Undercover Boss (2010) s04e04 Episode Script
Diamond Resorts: Take 2
Male announcer: This week on Undercover Boss For the first time ever, a former boss returns for a second go-around.
I love it.
Announcer: Stephen J.
Cloobeck, the most explosive boss in the series history.
- My name is Steve Cloobeck.
- Hi.
I'm gonna go see your supervisor, and I'm gonna find out what's going on here at this call center.
Get me out of here.
Announcer: The chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International looks to expand its ever-growing worldwide empire by taking control of a failed business Pacific Monarch Resorts.
The employees think he's on a reality show, where he's competing to win funding from an investor to start his own boutique hotel.
- Marcus.
- Hi.
- So you're the contestant? - Yeah.
I'm here to learn some things from you.
All righty.
Announcer: This time, he'll do everything from going undercover as a guest in one of his resorts Absolutely filthy.
Announcer: To being the first boss to travel to foreign soil.
- Did I get you wet? - I'm a little wet.
Announcer: But will he be able to keep his cool the second time around? Look at this.
That right there is having to come along and do touch-up paint.
I was shocked.
I couldn't have a guest occupy the room we were in.
There are privacy laws on that.
You're probably right.
What they're doing is wrong! That's a problem for me.
How can we make this mistake? Come on, guys.
This is insane.
Find out next on Undercover Boss.
Undercover Boss 4x04 - Diamond Resorts: Take 2 Original air date November 30, 2012 With its global headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, Diamond Resorts International is one of the most successful time share organizations in the world.
With 228 properties in 28 countries, Diamond Resorts International offers vacation destinations for 600,000 guests worldwide.
Returning for his second journey undercover is one man.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International.
I've been very busy at Diamond Resorts.
Since we last filmed, we have acquired numerous bankrupt companies.
And we've just acquired, out of bankruptcy, Pacific Monarch Resorts.
Pacific Monarch Resorts was founded in the late '80s, and it's a group of about nine resorts in California, Nevada, and in Mexico.
The crown jewel of Pacific Monarch Resorts the Cabo Azul Resort And Spa.
We acquired Pacific Monarch Resorts because it gives us a tremendous west coast presence now that we really didn't have.
However, I've only visited a couple of these properties in person.
The most important thing I learned from my first journey was that it's my responsibility to give great service.
What's going on, guys? Are we taking good care of everybody? - Okay.
- All right.
The meaning of "yes" means never say no to a guest.
Do anything a guest asks to make the guest happy.
I strive for that each and every day.
To have the opportunity now to go undercover with Pacific Monarch Resorts and find out before we start fixing the issues at the properties what, really, is going on? I have to worry about the dust in the vents, the dirt underneath the bed.
Aha.
Like always.
"Yes, we clean under here too.
" If I'm not worried about that, who else is gonna be worried about it? I do have great aspirations of being one of the greatest hoteliers in the world.
Being one of the greats means having thousands of properties worldwide.
Thank you.
And I won't stop till I get there.
What a blessed life I live.
Hey, guys, dinnertime.
Do we do a little cheers? - It's a fantasy life.
- Good luck.
Second time around should be even better.
I knew my costume the first time was just horrific.
This time I'm in charge of my hair and makeup.
I'm gonna have a stylist do my hair.
I love it.
Hey, Steve.
I'm gonna have my doctor come over and pierce my ears.
Oh, my God! [Piercing tool snaps.]
Holy crap! Oh, my God! - You did it.
- You're done.
I went to my dentist, and I had invisalign teeth made so my teeth would look a little ratty.
I'm gonna insure that this disguise won't look silly, like the last time.
I'm going undercover at Pacific Monarch Resorts to make sure that all these properties are operating at a high enough level so they can all be re-branded Diamond Resorts.
While I'm undercover, I'll be posing as Mark Largos, a former construction worker from Bakersfield, California, who lost everything during the recession.
Throughout my undercover journey, my team members will be tricked into thinking they're on a hosted reality show in which they will work alongside Mark, and then decide whether he deserves to win funding from an investor to start his own boutique hotel.
Now, today we have Veronica.
Mucho gusto, Veronica.
Mucho gusto.
Nice to meet you.
The woman pretending to be the host of this fake reality show will keep asking questions about whether Mark deserves the money, so my team members will have no idea that this is secretly Undercover Boss.
Today, I'm at Cedar Breaks Lodge in Brian Head, Utah.
This is a very unique property for Diamond Resorts because it adds a wonderful ski destination.
And I'm gonna do something I've always wanted to do check into one of my joints.
I'm gonna be wearing special glasses that will be filming everything.
Also, the crew got there a lot earlier and installed hidden cameras and mics in the corridors and rooms.
So none of the resort staff will have any idea they're being filmed.
When I go undercover as one of my team members, I get half the experience.
To go undercover as a guest is probably the most important mission I can have.
Because it's all about guest experience.
So far, I noticed the landscaping all around needs a lot of work.
The entrance really needs a touch-up.
Hey Mark Largos.
That's great.
Thanks.
Non-smoking sign on the front door.
Very tacky.
[Door squeaks.]
Old-time sofa bed.
Needs some work.
Look at this vent.
It needs to be wiped down.
Absolutely disgusting.
Uh-oh.
Absolutely filthy.
There's a lot of issues in housekeeping and maintenance here.
Shocking.
[Phone dials.]
Housekeeping.
This is Vicky.
I would like somebody to come to my room from housekeeping.
- Is that possible? - Absolutely.
I called housekeeping to see the responsiveness of the department.
And also to see whether they'd say no to my request.
[Knock on door.]
- Housekeeping.
- Come on in.
Hi, I'm Mark.
What can I do for you? The pots and pans are filthy.
- Okay.
- In the bathroom, it's, like, dirty and moldy.
What's up with that? I, you know, I don't know.
Can you show me? I need towels.
I need, like, eight towels.
In the bathroom, if you look over here, that's not clean.
Can you get this stuff fixed? Like, can you call them? I can go and talk to them right now.
Dude, what happened to your name tag? Check it out.
Um, our H.
R.
guy didn't know how to spell my name.
- What did it say? - "RJ.
" - That's lame.
- I know.
And I've been working here for two years, and he still got my name wrong.
I give them feedback from what guests like you tell me.
- Right.
- I keep telling them.
I go, "the maintenance needs a ton of work.
" Like, right now, we don't have paper towels.
And I mentioned it to my supervisor, and she's like, "oh, yeah, oh, yeah, we'll look into it.
" - And then - Nothing.
I would not spend that kind of money at a place like this.
So you tell guests this all the time? I don't tell guests all the time.
You're talking to me.
You're telling me.
Right.
And I I can't do anything about it.
Exactly.
So it's just when people tell me that they've got concerns and stuff, that's when I open up.
You should go to hospitality school.
I'm thinking about it.
I'm thinking about hotel management, or something le that.
Did you go to college? I tried going after high school.
