In the 2010s, Gordon Ramsay was rising to fame with his reality shows on Fox. Hotel Hell premiered with the celebrity chef’s visit to the struggling Juniper Hill Inn, a historic mansion owned by Robert Dean II and Ari Nikki. Sadly, Ramsay couldn’t save the estate, which was closed down and sold shortly after being featured on the show.
Background Info
At the time, The Juniper Hill Inn had been around for 110 years. In 1902, it was built by lawyer and politician Maxwell Evarts in Windsor, Vermont, and was used for a variety of commercial purposes.
For years, the Evarts family retained the building, welcoming guests like Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt. Over the years, the mansion has had several owners.
In 2005, Robert Dean II and his partner, Ari Nikki, acquired the property for $1.6 million. They turned it into a full-fledged hotel and restaurant, but it didn’t have a good reputation with the locals.
Hotel Hell Appearance
In 2012, Robert and Ari’s lodging was the first one to be featured in Gordon Ramsay’s Hotel Hell. They were on the show because the hotel was struggling financially due to mismanagement.
Robert came across as arrogant and only wanted affluent people to stay in his hotel. One of the main reasons the business was losing money was that he frequently invited wealthy friends to stay and eat for free.
Plus, the room and food rates were pricey, $700 for a two-night stay was out of budget for the area. Gordon discovered that Robert didn’t treat staff fairly, even taking their tips. The chef advised that the hotel should be refurbished and relaunched.
After Hotel Hell
In the aftermath of Hotel Hell, the renovated Juniper Hill Inn replaced most of the staff that featured in the episode. Even with the changes, reviews from new customers still weren’t positive.
The hotel continued to struggle and eventually closed in April 2013 as the owner’s debt reached $1.1 million. Additionally, they owed $80,000 and $85,000 in overdue taxes to the city of Windsor.
Robert Dean II tried to defend his reputation online but it didn’t seem to help. Ari Nikki was arrested for assaulting a law enforcement officer months after losing the business. Hopefully, Robert sold his antiques to pay for Ari’s $500 bond. According to Ari’s Facebook page, they are still a couple 10 years later and live in Florida.
Current Status
The Juniper Hill Inn was sold at a foreclosure auction. Its initial price was set at $1.4 million, but Kenni Lucci and Brenda Bradley purchased it for only $400,000. They planned to invest $500,000 into the hotel to help reclaim its previous glory.
Kenni and Brenda reopened the estate in 2016 under a new name, Windsor Mansion Inn. Apart from the looks, they improved its overall quality to make it feel like an entirely new building.
Their investment was totally worth it, as guests only had positive things to say about them. The Windsor Mansion Inn has a solid 5-star average rating from 216 reviews on Tripadvisor. The room rates are also favorable, starting at $150 per night.
