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MELCHIORRI: Oh, wow. Wait a second.
Am I pulling up to a hotel that looks nice?
This is from the room.
Do I have to tell you why this is wrong?
Don't laugh.
Holy [bleep]
This is hoarders gone wild. This is crazy.
Look at that. That's an alligator.
Whoo!
There's a bigger problem.
There's no way to fix it.
[ Gasps ]
Are you [bleep] kidding me? What is this?
When you're here every day, you don't really notice it.
You see it! You don't care.
Yeah, I don't appreciate that.
You're making us look bad.
You can lose your [bleep] on me, or we can talk like gentlemen.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
MELCHIORRI: I'm in Homestead, Florida,
located approximately 30 miles south of Miami.
I know this area a little bit.
I was here a long time ago
when I was in the Air Force,
so I know there's an Air Force base,
I know it's a big NASCAR racing town.
I'm headed to the Floridian Hotel,
which is about a mile up the road.
Look at that.
That's an alligator.
I don't mean to disturb you.
You know where your hand is, right?
MAN: Yeah.
I'm gonna get out.
[ Car beeps ]
Yeah, we're gonna tape its mouth shut, secure him.
Yeah, why don't we do that before I get over there?
Is this typical to see a gentleman
on the side of the road wrestling an alligator?
Surprisingly, it is quite common down in this area.
They estimate over two million alligators
in the state of Florida.
Wow.
I'm gonna take her back to my wildlife sanctuary.
Gonna check some of its injuries and see how serious they are
and then hopefully release it back to the wild here shortly.
I thought I had a dangerous job.
I'm a hotel consultant.
I walk into hotels, I never met the owner before,
and I deal with some crazy stuff,
but I never dealt with an alligator.
Actually, you might be in for a surprise.
I've had two calls to two different hotels down here.
Pythons.
Yep.
Oh, my God. Okay.
Check for bedbugs, alligators, and pythons.
Thank you.
Thank you.
This guy tries
to get stray animals on the right path.
Hopefully, I can get a stray hotel on the right path.
I'm here to help the struggling Floridian Hotel,
owned by brothers Richard and Donald Groh since 2003.
Hotel's been a challenge.
We've had to take money from our other businesses
to support the property.
We're not taking any profit as of yet.
We feel that Anthony can help generate
revenue on the off-season months,
not count on just three or four months out of the year
to make money.
MELCHIORRI: There are several months of south Florida's off-season,
and business has really increased
in June through August over the last few years.
And what's interesting about Homestead,
it's between two national parks.
In any given year,
there's approximately a million visitors
to the Everglades National Park and the Biscayne National Park.
There's a lot going on here, so I need to figure out
why the Floridian isn't pulling in
more business year-round before it's too late.
Should be right here.
Oh, wow.
Wait a second.
Am I pulling up to a hotel that looks nice?
As I walk around, it looks clean,
the parking lot looks fine, the shrubbery looks good.
Look at the walls. The walls look clean.
I don't see any alligators or pythons.
But why would you put two rats outside a hotel?
What the [bleep]
I hope that's his tail he's holding.
Why would you want to walk in a hotel
with those things greeting you?
Why don't you just get two large bedbugs
and put them outside the hotel?
Wh-- [ Sighs ]
Am I just overreacting?
Maybe some people find these things cute.
Maybe this is what's supposed to be outside the hotel
because it's supposed to be welcoming.
No!
If you're thinking that,
there's something wrong with you.
These belong outside an exterminator's office,
not a hotel.
If rats are greeting me outside, what's greeting me inside?
Ugh.
I used to come to Florida
to go to Gator Land about 35 years ago.
This looks exactly like
the hotel we walked into 35 years ago --
very Florida, but very outdated.
The desk is worn and outdated.
Hello.
I'm Anthony. I'm here to help the owners.
Blanca.
Yes.
So, how long have you worked here?
Is there any problem you have behind the front desk?
Can I come over?
[ Chuckles ]
See, I do things fast.
Show me what you mean. Go to the check-in.
Oh, my God. This is such an old system.
So, okay.
This is the first Windows system --
this was a hot system 20 years ago.
I just want to check out
and use your computer for checking our flight tickets.
So, you need to print it. What you're asking for is...
Yes, yes. I need a computer which has a printer on it, so...
Do you have a business center?
No.
You don't have a business center?
No.
Practically every hotel nowadays
has some sort of business center to meet travelers' needs,
but what's more concerning
is that Blanca is not trying to solve
these guest problems right now.