I can't pay it, but and then I got married.
She had an affair.
So it's just me and my daughter right now.
And she's the one that keeps me coming back here.
I mean, it really is a lot of stress.
But that comes with the territory.
Hey, listen, you gotta go to work.
See if somebody can come up here and maybe get me some new pots and pans, you know? All right, so I'll be back, sir.
- Thanks.
- Hey, no problem.
You know, my heart goes out to RK a lot.
A very thoughtful fella.
He's told management about different issues at the resort, but he's not being listened to.
So he needs some help.
After today, he will know he's been heard.
[Knock on door.]
Yeah, come on in.
Hey.
Just put the towels on the counter.
Are you sure that's where you want the towels? - Yeah.
- That's fine.
- Hey, you got a minute? - Yeah.
Sit down for a second right there.
I was thinking about what you were telling me in the other room.
- And I gotta tell you something.
- All right.
Don't be nervous.
I gotta be straight with you.
You're on Undercover Boss.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts.
- I own this property.
- Oh, my God.
- I gotta be straight with you.
- Okay.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts.
- I own this property.
- Oh, my God.
You nervous? Just a little bit.
I mean, I've seen the TV show and everything before, and I'm a tad bit Well, you're a great team member.
- Thank you.
- I can't believe how you opened my eyes today.
I owe you a debt of gratitude.
The things that you explained to me are gonna allow me to fix this resort so much quicker.
- So you want to go to school - Mm-hmm.
I'm going to pay for it for you.
- All four years.
- Wha [Sniffles.]
You gotta promise me you graduate.
I promise.
I'm gonna give you $25,000 to get day care.
I want to do something special for your daughter.
So why don't I set up a trust fund for your daughter's school? And it'll grow to $50,000.
It'll let you take care of all her schooling.
Is this real? Am I am I dreaming? You're not dreaming.
I never thought in my wildest dreams I was worried.
You don't have to worry.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate it More than you'll ever know.
[Laughs.]
You're very welcome.
Okay? This is totally a dream come true.
Now that I can be a dad, a huge weight is lifted off my shoulder.
I'm so grateful, and yes, my prayers have been answered.
Being a guest gave me new perspective on what really happens when a resort goes bankrupt.
Things fall apart, corners are cut, and guests pay the price.
These problems are truly disturbing there's a lot of work to be done.
One of the goals in acquiring Pacific Monarch Resorts was to expand Diamond Resorts to the west coast.
So today I'm visiting one of the properties in Palm Springs.
In the resort industry, it's critical to create long-lasting memories.
So today I'm going to be working as an activities coordinator.
All in the hips.
All in the hips.
Shake it, shake it.
The activities coordinator is like Julie on The Love Boat.
She's in charge of making everyone have a good time.
I want to see if the activities coordinator here is bubbly and lively, because fun is an integral part to everyone's vacation experience.
- Nice to meet you.
I'm Monique.
- Mark.
I'm the activities coordinator at the resort.
- How are you today? - Good, thank you.
We're gonna do a dance class today.
Do you dance? - No.
- You will today.
There are very few things in the world that I am uncomfortable doing.
One would be jumping out of an airplane.
Two dancing! I I can't dance.
I can't even not even close.
- What about if we tried - I'm sweating.
Go ahead and oh, welcome to Palm Springs.
Mark was hesitant.
He wasn't really a great sport about it.
I kind of had to force him to do it.
The guests vibe off of you, so if you're lame The guests will be lame.
So we're gonna go ahead and throw our arm out and our leg out.
There you go.
Step in.
Step out.
Other leg.
- No.
- See, you know so just pick up the pace.
There you go.
Bring it in.
Pick up the pace.
How long you been doing this? Two and a half years.
You know, I'm trying to build this boutique hotel, so do you have any advice you could give me? The guests definitely pay attention to what you're wearing.
Our uniforms now are very dull.
Especially the front desk.
Their shirts are hideous.
Wow.
Monique did make a comment that the uniforms matter, and the guests notice them, and I agree.
And we're gonna have to fix that right away.
I'm into fashion.
So really, I want to be a stylist.
Oh, wow.
Wow! [Laughs.]
- A fashion stylist.
- Fashion stylist.
- Yeah.
- That's cool.
All right, I think we're ready to bring the guests in.
- Are you guys ready? - Yeah.
We're gonna take a step to the side.
Here we go.
Remember, the side? I know.
I'm doing the side.
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
I feel like an absolute moron.
No, no.
No, baby.
No, come on.
You guys still having fun? All: Yeah! Mark had No rhythm.
What do you think of this? Really? - Really? You like this? - Yeah.
Do you? Oh.
Look at the little guy.
He's good.
That little guy's good! Little guy, come here.
What's here? What's your name? - Jacob.
- Jacob? Help me out, dude.
Let's do it together.
Come on.
All right.
Even though I looked like an idiot out there, all the guests were having fun, and that's what we're trying to get at each and every day.
You're doing great.
Hey, let's give it up for Jacob.
[Cheers and applause.]
Big round of applause for Jacob.
- So how did Mark do? - Come on.
[Cheers and applause.]
- That was hard.
- That was hard.
As far as getting the guests involved, you did do good.
On dancing? One out of ten? One.
And that's me being nice.
But but but, on your people skills, I'll give you a ten.
Okay.
- You got 'em involved.
- Thank you.
So now we're gonna go do root beer floats.
I had an amazing day with Monique.
She's an extraordinary girl because she's very passionate about what she does.
She gets the guest-service experience.
She is definitely somebody I want representing my brand.
- Seven? - Dude.
- Seven root beer floats.
- Dude, are you serious? Yesterday, working with Monique, I was very happy to see that the guests here are enjoying themselves.
Since I'm already in Palm Springs, I want to check out another area of the resort.
So today I'm going to be doing maintenance, so I can really see what kind of shape this resort's in.
Hey, is Markus here? - Yes, sir.
- Markus.
- Hi.
- Hey, I'm Mark.
Mark, you look dressed like I am.
It's what they gave me.
- Yes, sir.
- I'm here to learn some things.
- So you're the contestant? - Yeah.
I'm here to learn some things from you today.
All righty.
If there are cracks within the maintenance department, that's the first way that the guest experience will be damaged.
Today, we're going to maintenance these rooms and fix them, if need be.
All right, boom, we're in.
You gotta check things like the doors and cabinets.
Make sure they open and close properly.
Even though the customer may never touch 'em, we gotta turn 'em on and make sure that, you know, - this is working.
- These look old.
Oh, yeah.
Well, there's a lot of things that are old.
Look at that.
See, it's tilted? - Somebody twisted it.
- Yeah.
- Look at this.
- That right there is having to come along and do touch-up paint.
This property has been neglected.
- This place looks tired.
- Uh, it's seen its day.
I couldn't have a guest occupy the room we were in.
[Walkie-talkie blips.]
Uh-oh, we got a call.
