In this Hotel Impossible episode, Anthony Melchiorri visits The Ocean Manor Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The Ocean Manor Resort is owned by Frank Talerico.
Fort Lauderdale is a popular vacation destination for families and spring break.
It has spectacular beaches and attracts over ten million visitors a year.
With all those visitors, Fort Lauderdale’s filled to the brim with hotels.
Frank bought the hotel back in 2004 when it was going into bankruptcy.
Frank says he bought it to flip the property but there is a lot of obstacles to overcome.
When Frank first purchased it, it was in shambles.
The hotel has over 100 rooms, a popular sushi restaurant called Tokyo Blue, a tiki bar, and a large pool area right off the beach.
Despite this, the hotel is losing money and it’s only a matter of time before it closes its doors for good.
Frank called Anthony and asked for his help because he wants to return the Ocean Manor to its former glory.
The valet Juan doesn’t pay attention.
Anthony gives the keys to his car to the valet.
Juan forgot to shave and is supposed to be clean shaven.
Anthony walks into the lobby of the hotel and checks in.
The front desk agent hands Anthony a regular house key.
Hotels usually have electronic keys now.
There are a lot of maintenance issues around the hotel.
The ceiling lights have multiple bulbs out and the lobby is dirty.
Anthony meets Frank.
They go out to the tiki bar to talk.
The hotel has an amazing view of the beach.
It is the closest hotel to the beach.
Anthony tells Frank some of the things he’s noticed so far.
Frank doesn’t think happy guests write reviews.
Anthony tells him that he’s wrong.
Frank says he is the general manager but he also says that they have another general manager Mike.
Anthony goes to check out one of the unrenovated rooms.
The wall has cracks all over it.
There is a ton of dust and the mattress has stains all over it.
The fridge is filthy with mold on it and there is mold in the shower.
The ceiling has had a leak.
A housekeeper walks in to begin cleaning.
She is on the phone while she works.
She used her saliva to help fold a towel and sets it down on the counter.
Anthony speaks with some of the guests to get their perspective on the hotel.
The guests say that the hotel is ghetto.
He says they bought cleaning products to clean his rooms.
Anthony speaks with the head of housekeeping, Wendy, to find out what’s wrong with her department.
Wendy agrees that the housekeepers don’t clean properly.
However, she blames it on the quality of the room.
Wendy says she doesn’t know if she checked this room.
Anthony tells her that she’s the problem.
Anthony says that the problem with the filth stops today.
Frank has started renovating the rooms months ago and he’s doing a good job.
But it’s going to take years and it’s costing him $15,000 per room.
Anthony brings in designer Blanche Garcia to help find a cheaper, faster way to get these rooms up to his standards.
They check out one of the rooms Frank has already renovated.
Anthony meets with the staff.
They all think that Frank is the reason why the hotel is failing.
Mike has to take command of the staff as general manager.
Anthony meets with Frank.
He tells him more of what he’s discovered.
Anthony tells him that he needs to figure out what he’s responsible for and what Mike’s job is.
Anthony meets with Blanche to see what progress she’s made with the renovations.
Anthony wants Blanche and her team to renovate three rooms instead of one.
Anthony thinks that if they give him the chance to see that it won’t take as long to renovate the rooms, then he can save the hotel.
Anthony meets with Benji, the head of maintenance.
Benji says he goes crazy sometimes because everyone calls him for anything.
Benji doesn’t know who he reports to.
Anthony finds a customer at the front desk who is having issues.
Anthony brings in Mike.
The front desk doesn’t have it documented about why people are wanting to change rooms.
Anthony asks Mike to go with him in his office.
He asks what is going on.
Mike says that Frank doesn’t want to spend the money to have a reservation handler that most hotels have.
Anthony says that Mike needs to step up to Frank and take charge.
Anthony says that simple things run great hotels.
If they have systems in place, it will be a lot easier.
Anthony is going to stake out the valet operation and see what is going on.
The valet ignores the customers as they arrive.
Anthony talks to Roger, one of the valets.
Roger has a coffee cup at the valet desk.
Anthony thinks that you shouldn’t have it where the guests can see.
Roger gets an attitude with his comments.
Roger says that some people do complain about him.
He says that some people are impossible to please.
Anthony tells all of this to Samantha, the valet manager.
He reads off the valet reviews to her.
Anthony tells her he would fire Roger if he worked for him.
He shows the valet workers the proper way to handle the customers.
A smile and a great attitude is all you need for great customer service.
Blanche says that changing the remodel from one room to three is a huge change to give her in the middle of everything.
Mike meets with the heads of the departments to discuss him taking more control.
Mike is confident and taking charge.
Anthony says he is impressed.
Blanche is still scrambling to finish the rooms and they are almost out of time.
Anthony shows Mike and Frank their newly renovated rooms.
Frank says that it looks clean and terrific.
The renovated rooms will help save Frank a lot of money.
Anthony tells them that their hotel has sold out for tonight.
The valet is greeting the guests properly.
The guests say that the hotel feels comfortable and plush.
Mike says they are going to step up and make Frank proud.
None of the guests request to change their room.
Anthony sits with Frank to have a drink at the Tokyo Blue.
What Happened Next at The Ocean Manor Resort?
Since Anthony’s visit, Ocean Manor’s average room rate has increased from $88 to $204.
They are continuing with cost-effective room renovation.
They have finished several more rooms.
Mike is still wearing a suit every day.
The Ocean Manor Resort is open.
The hotel has been slightly renamed to Ocean Manor Beach Resort.
Reviews are the show are mostly positive with customers loving the beach location but there are complaints about sleep quality.
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