(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 3 | View All Season 3 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: June 28, 2016
Brick Hotel Address: 1 Washington Ave Newtown, PA 18940
Episode Recap
Brick Hotel was a Newtown, Pennsylvania hotel featured on Season 3 of Hotel Hell.
Though the Brick Hotel Hotel Hell episode aired in June 2016, the actual filming and visit from Gordon Ramsay took place much earlier in late 2015.
It was Season 3 Episode 6 of Hotel Hell.
In this episode of Hotel Hell, Gordon Ramsay visits The Brick Hotel.
The Brick Hotel is located in Newton, PA.
If you’re not familiar with Pennsylvania geography, Newtown, PA is in Bucks County and is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area.
It’s also not far from the New Jersey border, with Trenton being the nearest city.
The hotel has a very storied history, as the building was originally built all the way back in 1763.
Yes – The Brick Hotel is literally older than the USA! Pretty cool, right?
Verindar Kaur and her son CJ are the owners of the historic hotel.
However, they have cut corners to make profits, and the staff is constantly turning over.
Verindar runs the hotel with an iron fist, and it is her way or the highway. That’s an understatement.
Customers avoid the hotel because of Verindar’s reputation.
They need the Brick Hotel Hotel Hell episode to fix the hotel’s reputation with some Gordon Ramsay magic.
Gordon meets with former staff members before going to the hotel.
They tell him the turnover of staff is in the 100s.
One staff member says they have worked under at least 50 different managers, which is just incredible.
The employees are never paid on time or paid in full.
When Gordon arrives at the hotel, he notices lots of issues and neglect, even pulling off the peeling wallpaper at one point.
Verindar tells Gordon that before buying the hotel in 2006, she doesn’t have any experience in the hotel business.
The room Gordon is staying in is very dusty.
He is met by a housekeeper who shows him another room at the hotel.
The room is also filthy and covered in mold and dust.
Tammy, the events coordinator, meets Gordon in the restaurant.
The hotel does close to 400 events annually, which is why the hotel is still open.
Tammy tells Gordon that Verindar keeps firing staff, which is why the hotel is declining.
Gordon orders various menu items such as cauliflower steak, French onion soup, and a burger.
All of the food is disgusting, and Gordon cancels his burger due to the taste of the other items.
There is no cook in the kitchen and the kitchen is also dirty and gross.
Verindar has fired so many staff members and has called the cops on them in the past, although she denies it.
CJ meets with Gordon.
He works as the IT manager.
In the kitchen, Gordon is told the staff only clean the line.
He then brings out his bacteria testing kit to check the vents in the kitchen. The rating is very high.
He continues to test other items in the hotel, such as the shower curtain with a reading of 5680.
CJ admits to Gordon that he doesn’t stay in the hotel.
Gordon shows him all of the dust and mold in the rooms.
The rooms are also very dated, with TVs that look like they came out of the 90’s.
Having seen enough, Gordon pulls the fire alarm and evacuates the guests and their items from the hotel.
That’s some classic Gordon Ramsay drama, right?
There is a staff meeting, and the staff complains about Verindar saying she doesn’t give them much responsibility.
CJ tells Gordon his mom wants to retire and spend more time with the children and that she had an issue with staff in the past, and she blames the current team for their misdoings.
After some back and forth, Gordon seems like he’s finally able to get through to Verindar about what needs to be done.
In addition to the non-tangible changes, Gordon also makes some physical changes at The Brick Hotel.
The hotel is remodeled with new rooms and a lobby.
The menu is changed to fit the large gatherings they have as well as their hotel guests.
Locals come in for the relaunch to eat and see the new rooms.
Things seem to be going better, but would the changes last?
Keep reading our update to learn what happened to the Brick Hotel and how it’s doing in 2024 and beyond.
Brick Hotel Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Brick Hotel Hotel Hell visit from Gordon Ramsay, let’s talk about what happened after Gordon and his crew left Newtown, PA.
