Periwinkle Inn

MELCHIORRI: All around America, there are hotels that are hurting. They're understaffed, mismanaged, and in desperate need of a face-lift. That's where I come in. When hotels are in trouble, they call me. We're here in the historic Victorian community of Cape May. Can I help rescue this family-owned-and-operated inn from becoming history? That is not a mattress that I'm willing to pay $300 a night for. "No children allowed in the elevator without an adult"! That's not the way to greet a guest. You can't do my job. I can do your job because I've done your job at much bigger hotels. This damn thing is driving me crazy. It's not even well-made. Look at this. How dare he do this. Not gonna come here and ask your permission. Rick pulled up the carpet, and we found this. Have you read the comment cards on the Internet? I mean, it says people are rude here. Some people are just nasty, you know? So, basically, it's the guests' fault. There's a lot of people that come back. And a lot of people don't. Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer. What did I do? [ Tires screech ] I'm Anthony Melchiorri, and after 20 years in the hotel business, there's no problem I can't fix. I've turned around some of the most famous properties in America, from boutique hotels to big-city landmarks. I'm on a mission, and I won't stop until every hotel you check into is perfect. -- Captions by VITAC -- Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC. Today, I'm in the historic city of Cape May, located at the most southern tip of New Jersey. Cape May has been designated America's oldest seaside resort town. It attracts about 6 million visitors each summer to its shores, and it has one of the largest collections of historic Victorian buildings in the country. The 50-room Periwinkle Inn, which is right across from the beach, is one of the last remaining family-owned properties in the city. The inn is owned by Claudia Gaitka, who bought it back in 1973. Claudia runs the inn with her two children, Jennifer and Gerry, who basically grew up in the hotel and call it home. My mom has dedicated her life to this place, and you kind of wish she would take a break a little bit, you know? If we were forced to close the doors, my mother would be crushed and my sister would be crushed by it. CLAUDIA: I don't want to ever see that happen. I want to give them a legacy that they can work and not worry about where every nickel and dime is gonna come from. Cape May has really been hit hard by the recession, and the Periwinkle Inn is really feeling the pinch. After five years of being in the red, Claudia is struggling to make ends meet. So I've made it my mission to turn this inn around and restore it to its former glory. Periwinkle Inn. With one car. Where should I park with all these empty parking spots? [ Laughs ] They have a sign in the window, "Yes, we're open," like it's a convenience store. Pink. They have a pink building. It's not a Cape May Victorian, historic hotel, obviously, but the pink kind of works because their location is literally right across the street from the beach. You cannot get closer to the beach in Cape May, so having that ocean view is worth a lot of money. But it's right in the middle of competition, though. On the left, you have a hotel that looks like it's in South Beach, Miami. It's a beautiful hotel. It looks like it was just redone. And on the right, you have other hotels with probably 50 to 60 rooms. There's a lot availability in Cape May, and everything is about building reputations. So, it's very nice. It's very well-landscaped. Their staircase looks like it's in good shape. I mean, there's even an extra support here, so they look like they're taking care of the details. It looks clean. I don't see any cigarette butts. The pool looks good. I would come out here with my cup of coffee and some breakfast and hang out at this pool. So far, I'm impressed. I can't find, really, too many demerits on the outside of the building, so I don't really know why I'm here, but let me go in and find out. Hi. I'm Anthony. I'm Rochelle. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, Rochelle. I'll tell you, the grounds are beautiful. But as soon as I walk in, I feel like I'm in a bank, and I feel very strange, very separated from you. Is this bulletproof glass? Oh, okay. What is the purpose for this? They've never told me, explained why it is like that. Studies show that of all of the public areas in the hotel, the hotel lobby has the single greatest impact on arriving guests and visitors. Even with a beautiful exterior, this uncomfortable lobby can turn guests off before they even check into the Periwinkle. It just feels low-rent, doesn't feel like what I saw outside. What other policies have you seen here that may be preventing guests from staying? During our peak season, we only accept cash or traveler's checks. You don't accept credit cards at a hotel? No, only after peak season. Do you think when you're making a reservation that that's turning people off? It could be, yeah. 