We Spent $5.8 MILLION Converting A Mansion Into A Hotel... And It's Failing! | Hotel Rescue | Abode

[Music] there's a way to make an entrance my destiny it was now a conspiracy of witches download today [Music] Britain is a hotel Nation the hospitality industry is worth a staggering 114 billion pounds a year to the UK economy and we have over half a million hotel rooms but there's a problem far too many British hotels aren't up to scratch eminent hotelier Ruth Watson has been in the business for over 25 years for too long British hotels have offered poor standards but now with so many holiday makers staying at home it's time to raise the bar sounds better Ruth wants to nip the problem in the bug right before the rod sets in if I can offer advice to first-time hoteliers right from the outset then I think I can stop them making catastrophic mistakes what the hell do you know about running a hotel absolutely nothing I think it's not rocket science but she'll take them from initial concept to building and design work hey how big ampsy Frank it looks like a tip I'm going to be really rude here really looks to me like a very expensive Greek restaurant and send them behind the scenes at Britain's top hotels this time it's Kent and Claire in Lincolnshire this is so prone to disaster I mean it just fills me with horror no bride will ever forgive you for by bringing up her wedding we have toilets in our flushing we have bathtubs that are not draining we're not off to a base time when Ruth sends in her undercover inspector will the hoteliers get top marks or fail to make the grade knowing what you know now would you do it again good the East Midlands may not be known as a tourist hot spot but it attracts over 16 million visitors to stay in the region each year there are hundreds of hotels and bnbs about to join their ranks on the border between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire just outside the historic town of Newark stubs and Hall is a Regency Mansion built in 1814. Kent and Claire Brainerd moved to the UK from America more than 20 years ago and fell in love with the English country fairy tale the family bought this neglected house with the dream of restoring it to its former glory and sharing it with the public of all the things that we could have done with this house the hotel really seemed like something that would be a lot of fun their big ambition is to make Stockton Hall one of the best hotels and wedding venues in the UK whenever we would go to other people's hotels we'd say we would probably do that differently or we do that or what do you think of this food and I think we're just going to carry on with that and bring it here and give it that Personal Touch I think we're going to be great hoteliers Kent has carved out a successful career as a music producer while Claire is a published art historian now they want to change their lives with this ambitious Hotel Project without any formal training Kent has appointed himself as sole architect I'm not fully competent as an architect I know exactly what I want but it's difficult for me to translate sometimes into something for the builders [Music] spent nearly five million pounds but they are almost six months over schedule the building site costing them 25 000 pounds a week they are hemorrhaging cash and are desperate for the hotel to start making them some money we went to the bank and asked for some more money and that was just when the economy tanked and it's been a very difficult few months since then with their funds dwindling Kent and Claire are at crisis Point award-winning hotelier Ruth Watson steps into the breach you bought a house with how many bedrooms about 15. and you've now got a hotel with 41. we also along the way I decided we had to build a conservatory an orangery a function room and a spa so you really have filled the brief here haven't you work began two years ago but despite spending Millions much of the hotel is still looking like a building site Ruth wonders what's causing the delays presumably it's a huge project you've got an architect working on this yes very good one it's me right so what we've done is as we've gone along it's a little bit like jazz you know you know a worker will do that and then I'll go and um then we'll change this form and we'll go you know and I go but and it's it's all come together in an improvisational way and that's how you get a place with real character the property started Life as a Regency Mansion dormitaries were added in 1950 when it became a boys school Kent's Jazz architecture has created a conservatory and a new function space they call the orange tree complete with a Kitchen and Bar and Doric columns but they didn't stop there they demolished the dormitories and are presently building a huge Spa with a grotto and mock Roman pool enough space for a dance studio 18 treatment rooms another restaurant and 26 more bedrooms upstairs they've also created a lake and a 300-foot water feature modeled on Versailles this is your Canal your Versailles ditch we call it Versailles light l-i-t-e yeah how much did it cost oh not that much actually um I think 35 000 pounds I'm slightly mystified it's why the eye is drawn straight down to a not terribly