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Jessop House Hotel is on The Hotel Inspector
The show will air on 24 July at 9:00PM
Owners comment:
We are not sure of the outcome of being on the show, but being a very courageous couple and not minding our privacy invaded a bit we decided to go for it. We thought we might get some professional advice, exposure and have a bit of fun. We will not see the show until it airs and that's a bit scary. Let's hope we only make fools of ourselves occasionally on the show. Watch and email if you like to make any comments you might have. We will be glad to hear from you.
Press release:
Alex’s mission remains the same for this well-established format - casting fresh and expert eyes over a number of hotels asking for advice and bringing them up to the impeccably high standards of excellence synonymous with the Forte name. Alex will bring a practical intelligence and fiery Italian temperament to bear on every level of the hotel trade. With her straight-talking and practical advice, Polizzi hopes to turn them into successful and profitable ventures and use the experience gained through her current role as proprietor of the Hotel Endsleigh in Devon (recently voted the best rural retreat in the UK) to advise these businesses. From staffing tomenus and from décor to hygiene, Alex will leave no stone unturned in her desire for improvement. Energetic and intense, Alex rolls up her sleeves, puts on her rubber gloves and gets stuck in to help.
Alex Polizzi said: “Too many people go into the hotel business thinking it’s going to be an easy option but it is the toughest job to get right, and make money. For me, great service should start with the first smile you get when you check in – and that costs nothing.”
Jessop House Hotel, is an 8 bedroom townhouse hotel located in the heart of historic Tewkesbury just yards from the famous abbey. Owned by New Yorker Ralph Parisi and his English partner Sarah Pountain, the couple bought the hotel 3 years ago looking for a business where they could work together using their different skills. But with high mortgage costs and increasing competition from a new budget hotel opening just yards from their door, Sarah and Ralph couldn’t seem to agree on even the most basic aspects of the business and the pressure of running the hotel was driving a wedge between them and ruining their relationship, so they contacted The Hotel Inspector and asked for help.
Arriving at the hotel for the first time, Alex was confused by the lack of signage. Things didn’t improve when she checked into her own room and was left with a feeling of disappointment as the tired furniture and dated bathroom failed to live up to her expectations. A tour of the hotel revealed an enormous disparity between the standard of Ralph and Sarah’s two refurbished rooms and the rest of their accommodation.
Returning to the hotel a few weeks later, Alex was frustrated to discover that Ralph still refused to acknowledge the need to refurbish the remaining rooms. To hammer home her point she invited a focus group in to rate the rooms in terms of how much they would be prepared to pay to stay. Even Ralph couldn’t ignore the weight of popular opinion and grudgingly struck a bargain with Alex. She would refurbish the neglected bar to create a welcoming public space for guests to enjoy, but in return Ralph and Sarah must work together to refurbish one of the dated bedrooms most criticized by the focus group.
Alex’s last visit saw the stylish new bar area completed and the upgraded bedroom looking worlds apart from its previous incarnation. To test the success of the refurbishment she invited local businesses and members of the focus group back to experience the newly restyled Jessop House. With rave reviews from the focus group, Ralph was forced to admit Alex had been right and decided he was ready to bring the rest of the hotel up to the same standards.