The Brick Hotel
File photo
Newtown’s Brick Hotel was the feature of a scathing episode of Hotel Hell Tuesday night.
The show that is hosted by famed international chef Gordon Ramsey featured the historic hotel and restaurant on Washington Avenue during the episode that aired on Fox 29.
In an hour long episode, Ramsey, who checked into the hotel back in November for filming, verbally scathed hotel owner Verindar Kaur, who owns the business in partnership with her son CJ, for her over management of the business, her poor treatment of her employees, and the lack of care she demonstrated for the hotel and restaurant’s quality and cleanliness.
The mother-son team, who bought the hotel back in 2006, told Ramsey that they were under the impression the business would “run itself” – making the added pressure of a failing business that much more stressful.
Ramsey, after speaking to a dozen or so ex-employees at nearby Black Horse Inn, informed viewers that Kaur had fired nearly 50 managers over the last several years and had even been accused of calling the cops on employees who came to the business to collect their paycheck.
“I haven’t gotten much confidence,” said Ramsey in the episode. “But I’m gonna tackle it head on.”
Ramsey was later met with shattered glass at the entrance to the hotel, bullet holes in the wall by the reception desk, layers of dust covering the hotel floors and banisters, food that was tasteless, mold in the hotel rooms carpets and shower curtains and dangerous levels of live bacteria spread throughout the hotel and the kitchen.
“When the owner can’t be bothered to fix a smashed window at reception, I don’t have much hope for the rest,” Ramsey told viewers.
Ramsey, who was notably frustrated with Kaur’s excuses for the businesses lack of hygiene, even interupted a couple during their stay to inform them of the high bacteria levels before pulling the fire alarm and shutting the hotel down for renovations.
Newtown Borough Mayor Charles “Corky” Swartz standing with TV host and chef Gordon Ramsay during production last year.
Credit: Jeff Neira/FOX
Ramsey, as with other businesses he helps on his show, made a plan to renovate the 250 year old building, transforming it into a modern and clean historical hotel and eatery.
Kaur was also given a talk by her son, who encouraged her to get the right team in place so she could step back from controlling every aspect of the business. According to the show, Kaur has kept up with her promise to step back and relinquish some control.
“Enjoy the show, it has awkward moments, a display of humor, ugly interactions, horrible visuals on show, intense and candid recommendations that were at best challenging and stressful for me but then I said it is a show and some things shown are true and a fair amount are exaggerations yet this makes for good TV,” a comment left by Kaur on the Brick Hotel’s Facebook said.
“It’s been really wonderful,” said Kaur on the show. “It’s given us a lot of oxygen for a second life.”