attractive 60s looking house at the bottom are you going to be screening that well you see we've already tried to screen it and we spent 15 000 pounds coming up with lots of trees but Kent's jazz style shows a strong creative streak which will give stubton its Unique Look art historian Claire has already spent a hundred thousand pounds on oil paintings they've spent 25 000 pounds on fireplaces and half a million on the Victorian style or injury how much this cost 1.9 million and how much of you if you by the time we finish we will have spent six and a half million we never started this with a purely cold business idea this was all about restoring this beautiful old house and it kind of went from there labor of love definitely a labor of love Kenton Claire planned to combine classical art and architecture with more contemporary design it may not be to everyone's taste tell me about the the colors I mean this is sort of dark diarrhea in here I wouldn't have chose dark diarrhea I think Rich Havana is better the idea in here is to bring in a lot of gold we're going to do some gold leaf trim on the shutter you're frightening me no I mean subtle but Ruth's worried that by focusing on expensive Aesthetics some of the more basic infrastructure may have been overlooked phrase the Draymond his barrels how's he going to get them into your room here we've got an entrance door right there about seven feet down the hall I'm just thinking that you don't really want deliveries going in front of your customers who might be walking down to their rooms and that's not the only floor in their plans Kent and Claire are Keen to attract lucrative wedding parties to stubton your injury will serve as a function room for 200 guests but it's separated from the hotel by the kitchens the only way to get there is by going outside how do the customers actually get to this room because you've just walked me through a function kitchen they'll be around put an attractive path they'll come out a door that we didn't see today you see the problem is if you've got the bride in one of your best rooms in the main building and she's all in her finery and she's coming down to this room she's not going to want to drag the dress through some uncovered possibly wet possibly windy piece of corridor you know this is where if I may say a professional architect would have probably got it right [Music] when designing a hotel you have to think about the flow of guests and staff on average over 20 percent of the floor space will be for backup house this is needed to accommodate kitchen laundry offices and storage with top country house hotels needing up to eight staff members per guest it's essential that there's adequate space for staff to move through the building when Stockton Hall caters an event for 200 they must remember that this will generate 1 000 glasses to wash up one thousand plates and over 1500 pieces of Cutlery if they don't have adequate space to do this back of house it could spell disaster and cost thousands to put right everything that's about practicality about function has almost been glossed over and this is going to be a major problem if this place is going to trade at a hotel since Kent and Claire are over budget and behind schedule Ruth has a radical solution at the moment you're squandering your money your time your talent your skills labor over the entire site and I think you should be confining it to the one bet that you can get ready as soon as possible just to get some cash flow coming in Ruth thinks the hotel survival depends on stopping building work on the spa so they can ready the house for those all-important summer weddings start small get the Hotel done got the function room done as soon as possible get some cash flow get the weddings coming in and then we can open up the spa perhaps a little bit later on it's like a phase two in the project sometimes you have to take little step forwards before you can make big leaps and I think that was Sage advice but there's a problem as Kent's plans are called into question we've built this beautiful space but no place to do the dishes and Ruth has some serious concerns is this going to be ready for the first wedding music producer Kent Brainerd and his art historian wife Claire want to open a Grand Country House Hotel and Spa in the Lincolnshire Countryside and make it one of the best in Britain but their plans have gone awry couple have lavished five million pounds on the hotel so far but don't have the money to finish it Ruth Watson has advised them to stop work on the spa week they can then concentrate on opening the remaining part of the hotel as a wedding venue in six months time when Ruth will send in a secret inspector Kent and Claire have been so wrapped up in this project it doesn't seem to have dawned on them that very soon they're going to have paying guests with very high expectations they have no idea how to run events so I'm sending them off to London's glamorous Mayfair Hotel which holds parties all year round I'm looking forward to seeing what Claire's capable of and as for Kent well I think this is a moment where he will realize that his Jazz improvisational philosophy just simply doesn't work tonight we are hosting a party which