What happens when a celebrity chef enters the hotel industry? A lot more chaos than you would expect; this isn't just any celebrity chef, though.
This is the same celebrity chef known worldwide for making instant stars out of unknown talent and throwing those unworthy of cooking in his kitchen to the curb.
Gordon Ramsay takes to Fox next week for the premier of his newest reality series, "Hotel Hell." The concept is similar to the already-in-progress "Kitchen Nightmares", only this time, Ramsay is entering poorly-managed hotels and - in not so many words - forcing the owners to make improvements.
The premiere episode follows Ramsay to the Juniper Hill Inn in Windsor, Vt. - a 58-room inn that lacks leadership in its management and customer service essentials from its staff. To add a spark to already heightened flame, the inn owners are deep in debt, apparently because they give free nights and meals to friends, and staff members suffer from low wages and late paychecks. because they invite friends to meals and overnights without charging them; consequently, staff members' wages are low and their paychecks often late.
Ramsay's biggest complaints on the premier show: poor employee management and downright laziness. Anyone who's ever watched one of Ramsay's shows knows he doesn't likely to either. Anyone who's ever owned, managed or worked in a reputable and successful hotels knows neither are tolerable.
What happens throughout the show's season is anyone's guess. Bottom line: while Ramsay's complaints in some cases seems a little over-dramatized (ex: the bed and breakfast doesn't serve lunch, which isn't really unusual for a B&B but in Ramsay's world, it's a no-brainer value-add), the show does prove that running hotel isn't for everyone.
Melanie Nayer is a hotel reviewer and expert on luxury travel around the world. She has covered all aspects of hotels including corporate restructures, re-branding initiatives, historical aspects and the best of the best in luxury hotels around the world.
Melanie writes a weekly exclusive column for 4Hoteliers.com