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

Hotel Hell Curtis House Inn

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.

The hotel is currently run by Chris Hardisty and his sister TJ Brenan.

They are the 4th generation who have run the hotel.

The downturn of the inn has created tension between the sibling.

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.

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.

He learns there is only one guest booked for the night - him.

Gordon has arrived 4 hours early for a 3pm check-in time.

He 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.

Shirley doesn’t react to the joke well and tells him off.

Gordon goes back to the front desk.

He sees his credit card information written in a 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.

He runs out the front door with the confidential information.

Shirley threatens to call the police.

Gordon tells her that by the time the police arrive he could have used every guest’s credit card details.

Shirley tells Gordon he is booked into room 16.

The room 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.

There is dust and 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 is a second cousin of Chris and TJ.

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.

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 and it is negative.

He goes to the kitchen to observe the kitchen at work.

Gordon 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 that only the 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.

He thinks that 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.

This causes an altercation between the two owners.

Gordon tries one more time to get through to the owners.

He takes them to meet with previous guests.

The complaints include dirty sheets and chairs with skid marks.

They complain of dirty windows, dusty rooms and broken shower curtains.

Gordon tells them that their credit card details are potentially compromised.

He tells them about the book on the reception desk 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.

Gordon goes to visit their mother Trudy.

Trudy tells him the Inn means a lot to the family.

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.

They have been given an automated online system to secure guest details.

Room 16 is redone with a pillow for Betty the ghost.

There is an illusion portrait and most importantly, the locks are fixed!

The restaurant is given a new menu that reflects the family history.

They all sit down to enjoy a meal from the new menu.

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.

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.

It closed after being sold to new owners in September 2018.

After the purchase it 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.

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.


Read About More Hotel Hells

Next episode - Murphys Hotel

Previous episode - Four Seasons Inn

4 comments:

  1. My 6th great-grandfather build the Curtis House, and I have visited several times. Loved the place and looked past the run down condition - it was "quaint". The Ramsey episode was disturbing, but I gather all benefited from improvements - which I also gather were at no cost to Hardisty family.

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  2. You should send pest control not Gordon considering they are cockroach infested!! Stayed here with my wife with high expectations and instead at 4 am we woke to cockroaches scurrying around our room we got out fast and slept in my car.... contacted owner and apparently he doesn’t care about his guests... which is too bad if they got rid of him and got real owners this Inn could be a 5 star place to stay but right now there’s no way I’d sleep with those bugs crawling on me I don’t know about anyone else but makes my skin crawl!

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  3. Cockroaches only come out to play at 4 am then ??? Just thought that funny.......theym having a party in the rooms...:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You don't know cockroaches are mainly nocturnal? Really?

      Delete

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