you're going to run and will be your responsibility to get right should we make a start absolutely good come this way all right events a serious business for the Mayfair they hold 28 functions a week that can cost anything from 5000 to 250 000 pounds it's the official hotel for London Fashion Week and is a firm favorite of the film industry today there are nine events on at the hotel Kent and Claire have been given the chance to oversee a promotional drinks party in the most exclusive venue for five thousand pounds a night penthouse suite it's important tonight knowing who's coming that everything is just right so even though you're in charge we won't let you get away with anything that's not the Mayfair standard of course these are the Mison plus things that you need all the items for tonight where would you start off we need to find all of the equipment and the glasses glassware and things like that and make sure it's up here long before the guests arrive so that's sort of where we're going to start thanks guys it's a great opportunity for the couple to gain vital experience Claire will oversee the whole function while Kent will take responsibility for Refreshments we really really need to stop moving the sun just take it to the end there you got the bar there should I get some tape and um yes please yeah it's it's pretty high pressure so job yeah very good job Claire is clearly relishing the job you can kind of hover above it a little bit you can see those little details that need to be done I really don't understand about this cocktail Clips this seems like a very unsteady stack of plates and it looks like a breast shaver disaster no that should be fine after only a short time Claire's mind turns to how events might run at stupton Hall I have to say I've seen a few things that I would do slightly differently oh this is typical as someone who's managed Madonna's wedding at Skibo Castle Charles knows there's no place for amateurs in this business I think without any previous experience and going into this industry it's going to be very very hard with the party goers due to arrive shortly Charles returns to do a walk through putting himself in the guest's shoes is this area looking okay yes what's missing it smells terrible because the kitchen's just hit I happen to know that incense is on its way out fantastic you're thinking excellent let's move outside oh oh sorry what's that I'm a wobbly table uh I can fix it okay why wasn't that picked up that's quite serious I'm concerned about those plates being a little bit wobbly oh thank you so much for saying that because I thought it was a really bad system if somebody's carrying a large stack of those it's just going to be a disaster yeah they make a very good point Claire's Focus has clearly impressed Charles but how will Kent fare what's champagne to be serving tonight it concerns me that you're looking for the bottle is it not here are there any other things being served tonight Margaret River uh sauvignon blanc but hopefully by the time guests arrive you'll remember that without having to look at the label absolutely good Claire in particular has a wonderful eye for detail she sees things through a customer's eye Kent on the other hand the operational execution and the detail will come to him later in life and it already clearly has to clear I'm dying to drink one of these I would love to drink that champagne they've been on their feet for over six hours and are starting to realize how much work they'll face when their own hotel is open I think I've just had this realization that um you know there's been all this building and and now we're almost there and now we've got to go do this and it's going to be a lot of hard work foreign work at the hotel continues at PACE stubton is due to open as a wedding venue in just a few months its budget may be running out but he doesn't want to compromise on the look of the hotel today an 8 000 pound decorative Clock Tower is being installed Claire is busy drumming up business she's found a wedding planner and created a website for the hotel marketing the wedding venue is crucial as money is the predominant concern it's still scary I mean there's still so much money involved that you wake up in the middle of the night you go oh my God you know there's still lots and lots of hurdles before we get to the end of this Ruth thinks that the only way for them to start earning money is to get the wedding venue up and running for this they need to complete critical areas such as the bridal Suite walk me around this room because I absolutely know you can spend money if that's I have no doubt well what I want to know is do you know where to put things so you come in here big bed here yep wherever possible we will have either a small bench or a sofa perhaps in this room at the end of the bed we will do a little seating area around the fireplace there super king size bed will have pride of place a Shay's long will sit at the foot perfect for gazing out towards Kent's Versailles inspired water feature further seating will be focused around the fireplace and a full-length mirror will allow nervous Brides to prepare but the room's biggest feature is the hand-painted wallpaper so how much did the