Hotel Hell (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Hotel Hell is an American reality television series created, hosted and narrated by Gordon Ramsay that premiered on the Fox network on August 13, 2012. It is Ramsay's fourth series for the Fox network and airs on Monday nights at 8 pm ET/PT. The series' first season, which consisted of six episodes, ended on September 3, 2012. On August 31, 2012, Fox renewed Hotel Hell for a second season.
The series features Ramsay visiting various struggling lodging establishments throughout the United States in an attempt to reverse their misfortunes, following a similar concept established in Ramsay's other programs, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and its American counterpart, Kitchen Nightmares.
Scheduling
Originally scheduled to premiere on Fox at 8 pm ET/PT on Friday, April 6, 2012, the series was first rescheduled to Monday, June 4, 2012 at 8 pm ET/PT, in order to accommodate the move of The Finder to Fridays, then rescheduled to August 13, due to Ramsay's other two series, Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef, being scheduled for Monday nights during the summer.
Episodes
No.
Title
City
Original air date
Production code
U.S. viewers (millions)
ProdCode = HOT-104
Viewers = 5.12
ShortSummary = Ramsay visits the town's historical hotel that the locals feel that they were out of place there, due to an atmosphere that they perceived as upper crust. Robert, the hotel's owner, gives Ramsay a stunning room, but it smells of "raw sewage", owing to plumbing problems that was never fixed. Juniper Hill's restaurant not only overcharges for food at rates more befitting for a gourmet restaurant, it also is not well cooked. The staff then tell their own stories of not being paid for their work, and when they did get paid, they were only paid a fraction of the money owed. Ramsay then discovers that Robert and his boyfriend and co-owner, Ari, bring their friends to the hotel where they stay, eat and drink for free without leaving a tip, and when they did leave a tip, Robert would take it for himself. An employee then shows Ramsay Robert's four storage units, the basement and the office - all filled with antiques and collectibles. The visit came to a head when Ramsay approaches Robert in his $100,000 motor coach to explain his findings, mandating that he calls a friend to explain the situation of the tips, only to be told that she left money with Robert. At that point, Ramsay leaves in anger in his own SUV, ending the episode in a To Be Continued cliffhanger.
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ProdCode = HOT-105
Viewers = 5.09
ShortSummary = Ramsay, originally thinking that Juniper Hill was a lost cause, returns with an appraiser to determine the value of Robert's antique collection, only to find that most of the original paintings turned out to be reproductions and the antiques were not at all valuable. Robert, realizing his errors, apologizes to the staff. Ramsay further compounds the situation when he brings in former guests of this hotel to rate their experience, angering Ari. This led to the hotel's refurbishment and relaunch, with Ramsay's invitation to the locals to come by. The only change to the rooms was to repair the plumbing problem.
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ProdCode = HOT-101
Viewers = 5.17
ShortSummary = Ramsay tries to save the hotel known for creating the Pie a la Mode in the 1890s. Despite Ramsay's efforts, the hotel closed prior to the episode's air date due to a decision of the lender bank.
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ProdCode = HOT-102
Viewers = 5.90
ShortSummary = Ramsay visits a hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego where rooms go for $800 per night. The owner is a former Ferrari dealer and he has decorated the hotel to his personal tastes, which lean more to form over function. The chef at the hotel restaurant has a hard time saying "no" to the owner's menu suggestions, such as chocolate-bacon-strawberry pizza. Room service orders are delivered in cardboard boxes and plastic containers, which do not befit a luxury hotel. Ramsay redecorates the rooms and redesigns the menu, and convinces the owner to allow his staff to tell him "no" when needed.
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ProdCode = HOT-103
Viewers = 4.51
ShortSummary = Ramsay finds that the owner micromanages his staff, and the hotel looks dated and dirty. He brings in the VP of Operations of Caesars Palace Las Vegas to educate the staff on how to make customers feel welcome. Ramsay decides that the hotel could benefit from a woman's touch, and encourages the owner (who is single and rarely leaves the hotel) to get out and mingle. Ramsay acts as his "wingman" and arranges for him to meet a lady and gets her phone number.
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ProdCode = HOT-106
Viewers = 4.30
ShortSummary = Ramsay visits a husband and wife operated inn located at the former Roosevelt Elementary school. The wife was a reluctant partner of an impulse real estate investment by her husband, who had been a former student of the school. The hotel was plagued with unwashed linens, outdated decor, and a small kitchen. The owner hosted in a monthly gathering for a barely profitable murder mystery, which he played the role of Sherlock Holmes. Ramsay's team makeover included: updating the interior decor, devising a home cooked menu that could be made from the small kitchen, and revamping their wedding business. This season finale also featured a wedding that same night of the reveal.