'Cause I'm not gonna come to a place that says it's cash-only. That's what a lot of people say. It's a turn-off because it tells me it's not a nice hotel. Cash-only hotels are usually one-hour hotchy hotels. KAREN: Hi. I'm fine. All righty. ...your keys, and your time punch. Hi, Karen. Yes, I do. Okay. You're a housekeeper? Okay. KAREN: Mm-hmm. [ Beeping ] What is she doing? Was that the time clock? Yes. You time-in in the lobby? Right. That's unacceptable. We're doing behind-the-scenes work in front of the guests. All right, it's not your fault. I'm gonna let you get back to work Okay. Thank you, Karen. So, is this what this lobby is supposed to do to a guest? No. It's where you come to relax. Right. I'm supposed to relax, supposed to have some coffee. Maybe I'm driving a long way. I want to make a little pee-pee. Is there a little bathroom? No, not for a guest. It's private. MELCHIORRI: So, a bathroom that guests could actually use is private, but the big time clock that staff punch in and out on is in the middle of the lobby for everybody to see. This doesn't make sense. So, a guest checks in and you tell them they can't use the bathroom? Yes. Give me the key to my room so I can use the bathroom. Here's your key, and this is where your room is located. It was an absolute pleasure. Do I have to punch out? Okay. [ Laughs ] Enjoy your stay. Thank you. [ Door closes ] So, this room rents for $142 to $297 in the peak season. This better be a good room. I have a flowery bedspread in my jail cell. That's what it feels like. It's all white. It just feels very claustrophobic. The bedspread -- I don't see any stains or any hair. Okay, so, it's clean, but it's old and ratty. The quality of the sheet itself isn't very good. Now, this mattress is so thin, I bet I can fold it in half. And look at that -- how easy that was, and now I can fold it in half again. That is not a mattress that I'm willing to pay $300 a night for. And, then, you have this lampshade that looks like it was -- It's broken. So it feels cheap. This is a safety hazard. You can get shocked. And, plus, the design of the lamp is wrong with the room. It just doesn't make any sense. Look at this. That's how I feel. I was very excited when I got here, and now I feel like that. Then, they have all these signs that are basically yelling at you. "Parking is provided for one car" -- in bold. Everything's in bold. "Parking is provided for one car"! "Unregistered guests will be towed away at owner's expense." "Sorry, no pets"! Why are you yelling at people in a sign? I understand that every hotel has to have policies for their guests, but you don't have to scream at them. I can't imagine what's in the next room. So, we have a flat-screen television, but, then, you have a very old leather couch that's probably been around since the hotel was opened, with these drapes that look like somebody's grandmother's apartment in Miami. So there's no continuity. The room is clean. It's just old and doesn't feel inviting. This is not a room that's acceptable. So far, this hotel feels like it has multiple personalities. It's not neglected. The outside is actually inviting, but the inside is not welcoming at all. I need to sit down with the owner, Claudia, to get her take on why the hotel is struggling. So, tell me how you've come to own this hotel. I've been in the motel business around 50 years, growing up. My father bought the motel for me and my two children. I can tell that you take a lot of pride in this business and that you care desperately about this hotel. So, what do you think is preventing you from getting to the next level? It's in financial trouble. The rooms have not been renovated. So you're prepared to renovate the property. At a cheaper price but quality that I require. Okay, well, the quality you require, so far, I'm not impressed with in the rooms. I mean, it's just doesn't feel inviting. Now, what I found out about Cape May -- Cape May is doing better than it's done since 2009. I don't know that. The people that I talk to -- They had a hard time this year. That's not what I've heard. You don't call me unless you need help. How has been your occupancy in average rate this year compared to other years? It's been a lot lower, so I need you to show how I can increase my revenue by some magic thought that you might have. Well, I have a magic thought -- You take the cash policy away. The credit-card companies -- They're charging for any kind of different cards. I understand. It's 2.5% to 3%. But every hotel deals with that. The problem with you having a cash-only policy -- Guests are not coming back because of the gobs of cash that they have to carry. Okay, and there's a lot of people that come back. And a lot of people don't. You're not rated very high on TripAdvisor. It was 8 the last time I looked. You're