We are in 2224 right now, Captain.
So we've got a situation with a kitchen faucet.
Barely operating.
We're gonna have to replace it, Cap.
Have you ever done one of these things before? - No, sir.
- No, sir? - No, sir.
- All right.
Well, we'll go ahead and get you a good set of pliers.
Go ahead and take apart this top area.
Find out which size it is.
I'll figure it out.
I've gotta go and dig something up, - and I will be back.
- All right.
- All righty? - Thank you.
All right.
I'm gonna get it done.
I'm using every tool in the box this is coming.
I was in a fight with that sink.
Thank God, you know, my grandfather taught me how to use tools.
He's gonna be so pissed at me when he comes back in.
Do it the old-fashioned way break it.
Yes, I can paint.
Yes, I can change light bulbs.
Obviously, I could take apart a plumbing fixture.
It may be a little unorthodox the way I did it, but I did it.
Old-fashioned way.
Old fa oh, cut and remove.
- I killed it.
- That's wow.
Demolition man.
Mark was hardcore.
He tore it apart with care.
[Laughs.]
This over here is a plug.
This is my forte right here is electricity.
Gonna stab this in here, like so.
What do you want to do? What's your dream? My dream got shot a long time ago, brother.
- What was that? - Oh you know Running an electrical business, I guess.
But I didn't have enough capital to keep the entity alive.
- You know what I mean? - Yeah.
You want me to help with that? You sure can, sir.
You can take right over.
At one point in my life, I was, you know, partying and doing whatever as a young kid.
You do drugs? Yep.
You could call that hooked.
And I decided, you know what? To hell with all that.
You know, now that you're all nice and flush, Captain, put that bad boy on there.
- Cool.
- Boom.
Markus was fantastic.
The guy's got a heart of gold, he's persevering in his work, and boy, did he run on hard times.
It's only up from here.
No matter how many times I've failed, and how many brick walls I ran into, I kept on going.
He's got this can-do attitude, and he's a hard worker.
And he is exactly the kind of team member I want working for Diamond Resorts.
We wanna go ahead, and we wanna take these chairs outside, onto the balcony, and we wanna paint 'em.
Do we have something to sand these down with? We really don't have anything on us to sand them down.
In this particular situation, we're gonna have to coat it over.
Why would we paint 'em without sanding 'em? That's what they want us to do.
I just, you know I wouldn't agree, but They needed to be sanded.
Unacceptable to me.
It was wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
It's all preventive maintenance, Captain.
- All preventive maintenance.
- Really? As these things, you know, progress, maybe some of our bosses will start taking a look at what's going on, and what better ways to better their investment.
Your boss doesn't pay attention? Uh, I've never met the man.
I see this management team under financial strain, and I believe that they have taught their team to just get by.
We are at the mercy of the hotel.
They're just basically putting band-aids all over the place.
And they're gonna have a bloody mess soon.
So we're just gonna have to dress it and go.
This property's been in bankruptcy for three years, and it shows.
This is not what I was hoping to see.
I'm halfway through my undercover journey, [Sighs.]
and it's been eye-opening.
Monique was a bright spot.
But after meeting RK and Markus, I found that no one was leading the organization, and taking care of the team.
I hope the next resort that I visit is in better condition.
Announcer: Coming up Let me see if I can figure this out.
Announcer: Stephen shows off his hair-styling skills.
- No, it's too hot.
- What? Announcer: And later There are privacy laws on that.
You're probably right.
Announcer: The boss starts to lose his patience.
What they're doing is wrong! Come on, guys.
How can we make this mistake? This is insane.
Announcer: Stephen J.
Cloobeck Thank you.
Announcer: Chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts Oh, my God! Announcer: Is a boss undercover in a broken business.
- Nice to meet you.
I'm Monique.
- Mark.
Announcer: The employees think he's an unemployed construction worker competing to win money from an investor to buy his own boutique hotel.
- I killed it.
- That's wow.
Announcer: His journey continues in Los Cabos, Mexico.
[Mariachi music.]
I'm at the Cabo Azul Resort And Spa.
It's the singular reason I wanted to buy Pacific Monarch Resorts.
This is the one property in Pacific Monarch's chain that I have already approved to become a Diamond resort.
Compared to the other properties I've visited on my journey, I think it's clear that the Diamond way of doing things has made it this resort.
And one of the things that makes this property unique is its spa.
This resort has every single amenity a resort should have.
The spa is a crucial area.
If our spa is fantastic, we will attract guests from other hotels to come to our spa at our property.
So the spa needs to be exceptional.
- Veronica? - Yes.
I'm Mark.
We have to do a lot of things.
I will show you how is Um a blow dry.
- A blow dry? - Yes.
Oh, my God.
[Laughs.]
Mark looks like a crazy person.
Welcome to Paz Spa.
My name is Kimberly.
I'm here for a wash and blow dry.
- I get you wet? - I'm a little wet.
- You wet on the face.
- Oh, no.
Please, ma'am, this way.
And you need to comb.
Because there's knots in the hair? Uh-huh.
I don't think you want me doing this.
[Nervous chuckle.]
- I'm trying.
- Si, si.
- What? What? - Okay.
When you do this, it hurts.
The head hurts.
Tangles.
Not good with tangles.
I'm banned on tangles.
Let me see if I can figure this out.
Now, what button do you push here? [Blow dryer on.]
Okay - Don't it's too hot.
- What? It's too hot for her.
Am I burning you? Mark is not good for her.
He's Mark is not gentle with the hair and with the people.
What? No, it's not good.
- I'll finish.
- No? No, it's not good.
- Thank you.
- All right.
Remember, it's too hot.
You can frizz her.
- Frizz.
- Oh, frizz.
- Exactly.
Uh-huh.
- Like zzzzzz! When that happen, the girls don't pay you.
[Laughs.]
That's not good.
I was drying her hair, and I was making her hair frizzy.
You're good at this.
Veronica stepped in right away and fixed the situation.
And I believe I'm fired from blow-drying hair.
How long you been married? One year, and I have a baby.
- You do? - Si.
- If you - How old's your baby? - She's 16 months.
- Wow.
I had a wife.
She left me.
Oh [Laughs.]
I have a new appreciation for anyone who works in our spa and our salons.
They have to provide unbelievably great service, and at the same time making sure the guest is happy.
Nice.
Look how beautiful she looks.
- Gracias.
- Thank you.
- Gracias.
Gracias.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
- Mark, we need to clean.
- Okay.
So tell me about your little daughter again.
Daniella, she is my baby girl.
I'm working here in the salon and the reception because we need to save money.
Why? - Two hernias? - Si.
- Because she was premature - I'm sorry.
No, no, no, no.
Here.
Here.
- We need to save money for - Yeah? For the operation.
Is it dangerous surgery? - Can she die? - Si.
We have to do the surgery for her.
I'm sorry for that.
- Look at her eyes.
- Si.
