I’ve enjoyed my Monday and Tuesday night summer TV with Hell’s Kitchen and Master Chef (and Chopped!) but now Fox has added another Gordon Ramsay show to the mix, Hotel Hell. 
Originally, I planned to skip it. Watching wannabe chefs mess up in the kitchen is one thing, but to see hotels with problems like bug infestations and laundry issues really creeps me out. Could I watch and ever stay in a hotel again?
But they tricked me into it. The Olympics ended, and I thought I was getting my regular back to back Hell’s Kitchen/Master Chef doses and instead, I found Hotel Hell. Gordon Ramsay amuses me. I admit it. I probably wouldn’t like him very much in life, but I like to watch him. So I gave it a shot.
And I was pleasantly surprised. The problem with the first hotel featured, Juniper Hill Inn in Vermont, wasn’t bugs or rodents or uncleanliness. It was the owners being downright unpleasant, hoarding antiques and paintings, and not paying the staff. Aha! Bonus, the first hotel owner was clueless to his own arrogance and probably a bigger jerk than Ramsay himself. I was fascinated. And it was a two-part episode! They left me hanging for the conclusion in the next episode, so I had to watch again. Now I’m hooked.
I love hotels. I love travel and staying nights in new places. Not sure I would love staying at any of Gordon Ramsay’s Hotel Hell places, though. The worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at was in St. Augustine, Florida. It was shoddy, but fine until bedtime. In the middle of the night, someone had to go to the bathroom and turned on the lights and ack! The walls were covered with roaches the size of my fist. Lots of them. I was twelve, it made an impression. We spent the rest of the night with the lights on, cowering in bed. We left before dawn.
My favorite hotel, not surprisingly, is in Walt Disney World. Is it the best hotel ever? Probably not. But it feels like home to me, ever since I honeymooned there twenty-two years ago this week. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. When I go, I never want to leave. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a castle next door. 
Do you watch Hotel Hell? Gordon Ramsay, love him or hate him? What’s your favorite hotel? Your own Hotel Hell experience?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
We’re Hell’s Kitchen watchers. That’s mostly Big Bunny’s fault. I was glad to see Clemenza go and Barbie stay last night, though. Lots of those guys have really had it in for Barbie all season and I just don’t get it, though she genuinely was screwing up last night. So now we’ve gotten hooked on Hotel Hell as well. And the guy last week wasn’t simply a jerk, he was a Pompous Jerk. He gave arrogant divas a bad name.
Our worst hotel moments have been in Seattle. One (3-star) place had junk stored in the hallway. When we got to the room, it smelled bad, had a horrible old TV and cigarette burns in the rug. Another place we stayed in (again, 3-star) had an OK room, but when we got back from dinner, our room had been robbed. Luckily (and inexplicably) Dev had left his instruments in the car. We checked out immediately (at about 9PM) and made it about 200 miles before finally stopping off for the night.
Yeah, Barbie has no friends there but she hasn’t been that bad until she started screwing up last night. And then Dana is suddenly so whiny! Whine whine whine. I like her, but wow.
Last night’s hotel guy was bad. Did you see the end note about the fate of the hotel? Aha, not surprised. I wonder how many of those places go right back to bad habits once Ramsay is gone. Your Seattle stays sound dreadful. One expects much better than that for three stars!
ps St Augustine is lovely. Many of the Bed and Breakfasts are centuries old houses. And the Columbia Restaurant is awesome. I hate to say this but Florida is one giant bug bowl. Even Disney will get them. We had rabbits eating by our door every night. I remember seeing a HUGE spider in Tom Sawyers Cave once.
At 12, I was not impressed. It was a Sunday and everything we tried to see was closed. Bad planning. And then, the bugs! the bugs! I’ve been back to FL many many times and have never seen the like of them again.
Another wonderful memory at the Grand Floridian was having drinks there with Julie Kenner and Dee Davis during our monorail pub crawl. Such a fun night!
ab fab!
i’ve never watched a Gordon Ramsey show, his yelling has always turned me off. But now that I’m on a new home/cooking show kick (Latest is the Great Food Truck Race and Love it or List it) maybe it’s time to give it a try?
I didn’t watch the early seasons of Hell’s Kitchen for the same reason. But then we started watching. Most of the times that Ramsay is set off, I’m thinking I would be about to yell too– though not like he does. He has a temper and a potty mouth, but the people he really lets go on are giving it back or starting it, usually. I think people sign on for those shows knowing the nature of Ramsay. And it really plays such a small part in the shows. It’s mostly about the cooking or the hotel.
If you don’t like Ramsay’s yelling, try Master Chef. He doesn’t spout off on Master Chef and there are two other expert chefs on board. Plus, it’s more like Chopped, which I know you enjoy.
I’ve never Hell’s Kitchen and never even heard of Hotel Hell, LOL! Worst hotel I ever stayed in was when I was a kid and we’d driven to Key West. The “pool” was a cemented portion of the bay (or whatever the heck water it was) and it was just icky. I remember sitting on my towel in the “sand” (which was more like sharp, crushed shells) and having a ton of sand fleas jump on me. YUCK!
On the other hand, I’ve stayed in some really nice hotels. Latest one was the Rome Cavalieri Hilton, which is a Waldorf Astoria property. So gorgeous, so luxurious, so elegant. If you go to Italy, I totally recommend it.
Ew, sand fleas. The Italian hotel sounds lovely, though.
In the Keys, we had many ‘natural’ water pools. You would swim in them with fish and seagrass. It is ok until someone throws a barricuda or shark in the water. Keeps the chlorine out of the ocean when you have a storm surge which are very common. Then sometimes they used them to throw a turtle in or other creature in need of rescue until the animal rescue team got there.
Well gee thanks Sherri for giving me something new to watch! Hubby and I are both addicted to Hell’s Kitchen.
We hate to love him. Or is it we love to hate him?!!?
Best hotels have to be on Disney property. We loved the All Star resorts.
When I was a kid we used to love The Pink Motel in Cherokee NC. In the mtns with the creek running right at your back door. It was 1950′s kitsch at its best.
BTW….I will let all of you know how wonderful it is to be the Queen of a castle seeing how we WON!!!!!!!!!!!!! Monday we will be dressed in costume to watch the Knights Tourney. Pictures to follow!
Hotel Hell? I have none BUT I did have a HORRIBLE night in shelter during one of the many hurricanes Florida has. We were stuck in a school, and kids were crying, people talked, snoring was extreme and the wind was amazing. I did not sleep the two nights we were stuck there. It was horrible.
Being in a storm shelter would be scary, Ti. But OMG, you won! How cool! Congratulations! I can’t wait to see pictures, Your Highness.
Yes. Yes. -royal wave of hand- Hard to believe I have a teeeeeeeny bit of good luck fall this way…..maybe just maybe this is the light at the end of the tunnel where things start looking upwards!!! One can hope!
Yes!
So exciting that you won!! I want to be a Queen’s Lady in Waiting!