The Dream (Inn) of the Hotel Impossible Finale

Wouldn't you normally think yellow is cheery? Well, so did we -- until we saw the ghastly yellow that the Dream Inn had been painted. Not only did I agree with Anthony and Blanche that the color was heinous, but the entire town of Daytona did as well: After its completion, the town ruled no other building within its limits could be painted that shade. And since making a great first impression is key, the HI team knew the exterior had to go. And even though there were epic rainstorms, the team was able to repaint the hotel a gorgeous shade of blue in just four days -- much to the owners' happiness.

Family business are tough -- not only does the work need to get done, but the family also needs to get along -- and be in accord with one another. Unfortunately, although the owner Cindy said she was hands off and that her son, Jody, was the GM and final decision maker, it turned out this was not the case; that Cindy was actually running the joint herself. (Note that early in the episode, Cindy admitted to living with cancer for the past year and a half.) But since a good GM should always put their hospitality foot forward first (and not the other to placate Mom), Anthony drilled it into Jody's head that he -- and him himself -- was to be the only one who made final decisions about the property. And although Cindy was begrudging, Anthony handled the family feud like a champ and worked through the problems Cindy had been creating.

Seriously, I gotta say -- that was probably the grossest, dirtiest property I've seen in my eight months here at Oyster.com. And when Anthony wiped down that toilet bowl, well, I don't even wanna talk about it. But when Anthony spoke with the hotel's lone housekeeper, she was nothing but honest: She told him that she does not have time to properly clean each room and thus has to "cut corners." And I mean, cutting corners is just not acceptable. By Anthony's calculations, in order for the one maid to do a proper job, she'd need to clean each of the 25 rooms for a half hour each -- meaning she would have to work a 12+ hour day nonstop to get it done. Unacceptable. But at least she was honest -- by telling Anthony the truth, she helped the hotel get brand-new bedding and a deep (DEEP) clean of everything from the air conditioners to the carpets.

OMG OMG OMG! Now I know the effects of having one too many tchtockies (honey, I'm looking at you), but Blanche helped saved the day from Dolphin Overload. (Or as Blanche said, the Dream Inn is "where dolphins go to The sheer amount of these knick-knacks featured takes a hotel from kitschy-cool to kitschy-lame when overdone. By minimizing the collection and using the dolphins as accents, rather than as focal points, Blanche was able to weave in Cindy and the owners' collection (and passion) without gutting it completely.

Although the owners considered their property (and advertised it) as a boutique hotel, we'd probably classify it beforehand as a motel that's seen better days. And even though their location was great -- as Blanche said, "people come to boutique hotels for pools near the ocean" -- the hotel was in no way a boutique. Anthony's definition: "A boutique hotel is a smaller property offering a higher level of service." Considering the front desk manager had the personality of "a cold sore," we can't believe they thought they were meeting the service bar. But now that they're aware of what -- and designed to look like -- a boutique property, they've hired a happy front desk staffer, added chic seating to the pool area, and cleaned up the dirt, they fit the bill perfectly. We'll miss you Anthony -- but we can't wait for Season 2!!!


RELATED LINKS:

• All Hotel Impossible Recaps on Oyster
• Watch Oyster on Location!
• VIDEO: Anthony and the Housekeeper