Do you have a good doctor picked out? Si.
Si.
How much does it cost for the surgery? In pesos is And you don't have that saved yet? No.
No.
I want to save money, but it sometimes is difficult.
Does your husband have two jobs too? Si.
Si.
- And you have two jobs? - Si.
No, no, no, really, really we are right now focusing in save money for Daniella.
Because it's my it's my baby girl.
I want to do everything for her.
Wow.
You know, I know, as a parent, when your child has to have surgery, you really don't know what's gonna happen.
So it's always a stressful time.
Their time of stress right now is finding the money to have the surgery.
And, you know, you saw it in Veronica's eyes today.
I'm so glad that I met Veronica today, and I feel confident that the spa is a great asset to this property.
The one job I haven't done on my journey thus far is working at the front desk.
Checking in? I heard a lot of things that were troubling last time when I worked at the front desk on Undercover Boss.
You can never tell a guest that you are overbooked.
So what we do is we do the maintenance issue.
Like, "unfortunately, due to some maintenance issues," "we do have to relocate you for the evening.
" All resorts overbook, but I would not be happy if I was explained there was a maintenance issue with the room.
So it'll be very interesting to see what happens here today.
- Stephanie.
- Hi.
- How are you? - Mark.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
Do you want to come around this way? Sure.
Even though our flag isn't flying here yet, our Diamond members are already coming here.
And what I'm looking for today is to make sure that all the training and the protocols that I have at other Diamond Resorts have started here, and they're running smoothly.
- This is the front desk.
- Great.
That's Carolina.
- You'll be working with her.
- What's her name? [Heavy accent.]
Carolina.
- Garodino.
- Lina.
- Carlina? - Carolina.
- Oh, Carolina? - Yeah, Carolina.
- Carolina.
Great.
- Mm-hmm.
Okay, so let me just show you around.
Please.
This is where we keep the filing for all of our guests here in the hotel.
Their credit cards that we hold.
And we need their credit card numbers to make the authorization.
I read online, though - Mm-hmm.
- 'Cause I'm trying to learn all the workings, and the laws say that you can't keep credit card numbers.
Well, I'm I'm not aware or informed of that.
But here at the hotel, we have to.
That's directly from management, and I don't - Really? - Yeah.
When I was working with Stephanie, I was talking to her about the credit card number written down on the folio.
Diamond Resorts doesn't do that.
That's not a policy we live within because what they're doing is wrong! But there are privacy laws on that.
You're probably right.
It's very problematic, but I'm gonna work with her a little more, and I'll deal with the credit card issue later.
Okay, so here from the desktop, this is where we work.
Does this system work good? Yeah.
Sometimes it's a little bit slow, but Monarch Grand has a lot of different hotels, so we have to access the one from Cabo Azul.
Who's that? They're the owners of the time share.
I'm extremely livid right now.
Diamond Resorts owns this property I own this property.
It doesn't make sense.
The problem with that is I've got Diamond guests checking in.
They expect to be coming to a Diamond Resort property.
And if the front desk receptionist doesn't know she's representing Diamond Resorts, that's a problem for me.
Yeah.
I'm mortified.
There were numerous discounts that should have been afforded.
The entire bill was wrong.
I was so, so upset that a guest was mistreated.
It was very impossible for me to sit behind that desk hearing so many things that were wrong.
And I just I was so frustrated, I couldn't stand it anymore.
No, you're not.
No, you're not.
You're gonna sit with me.
I own this place.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck.
I own Diamond Resorts.
I'm not happy.
I'm really not happy about this.
Come on, guys.
How can we make this mistake? What policy? Give me the card.
This is insane.
I apologize.
- Apology accepted.
- Not my style.
Not my style.
I'm seeing a lot of stuff here I'm not pleased with.
It's a transition here, and it's not your fault.
No, they were not trained properly.
I agree.
I agree.
You have a good wedding? Well, you know what? Wedding present? - It's on me.
How about that? - Oh, my God.
I'm paying for his wedding.
Yes.
Look, we appreciate I appreciate your business.
Thank you so much.
- Stephanie - Yes.
I wasn't trying to be hard with you, but I got so frustrated early on.
I understand.
This is not Stephanie's fault.
There's a massive communication breakdown here.
I'm sorry.
Okay? I am so disappointed.
The other properties aren't up to Diamond standards, but it's understandable because their teams haven't even been told yet.
Everyone on this property should be trained to the Diamond level of standards, and they're not.
There's gonna be a transition.
But I'm gonna speed up this transition a lot.
This week, I've learned a lot.
When I acquire broken hotels, it's not gonna be enough to just throw money at these resorts, and hopefully they'll improve.
I need to make it personally my mission to make these properties great, and train these team members.
We have one shot of making every guest's vacation experience great.
And if we can do this, I think it's gonna make our company that much better, that much stronger.
Announcer: Coming up, the employees think they're coming to give feedback on whether or not Mark deserves money to open his own boutique hotel.
How will they react when they find out the boss' true identity? I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, the chairman and CEO - of Diamond Resorts.
- Oh, my God.
All of my team members have been called to the Cabo Azul Resort.
They think they're coming to speak to a wealthy investor, and rate my performance.
Hey, you're Markus? Get out of here.
Steve.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
How did Mark do? He did a good job with the shampoo.
- Not with the blow drying? - No.
No, no, no.
Mark was difficult at times.
Uh I wanted to ask you about Mark.
- Yeah.
- I'm an investor.
You're an investor? - You're Mark.
- Why would you say that? Because you look like Mark without a beard.
You don't know who I am, do you? - No.
- I was Mark Largos.
Okay.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, the chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts.
Oh, my God.
You are you are the owner.
[Chuckles.]
You ever see the show Undercover Boss? - No kidding? - Stop it! Dude, you were incredible, man.
You had me wow.
[Laughs.]
I kept a little bit of Mark with me.
- Are you for real? - Yeah.
I actually got my ears pierced for this.
Oh, so now you're rockin' out.
Now you're, like, the cool boss.
Monique, you were lovely.
You are exactly what the guest needs to see in the activities department.
You mentioned the uniforms.
You don't like 'em? I know.
We should change 'em.
We should! I want you to design 'em for me.
- Aah! - But but but - You gotta do me a favor.
- What's that? You've gotta go to FIDM first.
Aah! You're are you serious right now? I'm gonna pay for you to go to fashion school.
My mama's gonna be so excited.
Thank you.
Oh, my gosh.
Here, take my hankie.
Oh, my goodness.
Thank you so much.
You know, you can't commute, so I'm also gonna get you an apartment for two years in downtown L.
A.
Oh oh, my God.
You don't understand how much this means to me.
I never wanted to put that on my mom.
My mom's a single parent.
Oh, my goodness.
I'm gonna make you proud.
Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
The opportunity to go to school when I didn't think there was an opportunity To go after my dream is incredible.
I mean, not everybody gets to do what they love.