Okay.
Wait.
You have a computer in the back?
Do you have a computer and printer?
Come back here.
Okay.
Come on in.
It's okay. No problem.
You're the guest.
We're supposed to take care of you.
We're never supposed to say no.
If you need anything else, just let us know.
Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much.
All right.
In the hospitality business,
if you don't have a resource to offer a guest,
you have to be able to improvise to make them happy
no matter what.
I'm starting to get concerned that guest service is a problem.
What I need is, I need a room key.
I want to go see a room.
Okay. Thank you very much.
Okay. I'll catch up with you later.
Okay.
So, this is room 310.
There's a new sign, it looks like,
which I actually like, but look what they did.
They took the new sign and put it over the old sign.
No one took the time to simply peel the tape from the window
and clean the window.
Really?
[ Groans ] All right.
Let's see what's the room's got in store for me.
I get a green light,
so it's telling me the lock is actually working.
Outdoor-card-door hotels are famous
for having door locks that don't work
because the elements get inside
and start corroding all the mechanics of the lock,
so it's typical.
But they should have a maintenance program
where they're cleaning out the locks.
I'm in.
This is a renovated room.
It's better than you would expect.
It is not bad.
It's acceptable.
I kind of like the furniture.
Everything looks four stars, but look how they made the bed.
The bed skirt is shoved inside.
The sheets look clean, the sheets smell clean,
but they have one sheet on the bed
with no blanket, nothing.
Their trying to be cool like a four-star hotel,
but they're not doing the three-sheeting process.
And look at this.
[ Deep voice ] I'm an ice bucket.
[ Normal voice ] And I like it, but again, look at the schmutz.
If you're gonna buy four-star stuff,
clean it like it's four stars.
See, and that's what's going on in this hotel.
There are moments of hope and joy.
Then there's ridiculousness like this.
You're gonna use this to iron white shirt?
[ Sighs ] And look at this.
This is a house phone.
This is not a proper room phone.
How do I call housekeeping?
How do I call the front desk?
There's no room number to my room on here.
Again, they're trying, but they're failing.
Oh, look at these drapes. Wow!
These are really nice drapes.
These are real--
You're not gonna believe this.
This is another first in my life.
It's a pillowcase.
I'm having a slow meltdown.
I'm gonna go meet with the owners,
but before I do -- I am so frustrated.
I'm gonna go show up, and I'm gonna ask them
"Why," "Where," and "How."
I'm gonna ask them, what were they thinking?
And they have to understand, if they want to drive rate,
if they want to be successful, they need to pay attention.
Oh. Almost forgot.
Was that so hard?
Before I meet with the owners,
I want to check out their banquet room,
so I'm going over there now.
Florida is one of the top-10 destinations in the country
for weddings and banquets,
with an average price tag of $20,000,
so it's great this hotel has the space available
for these kind of events.
This is a banquet room.
What?! This is how they're storing their stuff?
Are you kidding me?
This looks like a garbage dump.
Every square foot of a hotel
should be used to generate revenue.
This is a prime moneymaker.
It's right off the lobby, it's beautiful.
They should be generating tens of thousands of dollars.
It's ridiculous.
Look at this.
You have towels,
you have luggage carts, chairs, carpet.
Holy [bleep]
You got old blades.
If I had cut myself just now,
I would probably have to go to the hospital.
This is very dangerous.
"Oh, look, the bride and groom are getting married.
"Oh, look, it's the mother and father.
"Oh, what a beautiful hotel.
I'm so glad I was invited to this banquet."
That's what's supposed to be happening here --
people making memories, not people's old memories
thrown in here as a big junk pile.
I'm surrounded by garbage.
Look at this. This is hoarders gone wild. This is crazy.
It doesn't belong in your banquet space.
MELCHIORRI: I'm a half-hour south of Miami in Homestead
at the Floridian Hotel, where nothing is consistent.
These are really nice drapes, but it's a pillowcase.
And now, I'm in a banquet room
that looks like a hoarder's basement.
This is how they're storing their stuff.
I need to get to the bottom of this ASAP...
How are you?
...so I asked the owners to meet me.
Hopefully, they can explain to me
why the storage room,
I mean banquet room,
is accumulating junk and not people.
Okay. So, you bought this hotel 10 years ago?
RICHARD: Yeah.
Because it's a great piece of real estate.
You know, we actually did renovations.
Our main business has always been
the renovation of commercial properties.