not. You're number 17 out of like 40. Claudia is disagreeing with everything I'm saying, but I'm not making this up. Her outdated policies may have worked in the past, but if she doesn't update the way she runs things at this hotel, it is doomed to fail. To back up what I just talked about, this guest said, "They don't take credit cards or checks, "so we had to carry a large amount of cash. "When we asked for a receipt, the ladies in the office were very rude to us." This is a guest. It's not me. "When I arrived, my room was not ready, "which was not a problem. "However, they would not allow us to even use a bathroom. "Instead, they suggested the hotel next door. Their answer to everything is, 'No.'" So, you're pushing people away. Can you afford to lose that reservation? If I lost that reservation, I made up with another one with nights. That's [bleep] Right now, every single guest counts and every single guest is important. You have to change your thinking. I'm changing your name to "Miss Excuse." No, that's not true. You can't run a business without being on the Internet. Computers crash. Paper doesn't. Your thought process is gonna have to change. You either embrace me being here, or you can throw me out. It's your hotel. MELCHIORRI: I'm in one of the oldest vacation destinations in the country -- Cape May, New Jersey -- where I'm working to help rescue the struggling Periwinkle Inn. Despite its beautiful exterior, the hotel's muddled look inside and outdated policies [ Beeping ] To help tackle the first problem, I've called in designer Casey Noble to see what she can do. It's really pretty. This, out here, feels right, and then there's this. Oh, no. No. What is that? You're immediately separated from whoever's greeting you. I feel like I want to buy a train ticket maybe. Or check cashing. Yeah, it feels like there's a total disconnect between my experience on the approach and what is happening in here from the ground up. What is this carpet? Barney is splattered all over the walls. And, then, there's, like, a giant dead bush behind the -- [ Door closes ] MELCHIORRI: Hello, sir. Are you a guest? Yes. Hi, I'm Anthony. This is my designer, Casey. We're trying to figure out what's wrong with this hotel so I can help the owner. What do you think of this lobby? GUEST: Well, obviously, it's not inviting. It closes you off from that interaction. The whole color scheme in here doesn't feel like Cape May. Say you're coming back to Cape May. Are you picking this place? I've actually taken pictures of other places, so the answer is probably "no" because -- Willing to pay a little bit more, you're gonna come down to Cape May, you shouldn't have to settle. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Wow. It's apparent to us, and it's apparent to guests. I want to make this lobby feel like the way I felt when I was walking up to the hotel. A hotel, especially when you're on vacation, is like a Christmas present. So, we took off the bow outside, It was a pretty bow. Right, and then we open up the box. And it's a ***. [ Chuckles ] "Merry Christmas!" [ Laughs ] So, exactly. Let me throw one more thing at you. So, you know what's in here, my friend, Casey? No, what's that? Go look. It's private, though. Oh, it's a bathroom. Only if you're an employee. I can't go into the bathroom because it's private. Yeah, I should shut it. I want the bathroom to be so nice that even if I don't have to go to the bathroom, I want to go to the bathroom. I want to think Peri-***. [ Laughing ] Okay, okay. Fair enough. So, you got a bathroom, you got a lobby, and you got a room. So, you got it? Yep. There's a lot to do in here. Yes. And this damn thing is driving me crazy. Not for long. It's not even well-made. Look at this. Look at this. We start now. I'm doing your work for you. Okay, front desk is done. I usually let Casey come up with a plan before we start tearing down things that need to go, but I wasn't taking any chances with that train-station window. While Casey gets started, I'm going to do a perimeter check on the property to see if there's anything else that might be turning guests off. We have no guests, but we have a pool boy. Sammy. So, you come every day whether there's guests or no guests Yes. When you're cleaning the pool, do you also put towels down for the guests? They use their towels for their rooms. But, typically, we have pool towels. Like, every pool I've -- Why is that? I'm not really sure. They have to bring their own towels. What do they do with the towels once they're done? They hang them up in the back. Can you show me where? All right, right over here. So, they have to come across the parking lot -- Are you kidding me? That's the only spot that we can really give it to them. So, guests are supposed to come across the pool, across the hotel, across the parking lot, and put their wet towels here? 