Hotel Hell interview

[Breakfast Diva]

Not a very good track record.
If a restaurant is failing, a week with a celebrity chef and some publicity from being on TV still doesn't teach the owner how to actually run a business, surprisingly enough..

On the other hand, if they did not have an intervention, the closure rate would probably be close to 100%. Most restaurants fail anyway (it's something like 80%), so it doesn't seem like such a bad track record afterall.

 

[Generic]

Not a very good track record.
If a restaurant is failing, a week with a celebrity chef and some publicity from being on TV still doesn't teach the owner how to actually run a business, surprisingly enough..

On the other hand, if they did not have an intervention, the closure rate would probably be close to 100%. Most restaurants fail anyway (it's something like 80%), so it doesn't seem like such a bad track record afterall.
.

Actually, it's 60% fail in the first year, which is about par for most industries. See http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-04-16/the-restaurant-failure-mythbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

 

[Joey Camb]

Not a very good track record.
If a restaurant is failing, a week with a celebrity chef and some publicity from being on TV still doesn't teach the owner how to actually run a business, surprisingly enough..

On the other hand, if they did not have an intervention, the closure rate would probably be close to 100%. Most restaurants fail anyway (it's something like 80%), so it doesn't seem like such a bad track record afterall.
.

Actually, it's 60% fail in the first year, which is about par for most industries. See http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-04-16/the-restaurant-failure-mythbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice
.

trouble is too many chef's start restaurants thinking good cooking is enough - forget you have to have a good understanding of costing. accounts and marketing to make a go of it!

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Not a very good track record.
If a restaurant is failing, a week with a celebrity chef and some publicity from being on TV still doesn't teach the owner how to actually run a business, surprisingly enough..

On the other hand, if they did not have an intervention, the closure rate would probably be close to 100%. Most restaurants fail anyway (it's something like 80%), so it doesn't seem like such a bad track record afterall.
.

Actually, it's 60% fail in the first year, which is about par for most industries. See http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-04-16/the-restaurant-failure-mythbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice
.

trouble is too many chef's start restaurants thinking good cooking is enough - forget you have to have a good understanding of costing. accounts and marketing to make a go of it!
.

trouble is too many chef's start restaurants thinking good cooking is enough - forget you have to have a good understanding of costing. accounts and marketing to make a go of it!

Sounds like some innkeepers too!

 

[Arks]

Here I sit in my Embassy Suites hotel room (at a seminar and love this new spell checker because I'm never positive on how to spell seminar) and I must say, I feel like Gordon Ramsay looking around this place. It's a VERY nice hotel. All the rooms are suites with separate living rooms and bedrooms, multiple flatscreen TVs, microwave, minifridge, etc.
So the first thing I notice are wrinkled curtains. I mean, they just hang there, so iron them once and they should hold that look pretty well, but these wrinkles make the curtains just look old and dirty.
Next fold back the bed and see dingy, wrinkled sheets. If a hotel this size can't spring for Comphy, at least they could get a mangle and turn out some crisp, smooth sheets.
Then I go into the bathroom and see brown, not black at least, but brown tile grout that's supposed to be white. Guess they'll clean it once it's black.
Didn't bring my blacklight and UV glasses, and glad I didn't!
Picked up a clean-looking glass glass for my traditional upon-arrival Scotch, held it up to the light and saw the obvious smear lines of a glass that was wiped with a dry rag, not washed with soap, You mean those maid's carts don't include a dishwasher? Knowing what I know, I was not surprised. I do like glass. Couldn't enjoy my whisky in one of the plastic cups provided, so headed to the bathroom where I did find soap, and washed it well.
Finally, the cloth covering on the couch and all the chairs. Thinking about all the necked bodies that have lounged here and wishing it was something more clean-able!
Pray for me.

 

[Arks]

Ignore this duplicate :-(

 

[JBloggs]

Here I sit in my Embassy Suites hotel room (at a seminar and love this new spell checker because I'm never positive on how to spell seminar) and I must say, I feel like Gordon Ramsay looking around this place. It's a VERY nice hotel. All the rooms are suites with separate living rooms and bedrooms, multiple flatscreen TVs, microwave, minifridge, etc.
So the first thing I notice are wrinkled curtains. I mean, they just hang there, so iron them once and they should hold that look pretty well, but these wrinkles make the curtains just look old and dirty.
Next fold back the bed and see dingy, wrinkled sheets. If a hotel this size can't spring for Comphy, at least they could get a mangle and turn out some crisp, smooth sheets.
Then I go into the bathroom and see brown, not black at least, but brown tile grout that's supposed to be white. Guess they'll clean it once it's black.
Didn't bring my blacklight and UV glasses, and glad I didn't!
Picked up a clean-looking glass glass for my traditional upon-arrival Scotch, held it up to the light and saw the obvious smear lines of a glass that was wiped with a dry rag, not washed with soap, You mean those maid's carts don't include a dishwasher? Knowing what I know, I was not surprised. I do like glass. Couldn't enjoy my whisky in one of the plastic cups provided, so headed to the bathroom where I did find soap, and washed it well.
Finally, the cloth covering on the couch and all the chairs. Thinking about all the necked bodies that have lounged here and wishing it was something more clean-able!
Pray for me..

It's difficult isn't it.
We are like ex-smokers or something. We don't even try to see this stuff, it just jumps out at us. and then it gets worse when you lay down on the bed and look around the room at eye level...

 

[Arks]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

 

[Madeleine]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

The TV was supposed to be IN the cabinet when the room was laid out. The lamp is all wrong where it is!