wallpaper cost because it looks a bit special to me it's Kent went to China to get it and so this cost about 1500 pounds and the flight and the flight a thousand with the hotels and the luxury doesn't stop there in the bathroom Kent has his heart set on a tented effect using fabric on the walls the idea here is this is going to be like Napoleon's campaign tent [Music] she said across the water I mean this is so prone to disaster I mean it just fills me with horror good hoteliers have to think about practicalities public areas get more traffic but it's the bedrooms which see more damage Behind Closed Hotel doors people are far more careless than they are in their own homes using towels to clean shoes and to hide spillages on average seventy percent of a hotel is covered in carpet and these are replaced roughly every seven years best to avoid white and beige but also solid dark colors a textured mid shade is the best choice to hide marks hoteliers recognize the damage and wear will happen to the rooms which is why top end hotels employ a full-time decorator to maintain this finish whenever you do anything bespoke in a hotel environment you've got to remember it is so vulnerable and whereas at home you will treat it with love and care and respect you'll guess I don't care how much they're paying what social class they come from will not you will have the person who will spill the glass of red wine on the carpet who won't bother to tell you won't bother to clear it up who wouldn't dream of doing that in their own home but they'll do it in your hotel I think what's coming through loud and clear is the naivety about how the public behave the lack of respect they can show to things I had mixed feelings when she was telling us because part of me was saying no they're not they're going to respect it and the other part of me was thinking oh it's really going to break our hearts when some of this happens February in just six months time Ruth will be sending in a secret inspector to evaluate the premises if stubton can get listed as one of the top 100 UK wedding venues it could provide a much needed boost for business but building work has fallen behind and Ken's lack of training as an architect is exasperating his Foreman he doesn't want to paint a wall before it's plastered he wants to plaster wall before it's built but you don't realize there's a procedures to go through so it's not easy but the foreman isn't the only one worried about Kent's competence as an architect hello hello hi Ruth hi since her last visit Ruth has been keeping an eye on Kent's ever-changing Blueprints and is worried that things don't add up she's concerned that Kent's designs for the kitchens don't allow the staff to move around the space quickly and efficiently it's something he needs to remedy now or the kitchens won't function properly well let me think about this for a bit I'm going back to the drawing board quite literally all right okay all right thanks a lot Ruth bye for now okay okay cheers bye-bye oh stop work now somebody's got to make a decision quick but every little change costs time and money two things Kent can ill afford we've built this beautiful space we've got lots of room for 200 people to sit down and have dinner but no place to do the dishes [Music] oh well but matters are about to get worse the money they thought they had to finish the project has gone and the banks are unwilling to lend any more I think that we are sadly kind of victims of what's happening at the moment in the banking crisis it hurts that the thought that we might not be able to finish it or that we might run out of money and and not be able to pay our workers it's put a lot of strain on our relationship you know and in our life because all our Focus has been unstubden for the last couple years we have nothing more that we can give to the project [Music] the couple are forced to make a big decision to cash in their last Investments when the market is at its lowest the stress of potentially losing everything is taking its toll I'm really lucky to have her around because when things got tough she was she was a rock and they've gotten really tough yeah we're a good team we work well together [Music] but there's no going back for Kent and Claire their only hope is to be up and running for their first wedding in three months when I saw you last you were really nervous about whether funding was going to come through sleepless nights how how did you cope it got really bad it got to the point this wasn't fun anymore I mean it became a nightmare it started out as a real dream it became a nightmare is going to be ready for the first wedding the orange tree that's what you're going to be passing it has to be we've committed ourselves already so how long have the builders said it's going to take uh just over three months more it a program like this is often organic and some not often organic in your case totally completely utterly unfiably absolutely to the tea organic or Jazz but that's why it's so special it's why it's so special it's also why it's cost you such a lot of money so little time before the Hotel opens and money's so tight Ruth wants to check on Kent's progress designing the Troublesome kitchen dishes over there