'Cause I need that towel to take a shower tonight. Now, all the towels are the same color. How do I know I'm getting my towel back and I didn't get somebody else's towel? Right? It doesn't seem to be the most effective thing. Okay. Yeah. All right, I got work to do. Nice meeting you. Thank you. You too. What guest wants to go on a hike to hang up their towel when they're trying to relax by the pool? I'm sensing a bad pattern here. A lot of care is being put into the hotel's exterior, but not a lot of thought is being put into the guest experience. I need to talk to the owner, Claudia, about this right away. CLAUDIA: I don't believe this. I really don't believe this. Totally ridiculous. How dare he do this. He's disrespectful to me -- totally disrespectful. Hi, Anthony. Hey. Gerry. Nice to meet you, Gerry. You're Claudia's son. How are you? I'm angry. You're angry. What are you angry? I'm very angry at what you did here. That thing was put up for security purposes. If you want to jump through the desk, my way out is that way. I can get over this desk before you could even move. I'll come back at you if you want to, okay? I know you will. I'm afraid of you already. But there are some people that don't act like me. I agree with you. Safety is my number-one concern, so I will incorporate that into the design, but I want to give you an understanding of what a guest is looking for. And I spoke to a guest, and he said, "I don't feel comfortable." He told me that. He said it, not me. That gave me the empowerment to start changing it. Before you go destroying things, you need to know what you can't destroy. I'm not gonna come here and ask your permission. I'm gonna come here and try to help you go in the right direction. Your thought process is gonna have to change. You either embrace me being here, or you can throw me out. It's your hotel. You think that things could be upgraded? That's absolutely fine. I respect that. But you have to respect me first. Okay? And that's what I'm so upset about. I owe you an apology, and I'm sorry. Accepted, but I'm still angry. MELCHIORRI: I'm in the beautiful Victorian beach community Cape May, where I'm working to bring the family-run Periwinkle Inn up to date. I got off to a rough start with the owner, Claudia. She's been resistant to change, but I'm hoping things will go a little bit more smoothly with her daughter, Jennifer. She helps her mother run the hotel along with her brother, Gerry, and she's the one who called me in. Hey, Jennifer, how are you? JENNIFER: Hi, Anthony. How are you? Very nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Yes. That's why I'm so nervous because it's my behind on the line, you know? If it doesn't turn out favorably for everybody, I'm gonna hear it for the rest of my days, you know? Well, it'll turn out favorably if you guys just tell me what's going on. What's that? What else do you do? Oh, that? Actually, I did a jingle for you guys. Do you sing professionally? [ Blues music plays ] ♪ I got vacancy ♪ ♪ What's an innkeeper gonna do? ♪ Thank you. ♪ Yeah, yeah, I got vacancy ♪ ♪ What's an innkeeper gonna do? ♪ ♪ So run ♪ ♪ As fast as you can ♪ ♪ to that "Hotel Impossible" man ♪ Thanks. Thank you. Well, thank you. That's an honor that you wrote that for me. Now, would you say you're a singer, or would you say you're a hotelier first? Well, I was here when I was 1 1/2 and on, so I had no choice in the matter. Would say I'm a hotel person first. So, now, why don't we do this? Let's go outside and get out of here. Let's go talk. So, I want to know your job title. I focus on the marketing on the Internet. Have you read the comment cards on the Internet? I mean, it says people are rude here. I mean, you know how that works. Some people are just nasty, you know? So, basically, it's the guests' fault. What was your occupancy average rate last year? I don't know. You should know what the occupancy average rate is 100%, to the point, and you don't. So, I need to focus you more. I feel you're fiercely focused -- I get yelled at all the time from my mother and my brother, "Get your head out of the computer," you know, 'cause I'm always on it. Marketing. Tell me how you're marketing. Um, I don't, you know -- Yeah. How much did you make last month on AdWords? I don't have it set up like that. Okay. Don't you think it's a good idea? Yes, absolutely. MELCHIORRI: I know I'm putting Jennifer on the spot with these questions, but she needs to be at the top of her game if we're going to bring this hotel out of the red. She knows the hotel needs a jump-start. That's why she called me in to help, but she needs more focus and less excuses. I am here to reposition the hotel Absolutely. And the only way to do that is for you to be fiercely focused on what's going on. Okay? While I'm trying to get a handle on the hotel's marketing strategy with Jennifer, Casey and her team from Wilde Builders are hard at work with the renovations. Things are going smoothly in the room, but in the lobby, they're having