tells her that by the time the police arrive he would have used every guest’s credit card details.

Shirley tells Gordon he is booked into room 16 and it has another permanent guest, Betty, a ghost.

Gordon is taken to his room and he finds it in a disgusting state.

There is a footprint shaped stain on the pillowcase, dust, dead insects and the canopy of the poster bed collapses in his hand.

He finds out Shirley has worked with the Inn for 48 years, she’s a second cousin of Chris and TJ and she tells him it was a lot busier before the current owners took over.

The room locks jam briefly and he is briefly trapped in the room but Gordon eventually leaves to have lunch in the busy restaurant booked for Mother’s Day.

Gordon meets TJ and her mother, Trudy, at the restaurant; he is seated and served by Karen, the owners’ niece.

She says Chris and TJ’s relationship has broken down since their father’s death.

Gordon orders crab cakes and has Karen taste it with him and it's horrible.

Next, he has fried Calamari that’s limp and Karen admits it is also awful.

Last is a burger that was supposed to be medium rare but is raw and a mess on the plate.

Gordon gets some feedback from other patrons - which is negative- then goes to the kitchen to observe the kitchen at work.

He stands there for almost 10 mins and no one talks to him. He notices Chris and TJ do not speak or look at each other while working.

He also notices Chris wipe a spill on a plated meal with a dirty dish rag.

Gordon calls him out on it and goes around the kitchen to see frozen ingredients that Chris reheats, he is told only salads and French fries are made fresh in the kitchen.

Gordon tells him he cooks like he hates the Inn. He refuses to respond, and Gordon walks out.

Gordon goes to bed and reads a book on the ghost that haunts his room.

The next morning, he calls a staff meeting as he wants to find out why the Inn is failing.

The staff say the biggest problem for the Inn is management, they feel unappreciated and the standards in the kitchen are non-existent.

Gordon tells them he is not impressed either and the lack of communication is pulling down the Inn.

He has them go to their office to talk to each other. Opal, a server says that the Inn is toxic and she needs to quit.

She says this to Gordon and then both Chris and TJ and this causes an altercation between the two owners.

Gordon tries one more time to get through to the owners and takes them to meet with previous guests.

The complaints include dirty sheets, chairs with skid marks, dirty windows, dusty rooms and broken shower curtains.

Gordon tells them that their credit card details are potentially compromised with the book on the reception at the Inn.

Gordon once again is stopped by a jammed door when letting the guests out of the room.

He tells both Chris and TJ that they should either get along or sell the Inn and Gordon goes to visit their mother Trudy.

Trudy tells him the Inn means a lot to the family as it has been a family business and it would be heartbreaking to see it change hands.

She promises to help Gordon get the siblings to talk. An intervention is set up where staff and family tell them how their lack of communication is affecting them.

They can see that TJ is overworked and stressed out. Both TJ and Chris break down, want to turn things around and share a hug.

Gordon’s team work all night to reveal a new Inn the next morning.

The lobby is decluttered with an addition of a collage of family silhouettes and they have been given an automated online system to secure guest details.

Room 16 is redone with a pillow for Betty the ghost, an illusion portrait and most importantly, the locks are fixed!

The restaurant is given a new menu that reflects the family history and they all sit down to enjoy the meal.

For the relaunch, the guests love the rooms and the new menu. Chris is taking charge and working well with TJ.

A paranormal expert, Donna, comes to assess the Inn and the Inn gets an official plaque joining the haunted Connecticut tour.

Gordon says goodbye to the family before checking out of the hotel and leaving.

What Happened Next at Curtis House Inn?

Bookings were up and people want to visit to see the Inns spiritual visitors.

Curtis House Inn closed in April 2019 after being sold to new owners in September 2018 and closed for renovation.

The Inn reopened as Evergreen Inn and Tavern in June 2019.

It was sold again and in June 2020 reopened as 1754 House.

After the episode was filmed, reviews for the Inn were mostly positive.

Yelp reviews for Curtis House Inn were mostly good however some regulars appear to dislike the changes in the restaurant.

Trip Advisor reviews for the restaurant also appear to be positive.

Curtis House Inn aired on September 01 2014, the episode was filmed in May 2013 and is Hotel Hell season 2 episode 7.

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