for a walk yeah but that's plates and watch that's glass wash here right so they're going to have to come all the way through the orange through into there into the glass wash nothing is ideal in that in that circumstance Ruth still thinks Kent's inexperience could cause huge problems when you come to core utilities like this this will actually dictate every single day of the running of this business whether it works smoothly and easily or whether it's awkward and difficult and perhaps more expensive or perhaps more dangerous than all those things we're serious about this and we're not trying to just have fun with this this is a a lot of money a big investment and we take it very seriously I think you have got to with the Jazz point taken [Music] it's all very well lavishing lots of money on beautiful finishes and Interiors but you also have to be functional and Kent just doesn't seem to have grasped this fact so I'm sending him to one of the world's leading hotels where they really do combine both practicality and luxury hi I'm Claire I'm Andrew nice to meet you Karen pleasure to meet you welcome to cheese and Glenn Juden Glenn is what stubton Hall one day aspires to become it started off with only eight rooms but over its 43-year history it has grown to 58 rooms with two restaurants Golf Course croquet lawn outdoor pool and spa general manager Andrew Stembridge makes sure all aspects of Hotel Life Run smoothly they host over 500 weddings and events each year turning over millions of pounds worth of profit this requires a well-designed infrastructure an area where Kent and Claire lack expertise and you need to make sure that back of house you've got the space to do it you've got the equipment to do it and and things work we've got the pass here so this is where the chef stands and that's where all the hot food comes out you've got the ladder through here so that's where all the cold dishes are being prepared we probably reorganized our kitchen four or five times I think the main thing to do is don't compromise when it comes to back of house if you can just simply because it's really important if you're going to do events well your staff have to be able to work at Tuten Glen a lot of effort goes on behind the scenes the front of house is an oasis of calm seeing the long road ahead is an emotional moment for Claire I feel like everything is so perfect and Polished and we've been a building site for so long you wonder if you're ever going to get to the point where where the cushions are fluffed you'll have your first event your feet will hurt like hell at the end of it but everyone you and your team will sit down at the end of it and you'll all have a glass of champagne after the first event and then you'll get the letter from the bride and groom and how special you made their their their occasion and that's that's when it's all worthwhile with opening day fast approaching can they pull off the perfect wedding oh gas or will Kent become a Cropper so we have no water Kent and Claire Brainerd opened their hotel for their first wedding in less than three months financially troubled they are also up against the clock with the building work Ruth Watson has serious questions about how this unconventional couple will cope when their hotel opens for the first time building this in the Jazz way is one thing what I absolutely know incontrovertible not going to hear a word against it is that you cannot do weddings in a jazz way no bride will ever forgive you for buggering up her wedding I can't tell you how much damage it could do to your business if somebody bad mouths us that's that could be curtains Ruth has been a hotelier for over 25 years and knows that reputation is everything in this industry with customers sharing information so widely on the internet a bad review and sink a business at her own hotel Ruth Works closely with housekeepers and she knows it's the first thing your customers will judge you on in my experience housekeeping is probably the most difficult Department to fill successfully what we're doing today is to interview people for the position of head housekeeper Kent and I have no experience with Hotel housekeeping we can find one as quickly as possible then you've nailed possibly the most difficult position in the hotel structure because of stubton's rural location it won't be easy to find good staff locally so Ruth has sourced three highly qualified candidates head housekeepers can be responsible for large numbers of staff and salaries can go up to fifty thousand pounds I will leap right in and say do you live locally I don't not very local around 36 miles from here so it's about a 40-minute Journey that's close in these parts Small Talk aside it's down to the cleaning what do you think an average time to clean the rooms would be I'd say 30 to 45 minutes do you actually do a bit of cleaning yourself I do yes yesterday I made 12 beds who knows about today do you smoke I don't know would you how do I ask this in the right way um Ruth steps in if I was an employee I'm coming to see you I would be slightly frightened about the amateur image you present and the way you talk about things because I would be thinking oh my goodness am I going to have trouble with