Before we go into why I'm here,
I want to know, why are there two rats
greeting me at the front door?
Well, you'll have to ask my brother.
I've had them at my house,
so they're kind of like Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
And I thought that it was nice to take pictures.
What do you think about that?
I'm not totally excited about them,
to be honest with you.
That's concerning to me.
Walking around this hotel,
it's kind of "The Tale of Two Hotels."
You pull up, it's really nice, but then I have rats in front.
And I'm sitting in a banquet space
that's also a storage space.
I'm confused.
Guests like consistency in a hotel,
and it's one of the main reasons
why brand hotels are so popular --
people know what they're going to get.
So a hotel like this where nothing seems to make sense
is not going to make them happy.
How many rooms did you renovate?
That's great.
But as you're getting all this stuff
and you're putting it in the room,
one, you got to take care of it,
and some of it's just wrong.
Let me show you.
This is from the room I inspected.
Do I have to tell you why this is wrong?
Well, it ain't plugged in. [ Chuckles ]
It don't have any information.
Thank you. Okay.
Would you use this iron on that shirt?
I wouldn't use it on my underwear.
I don't know where that iron came from.
The iron fairy didn't bring it in.
Here's my favorite.
This is a five-star ice bucket.
And that's great, but...
Bubble gum?
With somebody's potential *** hair in it.
That's disgusting. Don't laugh.
Did you know there were pillowcases
holding back your drapery?
You did?!
Yes.
Now you're *** me off. Why -- why was that okay?
Our last general manager's idea.
We let them go.
He wasn't qualified.
Who is the general manager?
I'm considered the general manager.
And he's been doing it for the last couple months.
So, like, number-one priority is,
you need a general manager
because it really hasn't been managed.
While these guys are focused on the rooms,
they're forgetting
to pay attention to what matters most --
the guest.
I saw a guest ask for a computer.
And the young lady at front desk turned the guest away,
and the guest was disappointed.
No one walks away disappointed ever!
We have to exceed guest expectations.
So, do guests ever sit in this room?
Yes, they have.
Out of 100% stuff, how much is garbage?
75% of it.
When you market to the hoarders convention,
you're gonna get that business,
but that's the only business you're gonna get.
When you're here every day, you don't really notice it.
Stand up.
Turn around.
You're here every single day,
and somehow, you want me to believe
that you don't see this?
You cannot not see it!
You see it. You don't care.
And you don't care because you don't think
it's important to the person having breakfast.
So, "Screw him, let him sit in garbage."
That's why you do it.
It stops today.
Apart from some housekeeping issues,
the renovated guest rooms look pretty good.
The outdated lobby
and the neglected banquet room, on the other hand,
are what need the most attention.
So, to help give both some much-overdue love,
I called in designer Alison Victoria.
As you're walking up to this lovely hotel,
I want to show you something.
These are horrible.
The last thing I want to think about
when I'm walking into a hotel is rats.
If you liked the rats, you'll love this.
Wow.
They love murals.
This is a lot of stuff going on.
It's a big, open space, so I love that.
MELCHIORRI: That's exactly what I was hoping you would say.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But this is not a design.
This is, like, a mishmash of just color, texture, murals.
I don't even know where to look first.
Another problem we need to solve in renovating this lobby
is there's no business center.
So, lobby and the business center -- check?
Done.
The good news is, no hotel room.
But...
But.
Welcome to my banquet room.
Or storage room, you mean?
Like, what is this set up for?
This is set up for overflow breakfast.
People sit in here and eat?
Let me show you how ridiculous this is.
This is disgusting.
I immediately think bacteria, germs, bedbugs.
So, guess what your next job is.
[ Sighs ] I'm not cleaning all this out.
I will fix it
if you get somebody to clean this crap out.
Done. I thought you were going to argue with me.
The carpet looks like it's okay.
I've got beautiful windows and doors, trim stained.
I could set this thing up to really sell.
Done. Okay.
I don't need luck.
I got a good team.
[ Laughs ]
MELCHIORRI: It's my second day at the Floridian Hotel,
and I'm starting
to have all the junk in the banquet room cleared out.
So, Alison and her team from Mora United
can begin all the renovations.
My biggest challenge in turning this hotel around
is finding a good and qualified general manager,
but before I can focus
on getting the right one for this hotel,
I want to see what else it has to offer.
This pool is so nice.
I mean, look.
They have nice furniture, they have shuffleboard.
Even the water looks clean.
So, this is what you want to see --
kids enjoying the pool,
parents two feet away watching their children.
