In this Hotel Hell episode, Gordon Ramsay visits The Brick Hotel in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Brick Hotel is a historic hotel owned by therapist Verindar Kaur and her son, CJ.
According to CJ, the hotel was bought in 2006 because they believed it was an investment opportunity.
They were told that it was a hands-off business that would run itself.
In order to make a profit they cut corners and there is a high turnover of staff.
Over 50 members of staff have worked there in 8 months with some only lasting one shift.
The staff say Verindar works the hotel like a dictator as everything has to go her way.
She makes sure she has her hand in everything going on in the hotel.
Verindar believes that the hotel could be better with two clones of herself while the staff fear that the inn has become a laughing stock.
The reputation around the town is that Verindar is a crazy lady and people stay away because of this.
Before Gordon goes to the hotel, he meets a large group of the hotel’s former employees.
They believe the true number of staff turnover is in the 100s.
One staff member saw over 50 managers during her time working at the hotel!
They tell Gordon that the problem of the hotel is Verindar herself.
She is mean and there is so much neglect between not only towards the staff and managers but to the customers as well.
The staff were never paid on time and never in full.
When they chased payment of their wages, she called the cops on them.
They also state that people loved the hotel, the locals always came.
It was a booming business until the quality suddenly went downhill.
Gordon arrives at the hotel and notices that the windows on the door are smashed, the wall paper is peeling off and there are bullet holes in the wall.
Verindar states she had no experience running a hotel prior to purchasing the hotel.
He goes to check into his room and discovers that the clock is caked in years of dust.
The housekeeper arrives and tells him that there is no programme of cleaning.
They sit and talk on a bizarre miniature table and chairs that are on the stairs.
They discuss the cleaning of the hotel and she takes him upstairs to another room.
In the room they find moldy shower curtains, carpets, yellow pillow cases, grey and yellow curtains and rubbish in the chest of drawers.
Gordon goes to his room, room 201 and finds dust on everything.
There is an outdated and dusty television and a stain on the ceiling.
Gordon goes down to the restaurant where he meets Tammy, the events coordinator.
She tells Gordon that they are doing 350 events a year and this is keeping the business afloat.
Tammy states that the reason for the decline of the hotel is that Verindar keeps firing staff and they can’t retain staff long enough to train them.
Gordon orders the French onion soup, a cauliflower steak, a crab sandwich and a burger.
The French onion soup is tasteless, the cauliflower steak is a mess and the crab sandwich has canned crab meat.
Gordon cancels the burger as he says he has only bought a few pairs of underpants with him.
Gordon goes to the kitchen to meet the chefs and is shocked to see that there is no head chef.
Verindar blames the staff saying they aren't good enough.
She denies calling the police on fired members of staff but a current member says she has seen Verindar call the police multiple times.
Gordon meets CJ, who is there less than once a month as he works as an IT manager.
When they first bought the hotel they were told it was a hands off business but they are not making any money.
Verindar is in the kitchen, shouting at the staff and confusing the servers by giving them the wrong food.
They tell Gordon they clean the line only and Gordon finds a pot of thick, black grease above the hood, which is a fire risk.
Gordon gets out his bacteria testing kit and tests the vents.
The kit gives a reading of 573 and he decides to take further readings throughout the hotel.
A stained chair gives a reading of 446 and the shower curtain gives a rating of 5680.
CJ states that he has never stayed at the hotel since they purchased the hotel.
Gordon goes into a room where guests are staying and he shows them mould in the carpet and in the shower.
Gordon sets off the fire alarm, evacuates the hotel guests and their belongings and shuts the hotel.
Gordon meets the staff, she blames all staff for the actions of a few bad staff she had an issue with previously.
They reveal that she never leaves them to take responsibility for their jobs.
Verindar accuses the staff of stealing, drinking on the job and sneaking shots from the bar.
Gordon steps in to say she must stop blaming them for the actions of past members of staff.
Gordon meets CJ to make progress with Verindar and he admits she has struggled to adapt culturally.
She also wants to step back and spend time with her family.
Gordon asks CJ to reinforce the changes he needs to make.
The hotel is renovated overnight, with the lobby and the rooms getting a makeover.
The menu is also given a makeover that will suit both casual dining and the large functions they hold.
For relaunch, locals are invited for a dinner service but also to tour the newly renovated hotel rooms.
They love the new food and the kitchen is running slicker.
With his presence, CJ is able to prevent his mother returning to her old habits.
What Happened Next at Brick Hotel?
After leaving the hotel, Gordon reports that the reputation was on the mend.
CJ is more present which has allowed Verindar to step back allowing the staff to do their jobs and employee turn over is at an all time low.
Over the following months the manager has responded to online criticism by saying that a large renovation was planned for the upcoming months and denied rumours that the hotel was for sale.
Yelp reviews and Trip Advisor Reviews for the restaurant are mostly negative and some receipts posted on Yelp appear to show some higher than expected prices.
As of 2018, the restaurant has new owners and has been renovated and renamed as Rocco's at the Brick, Trip Advisor reviews are mixed.
Planning a visit to the hotel? Check out their website
Brick Hotel aired on June 28 2016, the episode was filmed in November 2015 and is Hotel Hell season 3 episode 6.
Read About More Hotel Hells
Next episode - Beachfront Inn & Inlet
Previous episode - Lakeview Hotel
I'm glad that there is some form of hope thanks to CJ. The bacteria rating was off the charts! 5680 off a shower curtain? Jesus...
ReplyDeleteI did find it odd that every single thing is blamed on Verindar - that housekeeper clearly doesn't do her job at all and yet that's someone else's fault? The housekeeper wasn't cleaning! Yes, the owner should make regular checks but at the same time Ramsey (and the staff) said she should back off and trust them to do their work... so which is it? It became pretty apparent that the narrative of the episode was "everything was the owner's fault" when Ramsey was inspecting the rooms and showing the filth to the housekeeper, who's reaction was "oh my god, wow" like... it's YOU who is hired to clean this! Yet Ramsey was like "does the owner ever come in here?" lol weird stuff, I guess they had a single story to tell about the monster owner.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree about the housekeeper. However there was no mention of how many cleaning staff are on the premises. It's ridiculous to put the blame for dust and grime on one cleaner. The sole blame is bad management. That's down to the owner. The kitchen was disgusting and that's down to not having a kitchen porter or a chef in charge. That again is down to management. The chefs clean their stations, the porter cleans the floors. It's not rocket science. The owner should be grateful for the staff she has as no doubt many took jobs knowing she had a bad reputation. Let's hope she's grabbing the second chance afforded by the programme.
Deletei would like to see you, and i mean only you be the only staff to clean the hotel constantly. no help, just yourself. good luck
DeleteI agree it is management who is to blame, there is no way one person can clean all those rooms daily to standard. Furthermore I am sure that the hotel was amazingly dirty when she was hired. With the high turn over rate the housekeeper was mostly there for a few weeks or perhaps a couple of months. The dirt is years old.
Delete