Bromley Sun Lodge, VT - Recap

Anthony heads for the Bromley Sun Lodge in Vermont, which has been in business since 1938. The chalet-style lodge has 55 rooms, a restaurant, and a bar. It's adjacent to the ski trails and people can practically ski up to their room. Jim and Joyce Doria bought it in 2003 but have been losing money ever since.

When Anthony pulls up to the entrance, he sees one small metal plate announcing the hotel's name. The patio is covered with snow and the cigarette holder is filled with garbage. There's a shed right off the entrance and the luggage cart is beat up and battered. He shoves it out the door and goes to talk with Sonya, the front desk agent. She admits that they only had one room booked on the previous night, and she doesn't know what other hotels are doing because they don't do call-arounds. He makes the call and the competing hotel confirms they sold more than one room. Sonya insists that the hotel isn't better but Anthony figures that something is wrong.

Sonya gives Anthony the key to Room 212, but first he checks out the lobby. It's dark and dull and hasn't been updated in 40 years. There's a great fireplace but it's set off from the other three rooms. Otherwise all four rooms have nothing to distinguish them from each other. Anthony runs into the hotel's only guest and informs him that he has the place to himself. The guest explains that he's a skier and admits that the mountain isn't very busy, and Anthony realizes that the mountain caters to beginners, meaning there isn't a big variety in trails.

Anthony enters the room and discovers furniture that is 15 years out of date. The desk is too high and doesn't have a nearby outlet. There's dust on the picture frames but otherwise Anthony admits that the room is acceptable because skiers won't spend a lot of time there. He goes out on the patio and discovers that the snow on it hasn't been cleaned off, posing a danger to the guests.

Next, Anthony meets with Jim and Joyce. He reviews the history of their hotel and Jim explains that he was running rental properties. A year after they bought the hotel, they had a major fire there and damages of $325,000. The money they had set aside for remodeling went to bringing the hotel back up to code. Now they believe that they're six months away from losing the hotel, and no one wants to buy it. If the Dorias lose the hotel then they lose everything. They're living out of the hotel and have nothing to go back to. Anthony sets out to tell them the problems that they can deal with. He describes the poor exterior presentation and the snow that has accumulated everywhere.

Anthony asks them what they think their biggest asset is and they say it's the mountain. He warns them that the mountain isn't that busy, and it's working against them. Joyce admits that they need him but Anthony warns them that he can't work miracles and they may lose the hotel.

Decorator Alison Victoria comes in to help Anthony. He shows her the view and the lobby, and Alison agrees that she wouldn’t pay $200 a night. She also agrees that the lobby is too dark and lacks a theme. Anthony wants her to work with the fireplace and make it the center of the room. As Alison goes to work, she warns Anthony because she can't handle the front desk and the lobby. Anthony tells her to focus on the lobby and takes off.

Anthony looks around for maintenance issues and checks the safety systems because of the fire. He finds six out of nine emergency lights that don't work. Anthony goes to see Jim in his office and tells him what he discovered. He asks why they're not working and wonders how Jim could let them go after his hotel nearly burned down. Jim admits that the maintenance man checked the lights a couple of weeks ago, but Anthony doesn't believe that six lights went out in two weeks. The owner admits that he didn't order the batteries and Anthony points out that Jim lives there and he's putting himself and his family at risk. Jim continues to agree with everything Anthony says, and Anthony, angry, says that he's surprised the fire department didn't shut him down.

While Jim orders batteries, Anthony checks with Alison. She shows him her wood-stain paint job and he's happy with it, but asks about the furniture. Alison admits that she ordered it off of a Craigslist and discovered that it was purple. She can't return it but she's selling it on Craigslist. However, she doesn't know where she's going to get more furniture. Alison then takes him to the fireplace room and shows off the furnishings and the seating area by the fireplace. Anthony warns her that they don't have a huge budget and puts her back to work.

Jim tracks Anthony down and takes him to see the maintenance man, Dan. Dan is putting in the batteries and assures them that he'll be done that day. Anthony then does some research on the area and discovers that Jim is missing a big opportunity. The next day, he takes Jim out skiing and then tells him that Bromley Mountain is one of Vermont's smallest ski resorts. There are two taller mountains, Stratton and Magic, ten minutes away. Jim admits that he's not doing anything with the other two mountains and Anthony tells him to let the skiers at the other mountains know about his hotel and give them incentives to stay there. They then head to the top of the mountain and ski down and Anthony wins.

The two men ski back to the hotel and Anthony points out that the back walls have chipped paint. Jim admits that he hasn't painted it in three years and Anthony points out that there's no signage to attract guests. When Jim sarcastically suggests that they put a big sign up, Anthony admits that he still doesn't have him figures out and walks away.

Next, Anthony meets with the hotel's head chef, Eileen. He points out that there are no signs promoting the restaurant and asks how many skiers they get off the mountain. Eileen admits that they don't get any and Anthony tells her that they look closed. He explains that the Dorias are close to losing the place and asks Eileen for suggestions. She comes up with the idea of a barbeque and Anthony likes it because skiers will smell it. He asks her to do a barbeque in two days and Eileen says that she can do it.

Alison and her paint and carpentry teams are working on the lobby while a carpet company comes in to clean. Anthony calls in his PR expert, Carla Caccavale. He introduces her to the Dorias and Carla suggests that their guests will want a change of pace and the Dorias should have a lift-exchange program. When Anthony confirms that they have no money for advertising, Carla offers her services for free and Joyce breaks into tears.

Anthony then takes the couple to the guest room and explains that he had to fail it because of the dust. Joyce complains, threatening to walk out if Anthony makes her look bad. She dares them to inspect the room right now and Anthony assures her that he appreciates her passion. Joyce calms down and Anthony points out that there are no amenities in the room. He has prepared a snack basket of local cheeses and candies as something they can use. Anthony also shows them a lamp that has outlets and phone lines on it that they can use. Finally, he gives the Dorias a hundred robes and slippers that American Hotel Register donated to the hotel. The couple starts dancing and Anthony leaves them in the room.

The next day, Eileen sets up the free barbeque and skiers come to eat. Jim and Joyce mingle with the potential guests while Anthony checks on Alison. She is waiting for 5 p.m. to change out the old desk so that the owners won't see it until she's ready. Alison explains what she's doing with the new desk and assures Anthony that it will be ready. They go out to the she d and Anthony discovers that Alison hasn't done anything with it. She again says that she has to do it after the owners are gone, but promises that it will be done by 9 that night.

On the last day, Alison and her team gets everything done. Joyce uses a dusting wand and the maintenance men shovel the walks. Alison brings in a new sectional just in time, and Anthony takes the Dorias to see their new front entrance. He's replaced the sign and Alison has put in a fire pit where the maintenance shed was. Anthony has a new luggage cart for them that is designed to fit into their elevators. Inside, Anthony shows them their new lobby and a crying Joyce is glad to see that the ugly couches are gone. He brings in Alison, who shows off each of the four rooms and a drink cart that they can use to raise money. Next they take in the new first-class front desk, complete with 30 e-readers that can be lent out to guests. If they buy any books, they will download to all 30 reads simultaneously. The Dorias thank Anthony for everything and admit that they've got their passion back. Anthony tells them not to let him down

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