just as much luck as I am. NOBLE: How's it going? [ Chuckles ] Well, Casey, as you can see, when we took off the carpet, we've got a pretty major crack in the slab. That's huge. Holy moly. Okay, so, this is just because it's an old building and we're on sand. That's exactly what it is. The ocean's right there across the street, and this building's been here for quite a while. [ Sighs, laughs ] How do we fix this? We're doing a cement floor... Okay, but we don't have time for that. ...and then tile, and there's no time for that, so we could try carpet. That would be the simplest thing to do at this point in time. Brutal. Carpet is just kind of the wrong material for this space. I mean, it's like, there's lots of traffic, sand. I want to steer clear of it if at all possible. I'm like on plan "F" at this point. While Casey searches for a way to make the lobby more welcoming, I'm doing the same for the rest of the hotel, and everywhere I look, I'm reminded of the hotel's rules. Another divider between the guest and the hotel because there's another "Don't" sign. Of course, there is. "Please do not take ice for coolers. Ice is for in-room ice buckets only." Well, if you're at a hotel that has a beach across the street and you have a cooler, that sign's not gonna prevent me from taking this ice and putting it in my cooler. Again, this is just like what I saw in the bedroom -- another sign telling me what I'm not supposed to do. Yes, it makes sense. You don't want people to use this for their ice chest because there's only a little bit of ice in here, but there's got to be another way. If a guest wants to have cold beer on the beach, we should be able to provide a solution for that, not put another sign -- "Please do not take ice for coolers." If you do, we're gonna kick your ***. Guess what -- another sign that's yelling at me, and it's in red. Red is usually used for fire, not for "No children allowed in the elevator without an adult"! That's what we're doing. That's not the way to greet a guest. That's ridiculous! Oh, look who's here. Good timing. I know you guys have been in this business for a long time because you see people doing things wrong so many times that you just get fed up and you do things like this. The only thing that should be red in the elevator should be a fire sign. That's an insurance thing, though. We have to do that for insurance. So every hotel in Cape May has this? Not every that we know. This yells at me. I would be devastated if any of my children that come here get hurt. I want to feel your care for my children, okay? We can do this in a simpler way that doesn't yell at me. Right? This is another thing that's not showing your softer side. It says right on your Website, "Upon arrival, your balance is DUE IN FULL" in bold letters. Why do I need to yell at the guests? Why did I have to have it put in capital and bold letters? We've done it the other way. It has not worked out. If it's not said like that, the point does not seem to get across. Everything out of your mouth is an excuse. I'm changing your name to "Miss Excuse." No, that's not true. It is your responsibility as a hotelier to inform them. It is not to yell at them. This is not informing. This is yelling. So, now we're gonna start actually helping you and stop criticizing you. I'm just broken down. If I broke you down, that was easy. No, I actually love it. I'm gonna actually get a shirt made -- "My name is Miss Excuse. "Thank you. And come stay at the Periwinkle. Yes, Anthony calls me 'Miss Excuse.'" That's gonna be my new position. MELCHIORRI: I know Jennifer doesn't like to being called out about her excuses. Who does? But I'm not here to make her look bad. In fact, I know she has a big heart, and it's in the right place. But I'm here to save the hotel. That won't happen unless we get real about what's not working. I have no problem with any of you. I think you're beautiful people. I think you're very sweet. So, let's go forward, and now let's recalibrate the way we think. GERRY: Sounds great. Okay. JENNIFER: I got to make a shirt now, right? Wow. MELCHIORRI: I can only imagine what Jennifer's feeling. She grew up at this hotel and she's emotionally connected to it, so it's overwhelming to hear the harsh criticism I've been giving her. She's talking to my producer right now because she thinks I'm being *** her, but I'm here to help her and help her family. Jennifer's supposedly pissed off, talking to my producer because I called her "Miss Excuse," and now she's freaking out, so I'm gonna go see what's going on. Jennifer! What's going on, man? Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer. But what happened? Why are you upset? What did I do? You're awesome. Where are you going? Are you all right, Jennifer? [ Door closes, engine turns over ] MELCHIORRI: I'm in the charming, historic city of Cape May, where I'm trying to help the Periwinkle Inn find a new level of success. I just shared some honest observations about problems I've noticed around the hotel, but it's clear the owner's daughter, Jennifer, isn't taking the criticism well. Is it something I said? I want to help you, and I want to help your family. I'm not here to upset you. GERRY: You got to give Anthony that. [ Chuckles ] MELCHIORRI: It's important that Jennifer and her family hear the truth about the hotel's problems, and sometimes the truth hurts, but my number-one goal is their success. That's it. She has to know I'm on her side. If they win, I win. What can I do to help you do your job better? JENNIFER: Help in marketing, you know? I'm gonna give you some direction on marketing, and, also, I want to see what you're doing on the Web and how you're doing that. We don't have a computer system. Well, why don't you have it? Computers crash. Paper doesn't. You know what I mean? And we've done it this way our whole lives. Your mother's drilled into your head -- or I'll call her your "boss" -- computers crash, paper doesn't. You can't run a business without being on the Internet. I want you to step me and my sister and my mother up to that next level. I'm glad to hear Gerry say he's ready to move forward. Claudia's paper filing system was the norm 30 years ago. But a modern hotel needs a modern system, and it's time for Gerry and Jennifer to bring things up to date now. Do you think you're at a point right now that you could take over the inn and your mom could work for you? I don't think she would allow it. Why don't we do this -- Your mother has been fighting the devil to keep this place in operation to keep a roof over your head. Is it time where we sit down with Mom and say, "Mom, you're in charge, but we're gonna take over"? Could we do that? We could. But I want you to do me a favor for me here on out -- Do not walk away from me again because if you walk away from me, I'm gonna walk after you. It makes me want to run you over with my car. I don't think I have coverage for that, though, do I? [ Laughter ] I'm glad Jennifer has a sense of humor. She almost walked off, but now we're on the same page, and we are finally able to make some improvements to the hotel's management structure. Now I've got to check with Casey and make sure her renovations are moving along. What's up, Casey? Hello, hello. I like you've ripped everything apart so far. Yeah, baby, we're working, but I'm freaking out a little bit because this floor is an issue. I've never seen you, like, upset. Why do you look so stressed out? Well, to begin with, I wanted to do tile in here -- like, real tile -- but this floor's very uneven. So, my plan "B" was to put down something that looked like a tile. it's, like, a commercial material. Whatever. I went to go get that, but that was completely derailed when Rick pulled up the carpet and we found this. Which happens lots of times when you pull up carpet, we find cracked foundations, especially when two feet above sea level. I mean, the ocean is right there. From here to here was massively different, so Rick chiseled it down, but it's just too much of a problem. It's too uneven to make it work. We can't afford to take the time to do the tile. I still have the lay-down, stick-down stuff that doesn't need grouting, and that's what I'll do as my plan "B." Yeah, but I don't want to put lay-down, stick-down tile in a lobby that's Old Victorian. No. Seriously, I don't want to do something that's not gonna feel right. So, I know there's a timeline. I'll do something. I'll do something. Get to work. Oy. MELCHIORRI: It's been a bumpy ride so far, but now that the family has had some time to relax, I've called them together for a meeting so we can start from scratch. We've got to be on the same page if we're going to make any real progress. I just wanted to speak about yesterday and how we're all feeling from yesterday. Much better, actually. I had a little time to think. Yesterday, I just went through a lot of emotions and might have taken things the wrong way, which I had no reason to, and I'm 110% back. There's absolutely no reason for you to doubt yourself. I can see all the hard work and love that's gone into this property. Having a family-run business has a lot of emotions to it. Are you kind of tired? 