By BETH J. HARPAZ Associated Press
Anthony Melchiorri, host of "Hotel Impossible," is shown in an undated photo provided by the Travel Channel. (AP photo)
If you think youre a picky hotel guest, check out the pet peeves of Anthony Melchiorri, who critiques hotels for a living and hosts a new show called Hotel Impossible on the Travel Channel. Melchiorri is freaked out by dirty grout, hates Internet fees and always checks hotel rooms for something he almost cant bear to name.
On the show, which airs Monday nights (10 p.m. ET/PT), Melchiorri advises hotels on how to improve everything from facilities to service to decor with a goal of increasing sales. Hes brought his in-your-face, can-do assessments to properties ranging from Gurneys, a historic beachfront inn in Montauk in the Hamptons, to a boutique hotel, The New Yorker, in Miamis artsy MiMo district. This week, he visits the Purple Orchid in California wine country.
Melchiorri has been in the hospitality business for 20 years and has helped reposition storied Manhattan hotels like the Plaza and the Algonquin. But he hasnt lost touch with what the average traveler experiences in those first few minutes in a hotel, and he shared that process with The Associated Press.
THE LOBBY: When I walk into a hotel, I want the illusion that my stay is going to be perfect. I want to see the bellman greet me. I want to see that the paint isnt chipping. I want the front desk to engage me, treat me like a person, so that I know any problem I may have, they will take care of me. By the time I get to the elevator, Im already starting to be comfortable.
BIGGEST FEAR: As soon as I walk in the room, I put my luggage in the bathroom because thats the safest place away from any insects. I say insects because I dont even want to use the word. Now I inspect the bed. Im looking at the seams of the mattress and headboard, end tables, the side of the bed. Let me be clear: Most hotels dont have bed bugs. I have never found a bed bug in a hotel. But I never put my luggage on the bed, ever. And once I realize theres nothing living in the bed, I look for a metal luggage rack and put my luggage on that. (Metal repels bed bugs; they prefer wood.)
THE ROUTINE: I bolt the door to the room, and if theres an adjoining room, I check the door to make sure that room is locked. I cannot tell you how many times people have walked in on me. I also look in the shower, sink and tiles for dirty grout. I cant get in a shower with dirty grout, not even in my own house. It freaks me out. Then I open up the ironing board, I make sure its functional, I look to see that theres no water in the iron and I put it in a corner of my room so its ready to use. And then I unpack. ... I have a plastic liner from the drycleaners and I put that in the drawer first.
THE EXHALE: Now that I know my room is clean, I can forget that Im a germaphobe. I can forget that I didnt want to touch the remote control. If the hotel does its job, and gives me the illusion that its perfect, then my defenses go down. But if theres a dirty hallway or a light bulb is out or an employee was rude to me, then my cootie-ometer is up.
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Hotel pet peeves
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