Gordon reported that the hotel’s reputation was getting better in the community.
CJ stepped up as a leader, and his mother stepped back.
The staff turnover rate was at an all-time low.
Let’s talk about the biggest question on your mind…
Is Brick Hotel still open after Hotel Hell?
As of 2023, Brick Hotel is still open and serving patrons in Newtown, PA.
However, reviews for the Brick Hotel Newtown, PA location are not very good.
It has just a 3.0 star rating on TripAdvisor and the original restaurant has a 2.5 star rating on Yelp, which is pretty bad for a hotel.
Unfortunately, the reviews from after the Brick Hotel Gordon Ramsay visit don’t seem to really be any better than before.
A lot of the negative TripAdvisor reviews seem to still focus on the ownership and service.
People also complain about alleged “bait and switch” practices where they book one room but are given a different room on arrival.
Consider this recent TripAdvisor review from September 2021:
I was so excited to stay in a historic building in lovely Newtown!!
Imagine my disappointment when the room that I had reserved was not available and the owner did not contact me in advance.
The room that I was given overlooked the parking lot and dumpsters, which was the exact opposite of what I had booked.
Furthermore, this terrible room was advertised on the web site at a lower rate, however, the owner refused to honor it.
She charged me the rate for the room that I had originally booked.
I DIDN’T STAY IN THAT ROOM!
She said that the web site was outdated and that the rates were wrong.
It’s worth noting that, in the comments below, Verindar says that all of the rooms have been renovated.
However, it’s also worth noting that another commenter left a comment sharing a similar bait-and-switch story in 2023, and I also found another recent TripAdvisor review from April 2023:
I booked the Brick Hotel via Booking.com and saw online the spacious room I paid extra for.
When I checked-in I received another room.
This was a bait and switch job if I ever saw one.
The Mgr, Gia, said that I was paying $80 less than the posted room rate ( due to Booking.com’s sale) and she gave me another room.
Booking.com wouldn’t do anything and said it was a comparable room.
If you call having a bathroom and a bed without the sette and the nice decor comparable then you are blind.
I will never book at the Brick Hotel or use Booking.com again.
Very dissatisfied.
While the hotel is still under the same ownership, the restaurant does have new ownership from what you saw on the show.
It’s called Rocco’s at The Brick and it’s an “Upscale bistro featuring fine seafood & meat-centric dishes in classy, warm surrounds.”
Reviews for Rocco’s seem a little better, but it still has a 3.5 star rating on TripAdvisor.
If you’re in the Newtown, PA area and looking for some accommodation, you can book a room at The Brick Hotel via the official Brick Hotel website or most popular third-party booking platforms.
Prices vary depending on the room, but they generally cost ~$130 per night during the week and ~$155 during weekends.
If you look on the third-party booking sites, you can generally find prices that are a little lower.
Here’s what the Brick Hotel Newtown PA location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view:
What happened to Verindar Kaur from The Brick Hotel?
As of 2023, Verindar Kaur is still listed as a partner at the Brick Hotel, so she seems to still be involved in running the business.
She has her own Instagram page and seems to be doing well.
I don’t normally link to people’s personal social media profiles (except for LinkedIn), but you can find her Instagram page with a quick Google search.
Final thoughts on The Brick Hotel
Overall, the Brick Hotel is still open after Hotel Hell, so it can be considered a success in that respect.
However, the reviews are not especially good and a lot of the issues that you saw on the Brick Hotel Hell episode seem to have persisted.
Nonetheless, the Brick Hotel Newtown PA location is still going strong for now, so congratulations to everyone involved.
If you want to see some other updates for nearby episodes of Hotel Hell, you can check out these posts:
- River Rock Inn in Milford, Pennsylvania
- Town’s Inn in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
- Curtis House Inn in Woodbury, Connecticut
And if you want to share your thoughts on the Brick Hotel episode, you can do so using the comments section below.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-brick-hotel-newtown-2https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g53338-d268746-Reviews-The_Brick_Hotel-Newtown_Pennsylvania.html
What did you think about the episode? I'd love it if you shared your thoughts on the episode in the comments below!
