Monticello Hotel – Hotel Hell Update – Open or Closed in 2023?

Episode Recap

Monticello Hotel was a Longview, Washington hotel featured on Season 2 of Hotel Hell.

Though the Monticello Hotel Hotel Hell episode aired in July 2014, the actual filming and visit from Gordon Ramsay took place much earlier in mid 2013.

It was Season 2 Episode 2 of Hotel Hell.

The Monticello Hotel is located in Longview, Washington.

While Longview is in Washington state, it’s actually closer to Portland, Oregon than it is to Seattle, Washington.

In fact, it’s less than an hour drive to downtown Portland, which makes Monticello Hotel a nice spot for people looking to escape the city.

The Monticello Hotel building was built in 1923, making it one of the oldest buildings in town.

At the time of the Hotel Hell episode, the hotel is owned by Phil Lovingfoss.

The owner’s mother worked at the hotel when Phillip was a young boy.

When he was older, Phillip bartended at the hotel and fell in love with the owner, who was thirty years his senior.

He inherited the hotel from her when she passed away.

He seems to like older women, as his current girlfriend, Ginger, is also much older than him.

In addition to being his girlfriend, Ginger is also the general manager at the hotel, so the two run Monticello Hotel together.

The hotel only has four suites available because Ginger and Phillip’s things take up the rest of the rooms…which is odd.

They utilize the small motel next to the hotel and call it the north wing.

Gordon Ramsay arrives and is impressed by the size of the hotel.

He sees a lot of cars in the parking lot and assumes there is a car show.

Vanessa, who works at the front desk, informs him those cars all belong to the owner.

Gordon sees the employee of the month board hasn’t been updated in years.

Gordon’s room is in the motel, not the hotel. He refuses and is taken to the main building.

The room is hideous. He finds that all the decor comes from Ginger and Phillips’s home, including the mattress.

Vanessa shows him how the other rooms are used as storage areas.

Gordon meets with Phillip and Ginger and notices Phillip is decked out in diamonds.

The building is worth $5 million, and Phillip inherited nearly $10 million from the previous owner, so he’s not doing too poorly.

Ginger and Phillip think the staff is taking advantage of them.

Gordon goes to the hotel restaurant for dinner and is served by Debbie, working there for 12 years.

The chef in the kitchen says everything is either canned or frozen. Gordon sends his meals back to the kitchen.

Overall, it seems like Phillip is in charge of the kitchen, not the chef. 

Phillip also has a drinking problem and received a DUI before Gordon arrived. More on this later.

After his meal, Gordon Ramsay meets with the kitchen staff and the owners.

They tell Gordon they are overworked. There also is not enough staff.

Gordon takes the staff to his room and takes out a black light, showing them bodily fluids and burns.

The staff began to get emotional after being shown the disgusting state of the room.

Gordon is upset that the owners live a luxurious lifestyle but do not give their staff the wages they deserve.

That evening, Gordon sleeps in the tub instead of the bed.

Gordon takes the owners with him outside the next morning to meet with customers and get feedback. 

The customers complain about cleanliness. They also are mad they stayed in the motel when they paid for a hotel experience.

No one said they would come back to the hotel.

Ginger tells Gordon she is worried about Phillip’s drinking. They plan an intervention for him. 

While all of that’s happening, Gordon Ramsay’s crew are hard at work on improving the hotel.

They have freed up a few of the suites and added new furniture. They offer room service from their new menu.

Gordon leaves the staff with a new employee of the month board. 

So was the Monticello Hotel Hell episode a long-term success? Keep reading to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2023 and beyond.