these owners not knowing how to run a hotel but it's down to a musician and an art historian two Hotel novices to choose the best candidate for this senior position I'll ask the question please do you think you could work with these two people I can manage in chaos yeah not chaos organic is not care stay with the word care yeah Kenton class interviewing style may be a little an orthodox but they are very personable people and I think funnily enough that's probably the right way to go about it would you find it difficult perhaps knowing more than they did about things not at all you can be on my team any day okay if you're an employer I will I really like the the last candidate I think that she was good and we're going to get in touch with her so with one key staff member earmarked it's back to the building work and in spite of Ruth's concerns Kent is confident he'll pull off his first wedding I do agree that uh we've done things and she calls it the Jazz way ultimately it's going to be the clientele that come or not come and we'll see if Ruth was right Kent doesn't know that Ruth is also sending in an influential undercover inspector whose opinion could change the fortunes of stubton Hall I know it still looks like there's still a lot to go but we're just getting so close this room in a couple of days is going to be really there we have exactly a month until our first event every day I have just a gigantic list of things that need to be done every day we have a low period either because something's not going quite right or just because everything is going right and we're so tired just trying to make it happen some of Ken's design flaws are getting sorted the bridal walkway linking the accommodation to the function room has been paved it remains uncovered but other artistic ideas like his tented bathroom are going full steam ahead Kent is really set on this idea and I think it's going to be beautiful I don't know how practical it is I think that in many respects he's the dreamer and I'm the Practical one but Kent's worried that the money will run out before they open the hotel to paying guests I wear all the time and I'm having problems sleeping and it's all it's always about money and it used to be wonderful it was about creative decisions like curtains or doing Gardens and now everything is this drip drip torture of money it's going to be desperately close to get everything finished for the for the first bride it's the most important day of her life and and everything's got to be perfect we can't screw that up I'm just so hellishly busy at the moment you just don't know it's the unknown and it's the first time we've ever done this it's just that not knowing that always makes it difficult yeah the brainerds may be overwhelmed by the prospect of their imminent wedding Kent's only consolation is that he can shrug off his worries at the end of a long day with a dip in his own Lake [Music] [Applause] [Music] I don't have a camera I wish I had a camera Kent and Claire want stubton Hall to be the best country house wedding venue in Britain but these newcomers face stiff opposition from some well-established hotels such as CM Hall in County Durham which has history on its side Lord Byron tied the knot here Calcutt Manor benefits from being in the established tourist hot spot of the Cotswolds and luckenham park near bath has 500 Acres of Parkland and its own Equestrian Center [Music] it's summer and the wedding season is in full swing it's back to find out whether Kent and Claire have managed to transform the once derelict house into a first-class wedding venue well they've certainly tied it up the outside there's no signs of Builders stubborn looks ready to go [Applause] Kent and Claire have gambled six million pounds on this risky project they've done extensive work building a new 200 capacity orangery Spa exterior is complete but the inside is still a building site Ruth wants to discover if the rest of the operation is fit for business how are you very well hi Kent look what you've been up to it's so beautiful I really want to see around of course because we've had lots of obstacles along the way so can I have the tour yes stubton Hall is no longer an empty shell the 15 bedrooms now have the wow factor from the vibrant and Whimsical to the Carmen and classic the Sumptuous Bridal Suite is now furnished with an Eclectic mix of antique and contemporary pieces the grand four poster bed is adorned with Prince of Wales feathers Chinese wallpaper room it looks great it looks great love the bed I mean this is Country House hotel at its very best I think it's a great success I really like it I'd be more than happy to stay here but will Kent's luxurious but impractical tented bathroom get Ruth's seal of approval aha you have a ceiling I mean it looks very pretty don't get me wrong it does look very pretty and for a bridal room moment it makes it much more special doesn't it I'm not going to quibble about it I think you know insane but what's New Kent foreign ERS bar is now warm and inviting chock full of eccentric artifacts such as Kent's stuffed animals but to get open in time has cost them dearly they are deeply in debt have lots of weddings booked for their beautiful music room to