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And don't forget to check out the full Hotel Hell open and closed list.
Last updated: 2023-05-20 05:19
Sadly. Not one thing in this summary is true what Godon is saying. I guess made up stories sell to boost ratings. The Brick Hotel in 2022 is doing fantastic. All rooms are renovated that Gordon promised but failed to do even one shameful
“Sadly. Not one thing in this summary is true what Godon is saying. I guess made up stories sell to boost ratings. The Brick Hotel in 2022 is doing fantastic. All rooms are renovated that Gordon promised but failed to do even one shameful”
Lesson not learned.
Agree
Did you even watch the show? The show doesn’t renovate every room. His team renovates one or two rooms to give the owners an idea or template on what to do with the rest. The viewers of this show saw the renovations.
The show was about giving you the tools and insight to succeed. Not to renovate all of your rooms for free. They renovated 1-2 rooms to show you the direction the hotel should take. I hate when ppl try to take advantage of shows for free updating/repairs and exposure. Get real
bro shut it already, i mean, the show provided you everything and it was litrally like teaching your child how to walk!!
You never seemed a gracious, people-person. You couldn’t even ‘fake’ kindness. Your smugness shows through and that’s unfortunate. The hotel business may never have been for you. Learn to be grateful. You’re fortunate Gordon helped you in the first place but sadly, you don’t seem to even know it.
The mother consider herself apart of the upper castes and see other as beneath her and thus she free to abuse or mistreat people as much as possible. It won’t change and a lot of these upper caste bring them same baggage from India.
Sorry you seem to continue not taking ownership of either the hotel or your behavior very seriously. Sometimes it’s more about oneself than others. Gordon gave to you more than most ever receive in their lifetime and yet you still are ungrateful and snobby. He cannot fix that. I wish you success but more so I wish you a sense of appreciation which leads to happiness.
Why would Gordon renovate every single room? I’ve never seen them do that? Also i looked at the reviews for the hotel on Google and they are horrible. There are no free lunches. You don’t get a million dollar renovation for a 30 min TV episode..
Really seemed like awful people. They were just in it for the money. Treated their staff disgracefully and had no experience or expertise at running a hotel or restaurant. Clearly some issues with the arrogant “owner” and her “investor” son. Should be laws against non involved investors like this.
Dear Verindar,
I’ve been reading this site for a while now and they really do their best to give us all relevant and detailed as they can along with links to sites where they get their info. Your Trip Advisor reviews speak for themselves, not Gordon Ramsay. Grow up, take responsibility and take care of your team! One more thing, maybe hire more housekeeping to keep your business healthy and clean
Didn’t he renovate the restaurant as well? Plus that mold mitigation wouldn’t have been cheap at all. You’re lucky he even did a full renovation of one room. The show has a budget. It’s not Gordon Ramsay’s responsibility to renovate your entire hotel out of his own show’s budget. Get real.
Ladies and Gentleman, it is no use to address V… Those are words from someone who expects everyone else to fix their screw ups and the only time they lift their finger it’s to point it in someone else’s direction for their own failures (never lifted to help themselves). These type of people are bitter, lazy and will never be satisfied. We can only hope some day she does some Extremely Deep soul searching and becomes a decent person who not only appreciates but Values the people and the opportunities she’s had in her life.
True I guess.
This hotel was a nightmare for my family and I.
We specifically booked two suites, but when we got there we were given to standard rooms, well below the price of what we paid for the suits!
The manager refused to honor the rooms we booked, but still charged us the upgraded room price.
We decided to cancel our stay because our reservation would not be honored. We didn’t even stay there for 10 minutes and demanded a refund, but they refused.
Luckily we disputed the charge with our credit card company and we were fully refunded, even though the owner faught us. We booked a week at a local airbnb that was absolutely wonderful.