 

[Arks]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

The TV was supposed to be IN the cabinet when the room was laid out. The lamp is all wrong where it is!
.

The TV was supposed to be IN the cabinet when the room was laid out.

Yes but how could they possibly just put the new TVs in front of the pictures and think nothing of it? They must have done this in hundreds of rooms. There's all kinds of wall space left and right of the TV that's empty. It would be so easy to move the pictures. Just no excuse.
Edited to add, I just checked. Those panels in the cabinet do not open. No hinges. There was never a TV in there. Makes the whole thing even worse!

 

[JBloggs]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

(NO I didn't mention this on my other diatribe, I took a few photos of the room while I was there for blogging purposes, the US vs THEM thing)

 

[Arks]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

(NO I didn't mention this on my other diatribe, I took a few photos of the room while I was there for blogging purposes, the US vs THEM thing)

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.

 

[JBloggs]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

(NO I didn't mention this on my other diatribe, I took a few photos of the room while I was there for blogging purposes, the US vs THEM thing)

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.
.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.

I blogged it, you forced my hand. LOL!

 

[Arks]

And another thing: every single outside corner in this hotel room has one of those plastic corner protector strips nailed to it. Kind of takes away from the luxury feel this suite tries to convey.

 

[Arks]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

(NO I didn't mention this on my other diatribe, I took a few photos of the room while I was there for blogging purposes, the US vs THEM thing)

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.
.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.

I blogged it, you forced my hand. LOL!
.

I blogged it, you forced my hand. LOL!

 

[Madeleine]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

The TV was supposed to be IN the cabinet when the room was laid out. The lamp is all wrong where it is!
.

The TV was supposed to be IN the cabinet when the room was laid out.

Yes but how could they possibly just put the new TVs in front of the pictures and think nothing of it? They must have done this in hundreds of rooms. There's all kinds of wall space left and right of the TV that's empty. It would be so easy to move the pictures. Just no excuse.
Edited to add, I just checked. Those panels in the cabinet do not open. No hinges. There was never a TV in there. Makes the whole thing even worse!
.

OK, the sad truth about corporate culture? No one has the ability to make that change. It has to come from headquarters. Can you imagine the kerfuffle if you walked into a room at another Embassy Suites and the picture was not EXACTLY in the same spot as it was at the other hotel 400 miles to the west? Heads would roll.
Besides which, no GM has ever set foot in that room and really looked at it.
We had a new hotel open here 6 years ago. They were told to buy certain bedspreads to insure they looked exactly like every other hotel in that brand. A year later the brand changed the look and this new hotel had to throw out everything they had bought a year ago and replace it. I knew the GM at the time and she was in tears. That money came out of HER budget, not the corporate budget, so she had to cut elsewhere to pay for the new bedding and drapes.
Not that it isn't good for a hotel, after a year, to throw out the stuff they never clean.

 

[Madeleine]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

(NO I didn't mention this on my other diatribe, I took a few photos of the room while I was there for blogging purposes, the US vs THEM thing)

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.
.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.

I blogged it, you forced my hand. LOL!
.

Good one JB!

 

[Arks]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

The TV was supposed to be IN the cabinet when the room was laid out. The lamp is all wrong where it is!
.

The TV was supposed to be IN the cabinet when the room was laid out.

Yes but how could they possibly just put the new TVs in front of the pictures and think nothing of it? They must have done this in hundreds of rooms. There's all kinds of wall space left and right of the TV that's empty. It would be so easy to move the pictures. Just no excuse.
Edited to add, I just checked. Those panels in the cabinet do not open. No hinges. There was never a TV in there. Makes the whole thing even worse!
.

OK, the sad truth about corporate culture? No one has the ability to make that change. It has to come from headquarters. Can you imagine the kerfuffle if you walked into a room at another Embassy Suites and the picture was not EXACTLY in the same spot as it was at the other hotel 400 miles to the west? Heads would roll.
Besides which, no GM has ever set foot in that room and really looked at it.
We had a new hotel open here 6 years ago. They were told to buy certain bedspreads to insure they looked exactly like every other hotel in that brand. A year later the brand changed the look and this new hotel had to throw out everything they had bought a year ago and replace it. I knew the GM at the time and she was in tears. That money came out of HER budget, not the corporate budget, so she had to cut elsewhere to pay for the new bedding and drapes.
Not that it isn't good for a hotel, after a year, to throw out the stuff they never clean.
.

Not that it isn't good for a hotel, after a year, to throw out the stuff they never clean.

 

[Samster]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

Did you avoid smashing the picture with your suitcase every time you opened it up?

Obviously, they didn't spring for any kind of trained decorators.
It's like when you go to someone's house and all the artwork is hung way too high. Or there's one tiny picture that's hung way too high on a huge wall. Some people just don't see what the problem is...

 

[Proud Texan]

OK, here's an example I think should be obvious to anyone. This is at a very nice, expensive hotel. They must have professionals on staff to handle stuff like this. Can anybody see any problem with their placement of wall paintings in these photos?

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

(NO I didn't mention this on my other diatribe, I took a few photos of the room while I was there for blogging purposes, the US vs THEM thing)

.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.
.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.

I blogged it, you forced my hand. LOL!
.

Wait! Arks, do you have a real headboard or a faux headboard?

The one here at Embassy Suites is faux just like in your photo. I HATE that! So motel of them.

I blogged it, you forced my hand. LOL!

We're guilty of the headboard on the wall ploy. However, the headboard is actually an old pantry door and guests love it. We joke that this room is our "honeymoon suite" because the headboard is fastened to the wall.