I mean, this really does feel like an oasis.
Pools are the number-one thing parents look for in the hotel
while on vacation with their children,
but one like this
should be attracting more than just families.
This pool is right in the middle of both sides of the hotel,
and the banquet room is right there.
It's 10 feet away from the pool.
So, they can really use this pool
to sell meetings, to sell groups,
to sell banquets, wedding receptions.
They can really get a tremendous amount of value
out of this pool area, and they're not.
As much as I like what the pool looks like,
the one thing that I can't tolerate --
crappy play set.
Look at how disgusting this is.
I can't figure these owners out.
It's like they can't decide
if they want to be a four-star hotel
or a one-star hotel.
I need them to make up their minds
before I go any further.
I talked about, there's two hotels going on.
There's the oasis that you created,
which you did a good job with the pool area.
But then, you have this
that looks like you bought this play set from a garbage dump
and just threw it here,
and my children are supposed to play on it.
So, what kind of hotel we got?
We just put garbage next to beautiful pools?
Just an outdoor area, okay?
Look at me,
and look at how disgusting this is.
If I go down this in my suit, my suit's gonna be filthy.
This isn't gonna get you filthy.
Is it perfect? No.
It's one of the areas where we need improvement on.
But no!
We're not talking about, "We need improvement."
We're talking about you building a nice hotel,
you're spending a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of energy.
You just don't put it in
until you can get something that's appropriate.
It's not totally dilapidated. It's not unsafe.
I'm not saying it's unsafe! It's looks like crap.
You're making us look bad.
I don't appreciate that.
You don't give us any type of vindication.
You saying that, I appreciate
'cause I see you're emotionally ready to kind of erupt.
In all fairness, rightfully so.
Rightfully so.
That's your opinion.
It ain't my opinion, it is the truth.
Okay. Can I give you my side of the truth?
Yeah, let's hear your truth now.
I expressed my emotions because I have concerns,
but you stopped listening because you were pissed off.
So, I can do one of two things right now.
I can lose my [bleep] on you
and you can lose your [bleep] on me,
or we can talk like gentlemen.
MELCHIORRI: I'm in Homestead, Florida,
about 30 minutes outside of Miami,
trying to help the failing Floridian Hotel,
but my constructive criticism
seems to be rubbing Richard the wrong way.
This looks like you bought this play set from a garbage dump
and just threw it here.
You're making us look bad, and I don't appreciate that.
I can do one of two things right now, okay?
I can lose my [bleep] on you,
and you can lose your [bleep] on me,
or we can talk like gentlemen.
I'm looking at you in the eye.
That's not right of you to make us look bad and stupid.
At least give us some idea, you know,
what you're coming from and not try to --
Richard's forgetting I'm here to help him with his hotel.
So, I'm going to point out problems,
and I'm just getting warmed up.
I spoke to you like a gentleman.
I got a little excited 'cause I get excited.
Let me prove my point. Follow me.
Okay.
What we have is a beautiful pool,
and we don't have proper signage.
There is supposed to be legal requirements
telling you what you can and cannot do at the pool.
That's one. Follow me.
These steps -- they're not the proper tiles
for when this is wet.
Right now, it's not slippery, but when it's rainy,
when there's water right here, this thing is like ice.
Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
We appreciate that
'cause that's one of our biggest concerns is safety.
Listen to me. I've been straight up.
My priority is not to make you look like a ***.
I don't think that that's your intentions --
I mean, intentions.
I'm just trying to get you to see where I'm coming from.
What kind of hotel do you want to run?
First-class operation.
Okay. That's not first-class.
I said when I came here, "I'm seeing two hotels."
I'm not seeing a [bleep]hole. I'm just confused.
I want everything to make sense. That's all I'm saying.
You know, it's constructive criticism,
which is what we need.
So, we want to run a first-class hotel
that our employees are proud to work in,
our guests are proud to stay in, and you're proud to own.
That's very simply put.
Everything is in the details, okay?
The general manager that runs this hotel
is gonna be just as passionate about detail as I am.
Yeah, I'm passionate, too. We're on the same page.
Great. Let's go to work.
The team ain't working together
unless you *** each other off once in a while.
I'm happy the owners say they want a first-class hotel.
Hopefully, they'll stop fighting with me
and they'll start listening to my advice.
At this point, I'm thinking, like,
maybe we can stretch the carpet or...
No, can't stretch this.
They either used the wrong adhesive
or the adhesive let go.
So then we can't stretch it.