The brick is not the only historic place you can stay, so if you’re looking for a historic building to stay in, there are tons of beautiful bed-and-breakfast, and Airbnb’s that are perfect!
By the way, the staff at the brick are lovely, it’s the manager or the owner..whatever she is, that is just awful. She ruins it for everyone. I feel terrible for the people that work there.
If you end up having to stay here, call and confirm that the room you are reserving/booking and paying for is actually what you’re going to get. Get it in writing or record the telephone call.
I was at the Brick last night (2-22-2023), in Rocco’s.
The Brick has a nice outdoor area with Edison bulbs and heaters, so clearly they have invested money to make it through the worst of the pandemic. It has curb appeal for sure.
The placed seemed to be jumping for a Wednesday night. It seemed ok, but had a weird vibe. Stepford Wives meets Day Trader Bros meets Tinder? This might be where every blonde with bad plastic surgery goes to hang out in Newtown.
There was an older bald man wandering up and down the bar telling each woman she was the most beautiful woman in the bar and then buying them drinks. Full disclosure- he snubbed me (LOL). I guess he is lonely but it was at turns kind of creepy and then sad watching the women mock him after he bought their drinks.
I waited quite some time before I was approached by the bartender. I said I’d like a glass of Cabernet. He told me the house cabernet was “Josh” and I asked if there was anything else, saying I would like a “big” cabernet. His answer was so bizarre- “we have wines that are $12 up to $25” and made a sliding-scale gesture with his hands. (I wasn’t asking about price, I was asking about wine). I said just give me something in the mid-range.
After I received my wine, a nice choice by the bartender, the barback handed me a wine list. Doh!! I thought maybe it was just me but he gave the same spiel (and hand gesture) about the wine’s price range to the women who sat down next to me. I have never in my life heard a wine described that way.
I ordered food to go and asked for something to snack on while I waited, meaning an appetizer- he said how about some bread? I said sure. I waited a long time for the bread. The bread arrived and then the bartender made his way down to me and apologized for the wait and said my order must have gotten behind a bunch of larger orders-I get it, it happens and no harm, no foul. So he topped off my wine- a nice gesture.
My food arrived and was handed to me. Again, I waited a very long time for it. I brought it home and it was the wrong order. I called and asked to speak to someone at the bar, the person on the phone said, “did you pick up the wrong order?” I said “no, I was given the wrong order.” A big distinction in my mind. The manager was put on the phone. They offered to bring me the right order if I lived locally (nice).
I said I didn’t want to wait for it and to please refund my order. Not a great impression. Maybe a one-off and I will give it another go. I did not see any of the rooms, but would be interested in peeking as I haven’t lived here long and expect to have guests from out of town come for a visit or two.
Only today I learned it was on Hotel Hell, so I watched the episode and- ick. That said- it seemed better than what was shown by Gordon, and perhaps it has improved. I’ll try again, maybe wear a blonde wig and plump up my lips 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience! Always interesting to hear from people who visit the places in person.
Ya’ll crack me up. As someone who grew up in the Newtown area in the 1950s, The Brick was a working man’s bar where no Lady would ever set foot. Bullet holes in the wall, Hell yeah! They were probably fired to break up a “friendly” fight. I remember many good rowdy times there. It was a sad day when the place got gentrified. The Old Newtown guys never went back in. Tsk.
People treat others how they themselves were treated. That was back in India. Nervous, uptight rudeness still does not cut it. The place may well qualify for – MOST FORMER EMPLOYEES BUSINESS
I am glad I was told to watch the epidode about the Brick Hotel and what is now Rocco’s Restaurant. My observation is that they raised the prices very high and you get the same microwave food. Many people believe if they pay a lot, the food must be good. NOT
How is this place still open?!? I give it another year lol
Always amazed at places like this, why Gordon Ramsay doesn’t call the health department. Kitchen can get bad, yes but every inch of this place was indeed a health hazard