know if they are charging enough to start paying back the three and a half million in loans the venue fee is currently between 2 500 pounds and three thousand pounds depending on the time of year and the day of the week my immediate reaction is it's too cheap two and a half three and a half thousand for a place like this is actually I would have thought on the modest side compared to most places you could be right about this we um again because of the economy we've been very careful with how we've priced things because we haven't wanted to gouge people there is no way that you should be downgrading your product wrong road to go the grand orangery with its Doric columns looks out onto the Terrace and landscaped Gardens inside there is Comfortably enough room for large wedding parties this space is their biggest asset and their only hope of paying off their massive debts wow what a space feels slightly Spartan yeah well I have to say that money's been very very tight yeah so as cash flow comes in we'll be able to add more and more things so we will be putting mirrors in a bit of trellising Stalin Panache have never been in issue with me it's just the financing of it Ruth is impressed by the stylish front of house when it comes to the tricky back of house area Kent has sidestepped his layout problems as the weddings will use professional Caterers who bring their own equipment we don't have any planned kitchen as one would recognize a planned kitchen I hate to use that word Jazz but this has I really thought that that might have died today this kitchen has evolved we started out with a dishwasher over there everything else was kind of flexible consider this a success for a hote it's a bit of improvisation it's fine for now and I'm not going to give you a really hard time about it but this problem isn't going to go away it's no surprise to me that Kent and Claire have done a really good job on the decor I think they've done it with great Brio I think it's a lot of personality if Kent and Claire can get through the next 18 months then I think this is going to be a huge success [Music] it's July it's taken Kent and Claire three years and six million pounds but today they open their doors to paying guests for the first time today's our first wedding and uh it's all Happening Here we have something like 20 25 people running around and uh there's great action inside that house right now there's going to be 90 people for the ceremony today we have the chairs in place it's 11 in the morning and guests will soon be arriving for the four o'clock wedding but there is a disastrous problem with Kent's Plumbing we have toilets that aren't flushing we have bathtubs that are not draining [Music] things are not going down [Music] don't freak out Brian [Music] oh this is unfinished hey Stacy it's Claire we still have to do beds I'd love it if you started now with guests arriving shortly some final fixing is taking place look at that okay we'll get somebody up here to do that and Claire's eye for detail means she keeps finding areas of the house not up to her standards that's filthy down there my goodness there's a lot of rubbish here that needs to go disappointing a bride is terrible PR and can sink a wedding venue they must pull out all the stops in the final two hours to get to stubton Hall looking picture perfect yes in true English summer Style just before guests arrive the heavens open to make matters worse the downpour outside is accompanied by a drought inside so we have no water to have a bowl bowl okay great thanks and all the water is drained away and there's no water in the bedrooms the problem gets fixed but the stress is taking its toll on Kent I'll let you know in a few weeks what it's like being a hotelier we're not off to a great start with the ceremony about to start there's another problem one guest is locked in her bathroom because the door handle is missing on the inside they're coming over with a handle for it this will help you want to take care of them DJ but Kent is learning to delegate as host he's needed back in the ceremony room [Music] the bride is unaware of the drama and the trapped guest makes it out with seconds to spare not doing too bad who says it's it's a sharp learning curve isn't it soon the Sun comes out and the happy guests spill onto the Terrace Kent feels like celebrating the most difficult thing is that I would love a glass of champagne but I can't cry [Music] the Splendor of stubton Hall seems to have seduced their guests and all teething problems have been forgotten couldn't get out of the bathroom because there was no handle on the door every element is a new challenge for Kent and Claire first one was bound to be really hard and I suppose um in some ways we were ill-prepared for today oh gas but the most important verdict of the day comes from the happy couple they have been genuinely great hosts it feels a bit like you're staying in their house and that's the thing that's come over they've worked really hard to make sure we have a nice time so I wish them all the success really yeah I do as well but Kent and Claire face a more critical eye when Ruth sends in an undercover bride this worries me this does worry me I have to say I think you might