I can't even explain what it feels like, or, I mean, there's really no words.
I'm speechless.
Markus, how'd I do on the sink? Dude, you shredded that thing.
[Laughs.]
I did, didn't I? You did.
- You've had a tough road, huh? - Yes, sir.
I understand.
It wasn't easy to build my business.
But I want to hear about your business plan.
What do you want to do? I always wanted to be an electrician.
You know, have a nice, good company.
I worked for my dad, and, uh Second-generation electrician.
Something that, you know, brings a little honor to my family.
That's what I always dreamt about.
Why is that, sir? Why are you asking me that? Because I'm gonna make an investment in you.
In me? We're gonna go into business together.
I'm gonna put up $100,000 to start your business.
$100,000? Yeah.
But I want to be your partner.
I'm gonna own 10%, you're gonna own 90%.
There's no way this is possible.
This is a chance, and you're gonna make me proud.
Gonna make yourself proud.
Thank you so much.
I'll do the best I can.
It's enough to actually make you cry.
When I got to the real world, I wasn't ready for it.
It smacked me in the face at 100 miles an hour, and every choice I made was wrong.
You feel defeated.
Maybe it is true.
Maybe dreams do come true.
Veronica, spending time with you you treat our guests like family.
Because in Cabo Azul, we are a family.
Yeah.
And we have a lot of friends, and they are asking about my husband, my my baby girl.
- Daniella.
- Uh-huh.
- Beautiful name.
- Thank you.
So you know what? You told me about Daniella.
You know, you've sacrificed a lot.
- I know.
- Working multiple jobs.
Your husband working multiple jobs.
Si.
You don't have to save money.
No? Why? [Chuckles.]
I'm gonna pay for it all right now.
I want to take care of Daniella.
I want her to have her surgery right away.
You're gonna call the doctor on Monday, and you're gonna go get baby Daniella taken care of.
Gracias.
How do you get to the doctor? We have to take a bus, three hours, - because we don't have a car.
- You do now.
Really? Yeah, I'm buying you a car.
Oh, my God.
This is real? [Laughs.]
This is real.
- You are real? - I am real.
I'm gonna give you 1.
3 million pesos to buy a new home.
Wow.
That is a a lot of money.
A lot.
I don't want you working two jobs.
I want you to spend more time with Daniella.
I'm sorry.
Veronica, I invited your family here your husband and little baby Daniella.
- Where? - So I'm gonna say good-bye, and then you go meet them.
Okay? - Thank you - You're welcome.
Mark.
Mark? I'll remember this, Mark.
Thank you.
This money help me a lot, you know? Daniella is my world.
Um, we can do the surgery, and we can buy a house.
This money is gonna be changing my life right now.
Right now.
It's been amazing to go undercover for a second time.
This week, I really got a firsthand look at what it's like to take over a broken resort.
It's all about great communication.
It's all about training.
It's all about creating an unbelievable team.
We have a special guest Stephen Cloobeck.
[Cheers and applause.]
Thank you.
I worry about two things every morning our guests, and all of you, our team.
You know, now it's about fixing those companies, because they're broken.
I met some phenomenal people this week who face their own set of challenges.
And I realize I need to do much more to make sure that all of my team members are better taken care of.
I've set up a crisis fund for all of our team members that may be in need.
I have personally donated a million dollars of my own money to this crisis fund.
And the company is matching that million dollars to make it $2 million.
[Cheers and applause.]
I love you all.
I appreciate everyone's hard work.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
[Cheers and applause.]
I love it.
Announcer: Stephen J.
Cloobeck, the most explosive boss in the series history.
- My name is Steve Cloobeck.
- Hi.
I'm gonna go see your supervisor, and I'm gonna find out what's going on here at this call center.
Get me out of here.
Announcer: The chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International looks to expand its ever-growing worldwide empire by taking control of a failed business Pacific Monarch Resorts.
The employees think he's on a reality show, where he's competing to win funding from an investor to start his own boutique hotel.
- Marcus.
- Hi.
- So you're the contestant? - Yeah.
I'm here to learn some things from you.
All righty.
Announcer: This time, he'll do everything from going undercover as a guest in one of his resorts Absolutely filthy.
Announcer: To being the first boss to travel to foreign soil.
- Did I get you wet? - I'm a little wet.
Announcer: But will he be able to keep his cool the second time around? Look at this.
That right there is having to come along and do touch-up paint.
I was shocked.
I couldn't have a guest occupy the room we were in.
There are privacy laws on that.
You're probably right.
What they're doing is wrong! That's a problem for me.
How can we make this mistake? Come on, guys.
This is insane.
Find out next on Undercover Boss.
Undercover Boss 4x04 - Diamond Resorts: Take 2 Original air date November 30, 2012 With its global headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, Diamond Resorts International is one of the most successful time share organizations in the world.
With 228 properties in 28 countries, Diamond Resorts International offers vacation destinations for 600,000 guests worldwide.
Returning for his second journey undercover is one man.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International.
I've been very busy at Diamond Resorts.
Since we last filmed, we have acquired numerous bankrupt companies.
And we've just acquired, out of bankruptcy, Pacific Monarch Resorts.
Pacific Monarch Resorts was founded in the late '80s, and it's a group of about nine resorts in California, Nevada, and in Mexico.
The crown jewel of Pacific Monarch Resorts the Cabo Azul Resort And Spa.
We acquired Pacific Monarch Resorts because it gives us a tremendous west coast presence now that we really didn't have.
However, I've only visited a couple of these properties in person.
The most important thing I learned from my first journey was that it's my responsibility to give great service.
What's going on, guys? Are we taking good care of everybody? - Okay.
- All right.
The meaning of "yes" means never say no to a guest.
Do anything a guest asks to make the guest happy.
I strive for that each and every day.
To have the opportunity now to go undercover with Pacific Monarch Resorts and find out before we start fixing the issues at the properties what, really, is going on? I have to worry about the dust in the vents, the dirt underneath the bed.
Aha.
Like always.
"Yes, we clean under here too.
" If I'm not worried about that, who else is gonna be worried about it? I do have great aspirations of being one of the greatest hoteliers in the world.
Being one of the greats means having thousands of properties worldwide.
Thank you.
And I won't stop till I get there.
What a blessed life I live.
Hey, guys, dinnertime.
Do we do a little cheers? - It's a fantasy life.
- Good luck.
Second time around should be even better.
I knew my costume the first time was just horrific.
This time I'm in charge of my hair and makeup.
I'm gonna have a stylist do my hair.
I love it.
Hey, Steve.
I'm gonna have my doctor come over and pierce my ears.
Oh, my God! [Piercing tool snaps.]
Holy crap! Oh, my God! - You did it.
- You're done.
I went to my dentist, and I had invisalign teeth made so my teeth would look a little ratty.
I'm gonna insure that this disguise won't look silly, like the last time.