So, you like how I emptied your space for you?
I love that you emptied the space,
but there's a bigger problem,
'cause the junk is out, and now we have waves.
Huge ripples all throughout.
This whole thing is just a mess.
That's why I brought Dennis in.
The original installation on here was a bad installation,
and there's no way to fix it.
So now we want to replace the carpet, but it is expensive.
The carpet and the installation was gonna cost like $7,400...
Right.
...and he bumped it down.
We bumped it down to $5,500.
We have $5,500?
I have zero money left.
Can you move down to $4,000?
Sure.
Oh, all of a sudden he walks in, now you've got $1,500 off!
Great. Do you have $4,000?
No.
So then what the hell am I gonna do?
Alison is already putting every penny we have into this hotel,
but this carpet is unacceptable.
I'm gonna do something I normally never do.
I'm going to speak to the owners,
I'm gonna bring them in here right now,
and you're gonna ask them for $4,000.
If I can get them to buy this, this would be awesome.
I'll be right back.
MELCHIORRI: The owners say they want a first-class hotel,
and elevating this banquet room
is one step closer in getting there.
Let's see if they'll put their money where their mouth is
and help to finish it.
Hey, gentlemen. Can I borrow you?
We're in the middle of a design, but we have a problem...
and I need your help.
DONALD: Yeah, of course.
Let's go to the banquet room.
Richard and Donald, this is Alison Victoria.
Hi, Alison.
So, Alison, you have a question?
First, I'm gonna introduce you to Dennis Berry,
who I think you know.
Yep. How you doing, neighbors?
I brought him in here because you need new carpet.
He's been so gracious to knock down to four grand.
Problem is we don't have any more money.
I need four grand from somewhere.
We have it. It's a done deal.
That's a great deal.
Can you guys shake on that?
Thank you.
And I know you have to order the carpet.
We talked about that. So, thank you.
All right, so I'll see you tomorrow.
All right, so, I have one more question before you leave.
So, before this room was cleared out,
you guys had a ton of chairs.
Do you guys have more? 'Cause I need like 72.
It's not a problem. We have them in our warehouse.
Oh.
Back up. The owners have a warehouse.
Yet all this time,
they've been storing their stuff in their banquet room.
Does that make sense?
So, you have a warehouse...
It's full of merchandise.
All right, so, let's go shopping.
$4,000 and a road trip to go shopping.
There you go.
This is our warehouse.
I know you called me a hoarder yesterday,
but please take it easy on me when you see this.
MELCHIORRI: You go first.
[ Gasps ]
Are you [bleep] kidding me? What is this?
MELCHIORRI: I'm in Homestead, Florida,
trying to get more business to the Floridian Hotel.
In order to make the banquet room more functional,
it needs new carpet and more chairs,
which the owners say they have in their warehouse,
but they have a lot more than that.
MELCHIORRI: Are you [bleep] kidding me?
What is this?
A lot more.
When Donald said a warehouse I expected
something a little bigger than the banquet room,
but not a football field.
VICTORIA: How big is this?
Dude, you're a hoarder.
The master hoarder, my brother.
Stay right there. Stay right there.
Just be careful.
DONALD: Don't kill yourself.
So, from up here, I see air-conditioning systems,
refrigerators, mattresses, mirrors, lots of furniture.
I know what you're thinking.
This is hoarding on an industrial scale.
But the truth is,
when a hotel goes out of business,
everything inside is sold
in bulk at a liquidation sale,
so I've seen warehouses full of stuff before,
just never this big.
When you buy from a liquidation sale,
you have to buy the entire hotel.
You just can't buy two rooms.
So you're great at buying at liquidation sales,
and I applaud you for it,
but are you gonna use 90% of this stuff?
RICHARD: What I don't use, I give it away.
I've donated to the earthquake in Haiti --
all kinds of stuff to them.
Katrina.
You're a good guy, and I appreciate that,
so I'm not going to give you any more crap about hoarding.
Spider-Man!
So, let's go shopping.
VICTORIA: Show me the chairs first.
Over here, I have about 300 of them.
They just need to be cleaned up.
I know these here -- you sit on them, they're good.
They got a nice -- you know, they're flexible.
They will not fall back on you.
These are nice.
So anything that you take out of this warehouse
that goes into that hotel
has to be sniffed for bedbugs, okay?
DONALD: Sounds good.
Thank you.
Do you have linen in this warehouse?
Yep.
I'm afraid to know what those look like.