be interested to hear what Deborah from Brides magazine said [Music] it's cost 6 million pounds but stubton Hall can't yet operate as a full-time hotel to get some cash flow they have been open as a wedding venue for two months in which time Kent and Claire have hosted eight events massively in debt they're working long grueling hours they're unbeknownst to them one big test lies ahead which could make or break stubton Hall Ruth is sending in a secret inspector editor of Conde nast's Brides magazine Deborah Joseph is posing as a demanding customer he's visited the finest venues in the country but only the very best to make it into her influential top 100 places to get married [Applause] it's not off to a good start Deborah has time to turn on her hidden camera as Claire is late for the appointment after an important Financial meeting nice to meet you mother-in-law but Claire turns on her charm for a guided tour Deborah inspects the reception rooms bedrooms and Views but the Taxidermy in the bar is a distinct turn-off it's lovely but the dead animals don't do it for me oh horrible next the uncovered walkway linking the house to the orangery although they plan to cover it Deborah notices it's open to the elements he says this where is me this does worry me I have to say I've got curly hair and the thought of having to walk outside before my wedding in the rain and walking with a big frizz ball on my head doesn't fill me with joy Claire has no idea that Deborah is inspecting stop so much thank you bye thank you speak to you soon ER than you think it's down to Ruth to break the news of this crucial assessment you may remember you had a pretty little bride with her mother-in-law come to look do you know who that was I do know who that is people over oh you evil woman that was a young lady called Deborah who is editor of Conde Nast Brides magazine oh Ruth what you're now going to get is some real objective feedback oh Deborah are you snake in the grass [Laughter] tour Claire showed you around how did you get on we love the decor we love the Interiors we love the views and the price is very good price very very reasonable I have to stop I think it's a bit too cheap there are the wedding venues of this ilk and they charge around 5 000 so you are cheap I did have a couple more thoughts we really didn't like the um Taxidermy now you're getting married I think dead animals hanging from the wall probably isn't what you want to look at what did you feel about the access to the orange tree from the main house you really do need to cover that area for a wedding so Deborah overall what was your experience of stubborn Hall um I think it's amazing I think you've got the most beautiful venue amazing grounds I think in particular we love the fact that it's going to be private and just the bridal party can enjoy it and pass you until whatever time in the morning they want which is really what every ride wants Ruth has another surprise for Kent and Claire I think you might be interested to hear what Deborah from Brides magazine said and that is that she is going to put you in her top 100 places to be married is that good it's tears to my eyes that's fantastic we've worked so hard that means a huge amount to me [Music] yeah we worked so hard Deborah's endorsement May provide a welcome boost for Revenue but their troubles are not over there are still millions in debt and money is a constant worry the next year will be crucial as they struggle to pay off their debts to the banks and contractors you know when you face losing your house it's the world's biggest wake-up call it's absolutely terrifying knowing what you know now would you do it again it's a tough question it's a very difficult question um I remain very proud of what we've done and we've had some wonderful experiences along the way but I'm an art historian I write books I I miss doing that and in some ways life seemed easier than but I'd like to go on and make a big success out of this I can't help noticing that both of you have lost a lot of weight since I last saw you I think it's for all the wrong reasons if you want to go on the best diet ever buy a large country house convert it into a hotel I have a few financial problems and then walk back and forth a lot and oh you've lost a lot of weight you've done well I'd like to say that whilst not a fiber of my being approves of the way you've gone about it I do love what you've achieved and I think you deserve every success I really really do and I really hope you'll get it thank you Ruth Ruth you've been so helpful if ever there were a portion retail then this is it two very bright people who appear to be wealthy enough get so carried away that what should have been a golden project turns into something that's really tarnished at least in their own minds but actually they have succeeded here in producing something really beautiful and I do wish them every success [Music] thank you

Channel: Abode

Views: 160,890

Keywords: home and garden, Abode, Abode channel, home renovation, renovation, home and garden channel, home and garden tv shows, home design ideas, garden design ideas

Id: kea4_STWkSo

Length: 47min 43sec (2863 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 06 2022