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00:00:00 – 00:14:15
Gordon Ramsay takes on the task of revamping the Brick Hotel in Newtown, Pennsylvania, managed by Verandar Kwar and her son CJ, who have been struggling with financial issues and high employee turnover due to Verandar's harsh management style. During his inspection, Ramsay discovers severe hygiene issues, including mold, dust, and potential fire hazards, prompting him to temporarily close the hotel for guest safety. After confronting Verandar, Ramsay urges her to trust her staff and change her management approach, with CJ agreeing to support these changes. Ramsay's team remodels the hotel, modernizing its decor and improving the menu. The hotel sees initial success post-relaunch, but some old habits return, leading to mixed reviews and continued operational challenges. Despite renovations and a management shift, ongoing issues such as poor customer service and facility conditions persist, leaving the hotel's long-term success in question.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, Gordon Ramsay takes on the challenge of revamping the historic Brick Hotel in Newtown, Pennsylvania, managed by Verandar Kwar and her son CJ since 2006. Despite initial assurances that the hotel would be profitable, nearly ten years later, they struggle with financial issues, and Verandar resorts to a dictatorial management style, leading to high employee turnover. Ramsay meets with former employees who criticize Verandar for her harsh behavior and unpaid wages. Upon visiting the hotel, Ramsay notes several issues, including a smashed front door, bullet-like holes in the walls, and old wallpaper, signaling the property’s dire condition.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, Gordon Ramsay uncovers numerous issues at the Brick Hotel. He first finds dust in his room, then sits for a humorous tea with the housekeeper, Talaya. He inspects an extremely moldy and filthy room, revealing that Ramsay’s room is similarly unclean with dust and stained ceilings. At the hotel’s restaurant, he critiques the tasteless French onion soup and bizarre cauliflower steak. Upon discovering canned crab meat from China in a crab sandwich, he cancels the rest of his order.
Gordon then confronts Verandar, the manager, for her poor management and mistreatment of staff, which she denies despite evidence. Ramsay learns from the I.T manager, CJ, that the hotel was seen as an investment but has yielded no profit. CJ, despite being well-liked by employees, is restricted by his mother in management decisions. During dinner service, Ramsay notes Verandar’s inefficiency in multiple roles and finds a pile of grease in the kitchen, which the chefs admitted to neglecting.
00:06:00
In this segment, Gordon Ramsay continues to uncover major hygiene issues at the hotel, including a serious potential fire threat due to grease under the hood. He conducts bacteria tests, revealing extremely high contamination levels in various parts of the hotel, which prompts him to evacuate all guests and staff. Ramsay then informs the guests about the bacterial dangers they were exposed to and expresses his intent to shut down the hotel temporarily.
Ramsay confronts the owner, Verandar, who deflects by blaming her staff and previous negative experiences with employees. Ramsay remains unconvinced and arranges a meeting with the staff, while Verandar initially refuses to attend, complaining she is always seen as the bad guy. Ramsay persuades her to return by stressing the importance of her presence for the renovation to proceed.
The staff criticizes Verandar’s controlling nature and her accusations against them. Ramsay intervenes, urging her to move past her grievances with former employees and trust her current staff. Finally, Ramsay speaks with Verandar’s son, CJ, who acknowledges that her traditional leadership style from India is ineffective with American employees. CJ promises to support his mother in relinquishing some control to allow the staff to operate effectively.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the successful overnight remodeling of a hotel, transforming it into an elegant and modern establishment with a black and white color palette. The improved rooms are cozy and clean, far from their former 19th-century appearance. The hotel also introduced a new menu focusing on local dishes. During the relaunch, guests praised the renovations and the improved health standards. Management changes included CJ taking a larger role to keep his mother, Veranda, from reverting to her old ways.
The segment then updates on the hotel’s status post-show. Despite some old habits returning, the hotel remains open with a lower turnover rate. Veranda and her son continued managing the hotel, incorporating Ramsay’s feedback and taking out a loan for further renovations. Veranda clarified in an interview that many aspects of the show were misrepresented. Despite a temporary listing error suggesting the hotel was for sale, Veranda intended only to find a new operator to help manage it.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, Chichi Ahiya, the CEO of SVN Ajia Commercial Real Estate, confirms that there was no paperwork error and that the owners, Verandar and CJ, were indeed interested in selling or leasing the property. They had an exclusive listing agreement with Ahiya’s firm. Eventually, Verandar and CJ decided to keep the hotel, which is still operational and charges between $170 and $200 per night.
Despite its current appearance, the Brick Hotel has only a three-star rating on TripAdvisor and 2.4 stars on Yelp. Reviews from 2016 criticized the hotel’s conditions, such as mold, poor wallpaper, and low water pressure. Recent reviewers also complained about being assigned the wrong rooms and ongoing plumbing issues. Yelp reviews highlight poor customer service and allegations of racist behavior by Verandar. Verandar is active on Instagram but does not post about the hotel. Although the hotel continues to operate, the video questions whether this can be considered a success given the persisting negative reviews.