50 years is a long time. Should you retire? Because you have two children. Why not let them start taking control of the inn? I don't know. I can do your job because I've done your job at much bigger hotels. I couldn't do your job working with my family. Yes. There's a lot of stress. There's never a moment to kind of just be a family. You're right. You're absolutely right. So, when I say, "Is it time to retire?" meaning, "Why doesn't he step up? Why doesn't she step up? Why can't you just go on a cruise for a couple of months?" [ Laughter ] Why can't you go on vacation and just start taking it easy? I think there should be a transition, but I don't think I can just walk out the door today. It's funny. She doesn't have any faith. I mean, I have a lot of responsibility, and I personally have been here -- I'm not gonna talk for Ger -- you know, 26 or 27 years working every day. But if you want to do it slow, that's fine. If it doesn't take three years, it doesn't take three years, but slow so both of you understand. I don't mind you directing us, but I need you to be a little bit more open-minded. Sure, I can do that. Yeah. My way is my way. That doesn't mean it's right. They should develop their own way. It might be better. I'm sure it will be better. That's what I needed to hear. So, we're gonna start the transition today. Absolutely. Thank you. Here is your new lobby. Oh, my goodness. Starting to like me a little bit? So far, I'm leaning towards her. [ Laughter ] MELCHIORRI: I'm in the picturesque city of Cape May, where I'm working to help the Periwinkle Inn rise to the level of their competition. Their family and I have worked through some issues, and now it's time to get back to work. Jennifer asked for help with marketing, so I'm taking the family to a nearby MAC center. It's the cultural center of Cape May and could bring in plenty of new guests. Jean, I'd like to introduce you to the family that runs the Periwinkle. Nice to meet you. We work very closely with the business community. We have Spring Festival, we have Sherlock Holmes Weekend, we have Christmas tours and wine events. So, how do we get the people to stay at the Periwinkle? Through a tie-in between your Website and ours. We do a lot of online ticket sales. Online ticket sales. So even a place that's not a hotel is selling most of their business online. To help you get started with this, MAC has business memberships. How much is the membership? Okay. But we're going to give you a platinum membership to get you started. As a platinum-level business member, what you get is the benefit of our e-mail outreach. Your name will be on each of those e-mail blasts that go out with a link right to your Website. Awesome. Wonderful. I will guarantee you you will see business from just one e-mail. I guarantee you. We also have ticket packages, and you can include them with your rooms. And we go to about 20 different travel shows. MAC has their own booklet that goes to those shows, and you can be an advertiser in that. Can we get in this magazine this quarter? Absolutely. I can give you a quarter page in the one that we're putting together right now. MELCHIORRI: Good question. Thank you. Nice. That marketing meeting went great, and now Jennifer has a new tool to help steer Cape May tourists to the Periwinkle Inn. [ Indistinct conversations ] While Casey and her team work to make the hotel's interior match its charming exterior, I've got something for the family that should enable them to start saying "yes" to their guests instead of "no." One of the things I've noticed on your property is, you've had one ice machine. And having one ice machine for 50 rooms, to me, is not enough. And more importantly, on the ice machine, it tells the guests what they can't do. I don't like telling a guest what they can't do. This is a Manitowoc, top-of-the-line, green ice machine donated from American Hotel Register. This is a guest ice machine for a glass of water. The other ice machine is really for chest ice that you bring to the beach because you can flip that up and you put your hand in it. Here, you can't touch the ice, so it's pure ice. That's perfect. No, that's wonderful. Sexy. [ Whistles ] [ Laughter ] We're starting to do the Periwinkle way, and the Periwinkle way is to make it easy and convenient for guests. So, let me show you another thing that I think is the Periwinkle way. You have this beautiful pool. By not having a towel at the pool, it feels nickel-and-dimed. Mm-hmm. I agree. I agree with you. [ Smooches ] Oh, my God! I was waiting for that moment to happen! Follow me. So, as you can see, CLAUDIA: Yes. ...donated by American Hotel Register. Oh, really? Wow. So, how many do you think you need? 200. And the pool towels are yellow so they won't be confused with the white room towels. Plus, they donated the storage bins, too. Nice. It's a guest convenience, 'cause it's kind of ridiculous for a guest to go across a parking lot to hang a towel. I love them. I've always wanted pool towels. I see a smile. I start to see the wall coming down. We're agreeing with each other. This is great, and it gives my customers a little added extra love. That little extra love is everything. So, I have to go check in with my designer because if I don't go find out what's happening right now, ice and towels is all you're gonna get. Okay? Well, then, I will let you go. Okay, so, I got to go. Go straight in. I love it! I love it. I got to go to the bathroom. [ Laughter ] You're really gonna go? I'll go if you go. I -- I'm speechless. MELCHIORRI: I'm in historic Cape May, New Jersey, where I'm working to bring the Periwinkle