Let's go see what you think.
So, why don't you guys go get whatever you need?
And I'm gonna go look at linen.
All right. Perfect.
Be safe.
Right over here.
We have sheets here.
These are all of our sheets.
These are really nice.
We have boxes and boxes, brand-new.
MELCHIORRI: It's great that the owners have these amazing resources,
but they are completely useless
sitting in a box, collecting dust.
So, why isn't this in the hotel?
We do.
But when I went in,
what you had on the bed was not this quality,
and it wasn't triple sheeted -- there was only one sheet --
so you have beautiful stuff in the warehouse,
but you have crap on your bed.
You shouldn't have beautiful, clean, very expensive sheets
in a warehouse like this.
They should be in your hotel,
and they should be protected.
These are five-star sheets.
That's what we need some help with,
to make sure it's being done.
Okay.
Something tells me
there are more treasures hiding in this place
that the owners are failing to put to use.
A good G.M. would know how to turn the owner's resources
into profit for the hotel,
so it's time to find one -- now.
The owners have already vetted 100 résumés
and have narrowed it down to two possible candidates --
Marco...
Good morning, Anthony. How are you?
Likewise. My pleasure.
...and Allen.
Anthony. Pleasure.
Nice to meet you.
Both seem very qualified,
but the general manager of the Floridian Hotel
has to be someone who can do three things --
get answers, take charge, and motivate employees.
So I'm going to put them to a very specific test.
I'm going to give you an hour to assess the property.
I'm going to give you complete access to the building,
complete access to the people.
There will be a camera following you.
And then, and the end, I'm going to ask you,
"How do you think we move forward?"
Your hour begins now.
Okay. Thank you.
What Marco and Allen don't know
is that while they evaluate the property,
I'll be evaluating them
by watching every move they make via camera monitor.
Whoever proves to me
they have the three key qualities I'm looking for
will get my recommendation for hire.
Can I speak to Blanca and talk to you, the owners?
So, then he's got Blanca,
he's got Richard, and he's got Donald --
all the people he should be talking to right now.
I love it.
If there was a wish list
that the owners would like, what would it be?
Most importantly, a good manager here.
More updated property-management system.
And I would like to know how we can make it better.
Training? Okay. I think this is super-important.
So far, he's asked a lot of the important questions.
The one question I wish he would ask
is a financial question -- "Do you have money?"
What's your name?
Let's see what Allen chooses to do first.
May I see two rooms --
one of the renovated rooms and one of the older rooms, please?
So, he spoke with Blanca.
He didn't ask Blanca any questions.
He's looking around, he's inspecting,
but he hasn't engaged her.
I always check the high surfaces first for any dust,
and I don't see any dust.
That's where a lot of soap *** builds up.
MELCHIORRI: He's noticing cleanliness issues.
That's a problem. I didn't even see that.
A couple little spots here.
In an average day, how many check-ins
and check-outs do you have, by yourself?
Today, we have 31 reservations to come in.
So, you definitely need another person
to handle the reservations.
Out of the 10 or 11 things that you look for in a leader,
right now, he's showing communication,
he's showing that he can inspire people,
he's being sensitive.
What are some of the complaints that you receive from them?
Most people complain the hotel is old-looking.
Looking at your TripAdvisor, you're very good at that,
'cause I see that you respond to all of the complaints.
That is wonderful.
21 minutes,
and this man has just asked so many good questions.
I mean, he could make his assessment right now.
Thank you for your time. Appreciate it. Peace.
That's it. Thank you.
This is definitely a safety hazard.
This would be a major item
I would definitely take care of right away.
He's noticing security issues,
and again, he's inspecting another room.
Okay.
This rooms looks to have
a little bit of a more modern and contemporary feel to it.
Some dust on the picture, here.
28 minutes in...
and he hasn't spoken to the owner yet.
He hasn't really had one conversation with an employee.
What he's not understanding
is that you should be worrying more about systems and people
and how things are done around here
and less about whether there's dust or not dust.
[ Speaking Spanish ]
Talking to the laundry person, she's mentioned
that she only has enough linen sufficient
for the entire building once.
Typically, you have three times.
Good to see you, sir.
Good to see you. How are you?
Looks like you've been working up a sweat, there.
Yeah, a little bit.
The owner noticed, the first thing,
that he's sweating through his shirt,
and that's one of the reasons you wear a jacket --
if you sweat, no one sees it. And you look sloppy now.
Some small, little things that need to be addressed
as far as, you know, small maintenance issues.
