In this Resort Rescue episode, Shane Green visits the Monte Villa Inn in Monte Vista, Colorado.
Monte Villa is owned by John Nelson.
He is a first time owner who bought the historic hotel and spent his life savings to revive it to its former glory.
He has a burnt out staff that is more focused on themselves than the guests.
The Monte Villa Inn’s return has been rocky.
With Shanes expertise they just might have a fighting chance.
Shane says he is very excited to go meet and his team at the Monte Villa Inn.
It is a historic hotel that was built around the 1930s.
It was closed around five years ago but John has invested a lot of money into the property.
He reopened it about two years ago but things just aren’t going right.
Shane says that there is one thing you must understand.
Buying a resort and running a resort are completely different things.
John started work as an accountant so he learned the hotel business from the top down.
This is the first time he has tried to run a hotel himself.
Nestled at the base of Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, the hotel was built in the quaint town of Monte Vista.
It is a popular tourist destination due to its serene landscapes, natural wildlife, cultural heritage, and historic buildings.
The Monte Villa Inn was built in 1932.
The hotel is located in the center of the town and it is the community center.
The Monte Villa Inn was closed for three years due to a bank foreclosure.
John came in and looked it over.
He has invested almost $700,000 into it now.
They’re still in the process of restoring it.
Online reviews indicate that the 25 person staff is not ready for guests at all.
The hotels occupancy rate has dwindled to below 30%.
John says that the biggest problems he has with the hotel is staffing.
John lives onsite and has not been able to leave.
If he left, his staff wouldn’t act properly.
With the busy season coming, the Monte Villa Inn needs to get above 70% occupancy or the hotel will fail.
John says it’s important to him personally and to the life of Monte Vista.
Shane meets with John.
Now that Shane has taken control of the inn, he and his crew waste no time.
Shane tells John that the only reputation the hotel has right now is bad service.
The front desk staff are on their phones.
The bartender is smoking pot on the clock.
The fact that John’s staff think it’s okay to get stoned and work is a problem.
These are the first problems he has found with the staff.
The front desk exposed the second issue.
Poor first impressions that the guests receive.
For Elizabeth, she didn’t take the training process seriously.
She was more focused on her cell phone.
As a result, she failed at checking someone in and creating a positive first impression.
This can single-handedly derail the whole customer experience.
It’s clear why the online reviews are bad.
The view is not a selling point for the hotel.
This hotel has housekeeping issues.
The housekeeper is watching TV.
The staff have no respect for John or the place that they work.
John says this is pathetic to see.
The reason why they’re not getting more hotel guests back here is because the staff is focused on everything but the guests.
A clean guest room is absolutely essential for a great customer experience.
TJ handles situations well.
John says that TJ does an excellent job.
There are no family friendly spaces at the inn.
John has to understand he must cater to families for them to be successful.
Once John develops the reputation as a family-friendly hotel, he’s going to see a huge jump in reservations.
Ben is stealing liquor.
John says he is so disappointed in Ben.
Shane says he has seen enough.
Shane and John gather the staff for a meeting.
Shane tells Tina to stay focused on what she’s doing.
He tells Ben that if he was running this hotel then Ben wouldn’t be there.
John takes notice and fires Ben on the spot.
Shane tells the staff that you must take care of yourself to take care of this hotel.
John is committed to making this work.
The fact that John brought Shane and his team here is a great indication of that.
If this resort and this hotel’s not successful this summer, the hotel will likely close.
The staff say that they are ready to get to work.
The next day, Shane wants to keep John on track with fresh ideas for the hotel.
There is a huge empty space so Shane tells John his ideas for it.
What Happened Next at Commodore Hotel?
30 days later, Shane returns to the hotel.
Shane meets with John.
John has completely transformed his banquet space into a lounge.
It is an oasis for families and more importantly, the children.
John replaced the sheets and pillows to match the new mattresses.
The staff have some accountability for the cleanliness of rooms.
The newer reviews are much more positive.
TJ has been promoted to food and beverage manager.
Under his leadership, John and the team have already seen a jump of 17% in sales.
Monte Villa Inn is open.
It has been renamed and is now called the Monte Villa Hotel
Reviews are mostly positive since the episode was filmed.
There are some complaints about rooms and service.
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Previous episode - Commodore Hotel
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