Inn into the modern age. Casey and her team have had their hands full with a lot of important and intense renovations, and it's finally time to show the family what they've done. My team and I tried to make your rooms feel like the rest of your hotel. So, are you ready? Ready. GERRY: Wow. Different. CLAUDIA: Wow. It is really cool. Very nice. I like it 'cause it's cozy, it's warm-feeling, inviting-feeling. JENNIFER: I love it. It feels like home. When I first came in, it was very white. Now it looks like something. GERRY: It's this comfortable feeling in here, like your home away from your home. I might be sleeping here tonight. MELCHIORRI: Our friends at American Hotel Register gave you new sheets and a new bed. CLAUDIA: Very nice. People just don't live in the bedroom. I'm gonna show you the rest of the room. I don't want to leave. [ Laughs ] Okay, follow me. Go straight in. CLAUDIA: Wow. It's cute. I'm impressed. Really nice. I feel very comfortable. Very homey. This is more Victorian. This is more Cape May than a typical motel room. I like the way the kitchen looks. It looks like we can go right in and cook. GERRY: This is beautiful. Great utilization of space. I'm not taking responsibility for this beautiful room. Casey Noble is a great designer who's worked tirelessly. There she is. Hi! Oh. Oh, stop. Very, very nice. Anthony kept telling me "warm and inviting," that we need to feel comfortable in here. CLAUDIA: I love it. I love it. And the great thing is you can use this design template on the other 49 rooms and not spend a fortune. I mean, I love it. Starting to like me a little bit? So far, I'm leaning towards her. [ Laughter ] Sorry. Sorry. I'll get to you later by the pool. So, we have another thing to show you. Sure. And here is your new lobby. Oh, wow! Oh, my goodness. it looks so much more open. GERRY: Such a different color. It's way more soothing. CLAUDIA: Very nice. So, my favorite thing in this lobby is the desk. I don't think it was standing out, and so the guys gave it a coat of metallic paint so that pattern really shines, and I think it's so pretty. And right from the time you walk in the door, it is the focal point. GERRY: It's gorgeous. JENNIFER: Beautiful. I like it a lot. This now feels like a home away from home. It feels comfortable. It feels open. It's breaking down the barriers, and that's what we're trying to do. I agree with you on that one. Very nice. GERRY: Fresh and beautiful, and it's amazing. One of the things I'm really sorry that I have to do right in the middle of all this -- It's a beautiful renovation, and you did a great job -- but I got to go to the bathroom. [ Laughter ] MELCHIORRI: Come here. Go take a Peri-***. Oh, nice. JENNIFER: It's beautiful. Very nice. Beautiful, beautiful. So, I know you were a little concerned about the bathroom, not having it open to guests. I don't think they would abuse this kind of bathroom. GERRY: That's true. Okay, so, now let's get out of here. So, we need to give them -- not so much you -- them the tools to really start getting to the next level. I want to show you something, so if you saddle up to the front desk. On your desk is a computer. This is a new Website, donated by Pegasus Solutions, to show how beautiful the Periwinkle is, and it also makes reservations. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Another thing -- They can do something called "e-cards." Right from your desk, you can do a card and send it out to 14,000 people every day. It takes you five minutes. I'm loving this. Oh, my God. It's amazing. Wow. There's also something else. You now have a property management system called WebRezPro. It crashes? Not your problem. There are computer technicians somewhere in the cloud that fixed it and couldn't make it any easier. I think it's a great thing for the Periwinkle. I got no more surprises. I just got a question. Was it worth it? CLAUDIA: It was worth every minute of it. You're part of our family now. Yeah, absolutely. I am now going to jump in the pool. You want to go together? If you do it, I'll do it. Let's go. GERRY: No. I'll go if you go. Oh, my God. Wait. Let me take my jacket off. Come on, come on. Ready? Go! NOBLE: Oh, my God! [ Laughs ] Aah! [ Laughing ] Oh, my God. [ Laughter ] You're amazing. I -- I'm speechless. He calls me nuts. He's nuts. MELCHIORRI: Well, now what I need you to do is... Jump in again? ...take that moment and jump in with both feet into the future. Take the Periwinkle to the next level, and your children are going to be part of that. Yes. Give me one more wet hug. I like wet hugs! [ Smooches ] I just jumped in the pool with a woman that would have drowned me three days ago. Today, she embraced me. Today, she embraced the future. She broke down the walls, and she is ready to bring the Periwinkle into the next era, to hospitality, to warmth. This family is a great family. The Periwinkle is a magical place. It's a place that feels like home.