I'm going undercover at Pacific Monarch Resorts to make sure that all these properties are operating at a high enough level so they can all be re-branded Diamond Resorts.
While I'm undercover, I'll be posing as Mark Largos, a former construction worker from Bakersfield, California, who lost everything during the recession.
Throughout my undercover journey, my team members will be tricked into thinking they're on a hosted reality show in which they will work alongside Mark, and then decide whether he deserves to win funding from an investor to start his own boutique hotel.
Now, today we have Veronica.
Mucho gusto, Veronica.
Mucho gusto.
Nice to meet you.
The woman pretending to be the host of this fake reality show will keep asking questions about whether Mark deserves the money, so my team members will have no idea that this is secretly Undercover Boss.
Today, I'm at Cedar Breaks Lodge in Brian Head, Utah.
This is a very unique property for Diamond Resorts because it adds a wonderful ski destination.
And I'm gonna do something I've always wanted to do check into one of my joints.
I'm gonna be wearing special glasses that will be filming everything.
Also, the crew got there a lot earlier and installed hidden cameras and mics in the corridors and rooms.
So none of the resort staff will have any idea they're being filmed.
When I go undercover as one of my team members, I get half the experience.
To go undercover as a guest is probably the most important mission I can have.
Because it's all about guest experience.
So far, I noticed the landscaping all around needs a lot of work.
The entrance really needs a touch-up.
Hey Mark Largos.
That's great.
Thanks.
Non-smoking sign on the front door.
Very tacky.
[Door squeaks.]
Old-time sofa bed.
Needs some work.
Look at this vent.
It needs to be wiped down.
Absolutely disgusting.
Uh-oh.
Absolutely filthy.
There's a lot of issues in housekeeping and maintenance here.
Shocking.
[Phone dials.]
Housekeeping.
This is Vicky.
I would like somebody to come to my room from housekeeping.
- Is that possible? - Absolutely.
I called housekeeping to see the responsiveness of the department.
And also to see whether they'd say no to my request.
[Knock on door.]
- Housekeeping.
- Come on in.
Hi, I'm Mark.
What can I do for you? The pots and pans are filthy.
- Okay.
- In the bathroom, it's, like, dirty and moldy.
What's up with that? I, you know, I don't know.
Can you show me? I need towels.
I need, like, eight towels.
In the bathroom, if you look over here, that's not clean.
Can you get this stuff fixed? Like, can you call them? I can go and talk to them right now.
Dude, what happened to your name tag? Check it out.
Um, our H.
R.
guy didn't know how to spell my name.
- What did it say? - "RJ.
" - That's lame.
- I know.
And I've been working here for two years, and he still got my name wrong.
I give them feedback from what guests like you tell me.
- Right.
- I keep telling them.
I go, "the maintenance needs a ton of work.
" Like, right now, we don't have paper towels.
And I mentioned it to my supervisor, and she's like, "oh, yeah, oh, yeah, we'll look into it.
" - And then - Nothing.
I would not spend that kind of money at a place like this.
So you tell guests this all the time? I don't tell guests all the time.
You're talking to me.
You're telling me.
Right.
And I I can't do anything about it.
Exactly.
So it's just when people tell me that they've got concerns and stuff, that's when I open up.
You should go to hospitality school.
I'm thinking about it.
I'm thinking about hotel management, or something le that.
Did you go to college? I tried going after high school.
I can't pay it, but and then I got married.
She had an affair.
So it's just me and my daughter right now.
And she's the one that keeps me coming back here.
I mean, it really is a lot of stress.
But that comes with the territory.
Hey, listen, you gotta go to work.
See if somebody can come up here and maybe get me some new pots and pans, you know? All right, so I'll be back, sir.
- Thanks.
- Hey, no problem.
You know, my heart goes out to RK a lot.
A very thoughtful fella.
He's told management about different issues at the resort, but he's not being listened to.
So he needs some help.
After today, he will know he's been heard.
[Knock on door.]
Yeah, come on in.
Hey.
Just put the towels on the counter.
Are you sure that's where you want the towels? - Yeah.
- That's fine.
- Hey, you got a minute? - Yeah.
Sit down for a second right there.
I was thinking about what you were telling me in the other room.
- And I gotta tell you something.
- All right.
Don't be nervous.
I gotta be straight with you.
You're on Undercover Boss.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts.
- I own this property.
- Oh, my God.
- I gotta be straight with you.
- Okay.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts.
- I own this property.
- Oh, my God.
You nervous? Just a little bit.
I mean, I've seen the TV show and everything before, and I'm a tad bit Well, you're a great team member.
- Thank you.
- I can't believe how you opened my eyes today.
I owe you a debt of gratitude.
The things that you explained to me are gonna allow me to fix this resort so much quicker.
- So you want to go to school - Mm-hmm.
I'm going to pay for it for you.
- All four years.
- Wha [Sniffles.]
You gotta promise me you graduate.
I promise.
I'm gonna give you $25,000 to get day care.
I want to do something special for your daughter.
So why don't I set up a trust fund for your daughter's school? And it'll grow to $50,000.
It'll let you take care of all her schooling.
Is this real? Am I am I dreaming? You're not dreaming.
I never thought in my wildest dreams I was worried.
You don't have to worry.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate it More than you'll ever know.
[Laughs.]
You're very welcome.
Okay? This is totally a dream come true.
Now that I can be a dad, a huge weight is lifted off my shoulder.
I'm so grateful, and yes, my prayers have been answered.
Being a guest gave me new perspective on what really happens when a resort goes bankrupt.
Things fall apart, corners are cut, and guests pay the price.
These problems are truly disturbing there's a lot of work to be done.
One of the goals in acquiring Pacific Monarch Resorts was to expand Diamond Resorts to the west coast.
So today I'm visiting one of the properties in Palm Springs.
In the resort industry, it's critical to create long-lasting memories.
So today I'm going to be working as an activities coordinator.
All in the hips.
All in the hips.
Shake it, shake it.
The activities coordinator is like Julie on The Love Boat.
She's in charge of making everyone have a good time.
I want to see if the activities coordinator here is bubbly and lively, because fun is an integral part to everyone's vacation experience.
- Nice to meet you.
I'm Monique.
- Mark.
I'm the activities coordinator at the resort.
- How are you today? - Good, thank you.
We're gonna do a dance class today.
Do you dance? - No.
- You will today.
There are very few things in the world that I am uncomfortable doing.
One would be jumping out of an airplane.
Two dancing! I I can't dance.
I can't even not even close.
- What about if we tried - I'm sweating.
Go ahead and oh, welcome to Palm Springs.
Mark was hesitant.
He wasn't really a great sport about it.
I kind of had to force him to do it.
The guests vibe off of you, so if you're lame The guests will be lame.
So we're gonna go ahead and throw our arm out and our leg out.
There you go.
Step in.
Step out.
Other leg.
- No.
- See, you know so just pick up the pace.
There you go.
Bring it in.
Pick up the pace.
