Anthony Melchiorri is a
hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis, chevalier de Jaucourt describes ...
expert and
television personality
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
. He is the creator, co-executive producer, and host of the
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...
's hotel turnaround show ''
Hotel Impossible
''Hotel Impossible'' is a reality television program from Travel Channel in which struggling non-chain hotels receive an extensive makeover by veteran hotel operator and hospitality expert Anthony Melchiorri and his team. The show premiered on A ...
''.
Early life and education
Melchiorri was born in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and raised in the New York City's borough's
Sheepshead Bay
Sheepshead, Sheephead, or Sheep's Head, may refer to:
Fish
* ''Archosargus probatocephalus'', a medium-sized saltwater fish of the Atlantic Ocean
* Freshwater drum, ''Aplodinotus grunniens'', a medium-sized freshwater fish of North and Central Am ...
neighborhood.
He served in the
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
.
Career
Melchiorri's first job in the hospitality industry was at the
Embassy Suites
Embassy Suites by Hilton is a chain of upper upscale all-suite hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. As of December 31, 2019, there are 257 locations in five countries and territories with 59,712 rooms. Similar to other Hilton brands, 212 Em ...
as a night auditor in
Overland Park, Kansas
Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As ...
. Ten months later he became a night manager at
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
's
Plaza Hotel. Over the next four years he worked his way up to the position of Director of Front Office Operations. After an 11-year-old girl came into the Plaza and asked him, "Mister, where's Eloise?", he and Randee Glick created the hotel's ''
Eloise'' tour.
He was appointed general manager of the Lucerne Hotel on the
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. Under his direction the Lucerne was selected as the New York Times Travel Guide's Best Service Hotel.
In 2005 he left the Lucerne to become general manager of New York's historic
Algonquin Hotel
The Algonquin Hotel is a hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company. The hotel has hosted numer ...
. After convincing the owners to close the Algonquin for 29 days,
he oversaw a $15 million full renovation of the building and its image, restoring it to the glory days of the famous
Algonquin Round Table. He updated the rooms, repositioned the restaurants, and earned the hotel a high rating as a Michelin Guide Hotel. He orchestrated publicity campaigns such as the Algonquin's "$10,000 Martini", won a Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International "Best of Show Award", and promoted the renovated hotel overall. He helped manage the Nickelodeon Hotel and Resort.
He became first vice president of Tishman Hotels and later the senior vice president of New York Hotel Management Company. In this capacity, he helped to develop a 310 all-suite hotel in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
.
Melchiorri then founded his own hotel management and consultancy, Argeo Hospitality.
''Hotel Impossible''
Melchiorri was an executive producer of the 2008
Lifetime cable-movie ''
Wisegal'' which stars
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress. She has played Samantha Micelli in '' Who's the Boss?'', Jennifer Mancini in '' Melrose Place'', Phoebe Halliwell in ''Charmed'', Billie Cunningham in '' My Name Is Earl'', Sa ...
. Melchiorri and fellow ''Wisegal'' executive producer
Leo Rossi
Leo Rossi (born June 26, 1946) is an American actor, writer and producer. A character actor with over 100 credits to his name, he is known for his role as foul-mouthed EMT Vincent "Budd" Scarlotti in the 1981 horror film '' Halloween II'', a ...
, whom he knew from the hospitality industry, developed Melchiorri's idea for a hotel-improvement show. It became the
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...
series ''
Hotel Impossible
''Hotel Impossible'' is a reality television program from Travel Channel in which struggling non-chain hotels receive an extensive makeover by veteran hotel operator and hospitality expert Anthony Melchiorri and his team. The show premiered on A ...
''.
Each episode features a hotel with problems that he and his team must deal with in less than a week. The series debuted in 2012 and ran for eight seasons. He hosted ''Extreme Hotels'' for its two seasons.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Melchiorri, Anthony
1965 births
Living people
American television hosts
Park University alumni
People from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Algonquin Round Table