I found the rooms to be pretty well maintained --
a couple of small, little issues.
He's telling the owners things they know.
How are you gonna fix it?
Do you have any questions for us besides that?
Not at this time, no.
MELCHIORRI: No questions?
He didn't ask them about anything.
He did an inspection.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Richard. Thanks again for you time.
So, time is up. One hour and 17 seconds.
So, I'm gonna go talk to them.
Hey, Anthony.
So, how was your last hour?
Excellent.
After going through a couple of rooms,
I didn't see consistency.
People are not trained in this particular property.
They need structure. They need procedures.
At this point, I'm ready to take on the challenge.
I help you grow this company.
Thank you for your time.
It was an absolute pleasure meeting you,
and we'll be in touch very soon.
Thank you, Anthony. My pleasure.
Okay, so, you had an hour to walk around.
Property, surprisingly, is in pretty good shape.
I would say, most definitely,
there are some housekeeping and maintenance issues
that need to be addressed,
but overall, the staff that I encountered
was very pleasant, very personable.
Overall, the assessment of the hotel,
I'd spend 100 bucks to stay here in one of the newer rooms.
All right, man. We'll let you know. Good luck.
Anthony, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Hey, guys.
Hey.
So, before I give you my recommendation
who I think the general manager should be,
I want to hear your point of view.
If it was do or die, I would pick Marco.
Who would you pick?
I like Allen.
So, you say Allen, you say Marco.
MELCHIORRI: I'm in Homestead, Florida,
at the Floridian Hotel,
where the owners are in disagreement
on who they think should be their general manager.
But in my opinion, only one of them
is the right fit for this hotel.
This hotel fails or succeeds on this decision -- period.
So, let me ask you this.
Who asked the better questions in the interview?
Marco.
I would say the same.
Who seemed more courageous?
Marco.
Who do you think would inspire the team more?
Probably Marco.
Marco.
You have three checks for Marco, zero checks for Allen.
I had these three checks for Marco before I walked in,
and I had zero checks for Allen.
So, you agree with my choice.
I agree with it.
And we're gonna go along with that.
We have ourselves a general manager.
I'm excited about the future.
And I think that we do have the right person
to take this to the level we need to be.
I'm very happy. So, let's bring him in.
Can you send them on in now? All right. Thank you.
Marco.
MARCO: Hey, Anthony.
DONALD: I would like to let you know that we chose you
to be the general manager of the Floridian Hotel of Homestead.
That's wonderful. Thank you very much, guys.
RICHARD: Congratulations.
I really appreciate it.
You showed tremendous leadership and lots of energy,
and that's what we need.
You took charge, talked to all the staff members,
and you have the qualifications.
Thank you for your trust, and that's what I'm here for.
It all boils down to confront you in the issues --
issues that are gonna benefit the entire operation --
the staff, our guests, and you, the owners.
MELCHIORRI: Marco wastes no time taking charge
and meets with the staff.
Always my door will be open for constructive comments --
something that we could work together --
'cause together, we're stronger.
MELCHIORRI: He immediately begins addressing
some of the problems in the hotel,
like improving cleanliness in the guest rooms and getting
those first-class sheets from the owner's warehouse
washed and ready for use.
He discusses the importance of guest service
with the front-desk staff,
and he installs safety signs at the pool,
donated by American Hotel Register.
So far, the hotel's operations
are really shaping up with Marco in the driver's seat,
but I still need to figure out
how to get more business to the Floridian
in its summer off-season months.
Just minutes from the Floridian
is one of the area's biggest attractions --
the Homestead Miami Speedway.
Homestead Miami Speedway is the finale for NASCAR.
It's their Super Bowl.
So, that track is known all over the world.
Hundreds of thousands of people a year come to that track,
and I want them to book the Floridian,
so I set up a meeting
with the Speedway's head of marketing, Kevin Gregory.
He is in charge of marketing
the biggest venue in South Florida.
Not only do we host NASCAR's championship
with its Ford Championship Weekend,
but we're live over 280 days throughout the year, as well,
so we're bringing people into town all throughout the year.
So, what can you do for them to really start focusing?
We have a preferred-hotel program
that we have at the Speedway
that includes P.A. announcements.
You get an opportunity to put a mailing in our ticket packages
that goes out to every single one of our fans.
It is a $10,000 value
that we are gonna give you for free.
You're kidding me.
That's very generous.
You're my next new best friend, okay?
Before I go, I need to be in a race car.