How long you been doing this? Two and a half years.
You know, I'm trying to build this boutique hotel, so do you have any advice you could give me? The guests definitely pay attention to what you're wearing.
Our uniforms now are very dull.
Especially the front desk.
Their shirts are hideous.
Wow.
Monique did make a comment that the uniforms matter, and the guests notice them, and I agree.
And we're gonna have to fix that right away.
I'm into fashion.
So really, I want to be a stylist.
Oh, wow.
Wow! [Laughs.]
- A fashion stylist.
- Fashion stylist.
- Yeah.
- That's cool.
All right, I think we're ready to bring the guests in.
- Are you guys ready? - Yeah.
We're gonna take a step to the side.
Here we go.
Remember, the side? I know.
I'm doing the side.
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
I feel like an absolute moron.
No, no.
No, baby.
No, come on.
You guys still having fun? All: Yeah! Mark had No rhythm.
What do you think of this? Really? - Really? You like this? - Yeah.
Do you? Oh.
Look at the little guy.
He's good.
That little guy's good! Little guy, come here.
What's here? What's your name? - Jacob.
- Jacob? Help me out, dude.
Let's do it together.
Come on.
All right.
Even though I looked like an idiot out there, all the guests were having fun, and that's what we're trying to get at each and every day.
You're doing great.
Hey, let's give it up for Jacob.
[Cheers and applause.]
Big round of applause for Jacob.
- So how did Mark do? - Come on.
[Cheers and applause.]
- That was hard.
- That was hard.
As far as getting the guests involved, you did do good.
On dancing? One out of ten? One.
And that's me being nice.
But but but, on your people skills, I'll give you a ten.
Okay.
- You got 'em involved.
- Thank you.
So now we're gonna go do root beer floats.
I had an amazing day with Monique.
She's an extraordinary girl because she's very passionate about what she does.
She gets the guest-service experience.
She is definitely somebody I want representing my brand.
- Seven? - Dude.
- Seven root beer floats.
- Dude, are you serious? Yesterday, working with Monique, I was very happy to see that the guests here are enjoying themselves.
Since I'm already in Palm Springs, I want to check out another area of the resort.
So today I'm going to be doing maintenance, so I can really see what kind of shape this resort's in.
Hey, is Markus here? - Yes, sir.
- Markus.
- Hi.
- Hey, I'm Mark.
Mark, you look dressed like I am.
It's what they gave me.
- Yes, sir.
- I'm here to learn some things.
- So you're the contestant? - Yeah.
I'm here to learn some things from you today.
All righty.
If there are cracks within the maintenance department, that's the first way that the guest experience will be damaged.
Today, we're going to maintenance these rooms and fix them, if need be.
All right, boom, we're in.
You gotta check things like the doors and cabinets.
Make sure they open and close properly.
Even though the customer may never touch 'em, we gotta turn 'em on and make sure that, you know, - this is working.
- These look old.
Oh, yeah.
Well, there's a lot of things that are old.
Look at that.
See, it's tilted? - Somebody twisted it.
- Yeah.
- Look at this.
- That right there is having to come along and do touch-up paint.
This property has been neglected.
- This place looks tired.
- Uh, it's seen its day.
I couldn't have a guest occupy the room we were in.
[Walkie-talkie blips.]
Uh-oh, we got a call.
We are in 2224 right now, Captain.
So we've got a situation with a kitchen faucet.
Barely operating.
We're gonna have to replace it, Cap.
Have you ever done one of these things before? - No, sir.
- No, sir? - No, sir.
- All right.
Well, we'll go ahead and get you a good set of pliers.
Go ahead and take apart this top area.
Find out which size it is.
I'll figure it out.
I've gotta go and dig something up, - and I will be back.
- All right.
- All righty? - Thank you.
All right.
I'm gonna get it done.
I'm using every tool in the box this is coming.
I was in a fight with that sink.
Thank God, you know, my grandfather taught me how to use tools.
He's gonna be so pissed at me when he comes back in.
Do it the old-fashioned way break it.
Yes, I can paint.
Yes, I can change light bulbs.
Obviously, I could take apart a plumbing fixture.
It may be a little unorthodox the way I did it, but I did it.
Old-fashioned way.
Old fa oh, cut and remove.
- I killed it.
- That's wow.
Demolition man.
Mark was hardcore.
He tore it apart with care.
[Laughs.]
This over here is a plug.
This is my forte right here is electricity.
Gonna stab this in here, like so.
What do you want to do? What's your dream? My dream got shot a long time ago, brother.
- What was that? - Oh you know Running an electrical business, I guess.
But I didn't have enough capital to keep the entity alive.
- You know what I mean? - Yeah.
You want me to help with that? You sure can, sir.
You can take right over.
At one point in my life, I was, you know, partying and doing whatever as a young kid.
You do drugs? Yep.
You could call that hooked.
And I decided, you know what? To hell with all that.
You know, now that you're all nice and flush, Captain, put that bad boy on there.
- Cool.
- Boom.
Markus was fantastic.
The guy's got a heart of gold, he's persevering in his work, and boy, did he run on hard times.
It's only up from here.
No matter how many times I've failed, and how many brick walls I ran into, I kept on going.
He's got this can-do attitude, and he's a hard worker.
And he is exactly the kind of team member I want working for Diamond Resorts.
We wanna go ahead, and we wanna take these chairs outside, onto the balcony, and we wanna paint 'em.
Do we have something to sand these down with? We really don't have anything on us to sand them down.
In this particular situation, we're gonna have to coat it over.
Why would we paint 'em without sanding 'em? That's what they want us to do.
I just, you know I wouldn't agree, but They needed to be sanded.
Unacceptable to me.
It was wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
It's all preventive maintenance, Captain.
- All preventive maintenance.
- Really? As these things, you know, progress, maybe some of our bosses will start taking a look at what's going on, and what better ways to better their investment.
Your boss doesn't pay attention? Uh, I've never met the man.
I see this management team under financial strain, and I believe that they have taught their team to just get by.
We are at the mercy of the hotel.
They're just basically putting band-aids all over the place.
And they're gonna have a bloody mess soon.
So we're just gonna have to dress it and go.
This property's been in bankruptcy for three years, and it shows.
This is not what I was hoping to see.
I'm halfway through my undercover journey, [Sighs.]
and it's been eye-opening.
Monique was a bright spot.
But after meeting RK and Markus, I found that no one was leading the organization, and taking care of the team.
I hope the next resort that I visit is in better condition.
Announcer: Coming up Let me see if I can figure this out.
Announcer: Stephen shows off his hair-styling skills.
- No, it's too hot.
- What? Announcer: And later There are privacy laws on that.
You're probably right.
Announcer: The boss starts to lose his patience.
What they're doing is wrong! Come on, guys.
How can we make this mistake? This is insane.
Announcer: Stephen J.
Cloobeck Thank you.