Absolutely.
There's no way I'm leaving this famous racetrack
without riding in a race car.
So, with the help of Chris Daniels
and NASCAR Racing Experience, I get my wish.
All right. Let's go.
[ Engine revs ]
Whoo!
There he is.
Going pretty good, there.
Now I know what it feels like
to race with a real pro going really freaking fast.
BILL: Thanks, Anthony.
It was a pleasure.
That was really, really cool.
It's my last day at the Floridian,
and the first thing I want to do this morning
is to see how Marco's getting on.
[ Alarm blares ]
But when I arrive, all heck is breaking loose.
What did we do with the fire alarm?
Are we making announcements?
No.
Okay, get me Marco. Find Marco.
Find Marco.
There's a fire alarm.
They have no idea what to do.
If you'd like more information
on myself or "Hotel Impossible", go to...
And if you have a hotel that's in trouble
and you want my help, send us an e-mail at...
It's my last day at the Floridian Hotel.
[ Alarm blaring ]
Thankfully, there's no fire, just an alarm malfunction.
What do we do with the fire alarm?
But the staff have no clue what to do.
Find me Marco.
MARCO: Okay, so we identified the area already?
MELCHIORRI: We know the problem.
Yes. It is contained.
Okay, look.
Please call all the guests
and tell them everything's okay, okay?
Thank you.
Where is it coming from?
The banquet hall.
You silenced it?
Let's go to the banquet area.
We need to call the alarm company immediately.
It's a safety issue, and that needs to be addressed.
MELCHIORRI: So, we just had a fire alarm at the hotel.
One, it identified, right away, a problem,
and two, it showed Marco can take charge.
I'm feeling confident
that I'm leaving the Floridian in good hands
with Marco as G.M.
Thank you.
We're in the home stretch.
Alison and her construction team
are putting the finishing touches on the lobby
and the banquet-room renovations,
and the welcome rat's stay at this hotel is finally over.
All right, we're gonna go back home.
Now it's time to show the owners and Marco their new lobby.
Welcome to your new lobby.
Wow. Ooh.
DONALD: This is awesome.
This changes the whole feeling when you walk in here.
It's very classy. It's very comfortable.
MELCHIORRI: And doesn't it feel different?
It feels really up-to-date.
We painted the walls, put in new couches,
put in new flooring,
and the new front-desk countertop
was actually custom-made and installed by 2 Griffins.
Beautiful. Looks good. Looks good.
DONALD: All right.
One of the most important things to the hotel
is a property-management system.
Our friends at roomMaster,
they not only donated the property-management system --
they donated the computer to house the file server.
That's all right, man. That's great.
That's what we needed.
I found a phone in the room --
didn't have buttons to call the front desk.
So, VTech donated 150 new phones,
one for every room, 5 extra.
And the best part of this --
he has to install them and deal with them.
All right.
Leave it to me. I'll do it.
There can't be more.
[ Laughing ] Let's go.
Wow. That's what we needed here.
Does this make a guest more comfortable?
MARCO: Yes, it does. Absolutely.
MELCHIORRI: TTI Technologies is giving you their business-center software,
allowing guests private online access
with a concierge design for six months for free.
And Pegasus Solutions gave you a new website.
But there's more, so follow me.
All right.
Look at this. Oh, my God!
Man! Dang!
MELCHIORRI: So, I'd like to introduce you
to Alison Victoria and her crew.
VICTORIA: I would not have been able to do any of this
without Julio and Reuben from Mora United.
They killed it.
So, look how beautiful those drapes are.
Where'd you get those?
Those were made by a company
called Interior Visions out of Las Vegas.
It gives you the privacy,
but still allows the light to come in.
I'm blown away.
...has come together.
So, I just want to say thank you to you and your team, guys.
Great job.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
It's great we have a breakfast room that you can be proud of.
We have a banquet facility you can be proud of.
But if the world doesn't see it, it's just gonna be empty,
and I know that if you manage this right,
you'll make a lot of money.
These are all the tools that we need
to really get a fresh start here,
and with Marco now in charge...
Really, thank you.
Did I surprise you?
Yeah, you did.
When I first arrived at the Floridian Hotel,
I was greeted by two rats,
and 20 feet behind them was a banquet room full of stuff
where the rats could have lived.
Their hotel was unmanaged.
Everything was inconsistent.
Now they have a general manager, but more importantly,
they have control of their asset, their hotel,
and I am confident
that if they listen to me and my team,
this hotel is going to do great things.