Announcer: Chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts Oh, my God! Announcer: Is a boss undercover in a broken business.
- Nice to meet you.
I'm Monique.
- Mark.
Announcer: The employees think he's an unemployed construction worker competing to win money from an investor to buy his own boutique hotel.
- I killed it.
- That's wow.
Announcer: His journey continues in Los Cabos, Mexico.
[Mariachi music.]
I'm at the Cabo Azul Resort And Spa.
It's the singular reason I wanted to buy Pacific Monarch Resorts.
This is the one property in Pacific Monarch's chain that I have already approved to become a Diamond resort.
Compared to the other properties I've visited on my journey, I think it's clear that the Diamond way of doing things has made it this resort.
And one of the things that makes this property unique is its spa.
This resort has every single amenity a resort should have.
The spa is a crucial area.
If our spa is fantastic, we will attract guests from other hotels to come to our spa at our property.
So the spa needs to be exceptional.
- Veronica? - Yes.
I'm Mark.
We have to do a lot of things.
I will show you how is Um a blow dry.
- A blow dry? - Yes.
Oh, my God.
[Laughs.]
Mark looks like a crazy person.
Welcome to Paz Spa.
My name is Kimberly.
I'm here for a wash and blow dry.
- I get you wet? - I'm a little wet.
- You wet on the face.
- Oh, no.
Please, ma'am, this way.
And you need to comb.
Because there's knots in the hair? Uh-huh.
I don't think you want me doing this.
[Nervous chuckle.]
- I'm trying.
- Si, si.
- What? What? - Okay.
When you do this, it hurts.
The head hurts.
Tangles.
Not good with tangles.
I'm banned on tangles.
Let me see if I can figure this out.
Now, what button do you push here? [Blow dryer on.]
Okay - Don't it's too hot.
- What? It's too hot for her.
Am I burning you? Mark is not good for her.
He's Mark is not gentle with the hair and with the people.
What? No, it's not good.
- I'll finish.
- No? No, it's not good.
- Thank you.
- All right.
Remember, it's too hot.
You can frizz her.
- Frizz.
- Oh, frizz.
- Exactly.
Uh-huh.
- Like zzzzzz! When that happen, the girls don't pay you.
[Laughs.]
That's not good.
I was drying her hair, and I was making her hair frizzy.
You're good at this.
Veronica stepped in right away and fixed the situation.
And I believe I'm fired from blow-drying hair.
How long you been married? One year, and I have a baby.
- You do? - Si.
- If you - How old's your baby? - She's 16 months.
- Wow.
I had a wife.
She left me.
Oh [Laughs.]
I have a new appreciation for anyone who works in our spa and our salons.
They have to provide unbelievably great service, and at the same time making sure the guest is happy.
Nice.
Look how beautiful she looks.
- Gracias.
- Thank you.
- Gracias.
Gracias.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
- Mark, we need to clean.
- Okay.
So tell me about your little daughter again.
Daniella, she is my baby girl.
I'm working here in the salon and the reception because we need to save money.
Why? - Two hernias? - Si.
- Because she was premature - I'm sorry.
No, no, no, no.
Here.
Here.
- We need to save money for - Yeah? For the operation.
Is it dangerous surgery? - Can she die? - Si.
We have to do the surgery for her.
I'm sorry for that.
- Look at her eyes.
- Si.
Do you have a good doctor picked out? Si.
Si.
How much does it cost for the surgery? In pesos is And you don't have that saved yet? No.
No.
I want to save money, but it sometimes is difficult.
Does your husband have two jobs too? Si.
Si.
- And you have two jobs? - Si.
No, no, no, really, really we are right now focusing in save money for Daniella.
Because it's my it's my baby girl.
I want to do everything for her.
Wow.
You know, I know, as a parent, when your child has to have surgery, you really don't know what's gonna happen.
So it's always a stressful time.
Their time of stress right now is finding the money to have the surgery.
And, you know, you saw it in Veronica's eyes today.
I'm so glad that I met Veronica today, and I feel confident that the spa is a great asset to this property.
The one job I haven't done on my journey thus far is working at the front desk.
Checking in? I heard a lot of things that were troubling last time when I worked at the front desk on Undercover Boss.
You can never tell a guest that you are overbooked.
So what we do is we do the maintenance issue.
Like, "unfortunately, due to some maintenance issues," "we do have to relocate you for the evening.
" All resorts overbook, but I would not be happy if I was explained there was a maintenance issue with the room.
So it'll be very interesting to see what happens here today.
- Stephanie.
- Hi.
- How are you? - Mark.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
Do you want to come around this way? Sure.
Even though our flag isn't flying here yet, our Diamond members are already coming here.
And what I'm looking for today is to make sure that all the training and the protocols that I have at other Diamond Resorts have started here, and they're running smoothly.
- This is the front desk.
- Great.
That's Carolina.
- You'll be working with her.
- What's her name? [Heavy accent.]
Carolina.
- Garodino.
- Lina.
- Carlina? - Carolina.
- Oh, Carolina? - Yeah, Carolina.
- Carolina.
Great.
- Mm-hmm.
Okay, so let me just show you around.
Please.
This is where we keep the filing for all of our guests here in the hotel.
Their credit cards that we hold.
And we need their credit card numbers to make the authorization.
I read online, though - Mm-hmm.
- 'Cause I'm trying to learn all the workings, and the laws say that you can't keep credit card numbers.
Well, I'm I'm not aware or informed of that.
But here at the hotel, we have to.
That's directly from management, and I don't - Really? - Yeah.
When I was working with Stephanie, I was talking to her about the credit card number written down on the folio.
Diamond Resorts doesn't do that.
That's not a policy we live within because what they're doing is wrong! But there are privacy laws on that.
You're probably right.
It's very problematic, but I'm gonna work with her a little more, and I'll deal with the credit card issue later.
Okay, so here from the desktop, this is where we work.
Does this system work good? Yeah.
Sometimes it's a little bit slow, but Monarch Grand has a lot of different hotels, so we have to access the one from Cabo Azul.
Who's that? They're the owners of the time share.
I'm extremely livid right now.
Diamond Resorts owns this property I own this property.
It doesn't make sense.
The problem with that is I've got Diamond guests checking in.
They expect to be coming to a Diamond Resort property.
And if the front desk receptionist doesn't know she's representing Diamond Resorts, that's a problem for me.
Yeah.
I'm mortified.
There were numerous discounts that should have been afforded.
The entire bill was wrong.
I was so, so upset that a guest was mistreated.
It was very impossible for me to sit behind that desk hearing so many things that were wrong.
And I just I was so frustrated, I couldn't stand it anymore.
No, you're not.
No, you're not.
You're gonna sit with me.
I own this place.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck.
I own Diamond Resorts.
I'm not happy.
I'm really not happy about this.
Come on, guys.
How can we make this mistake? What policy? Give me the card.
This is insane.
I apologize.
- Apology accepted.
- Not my style.
Not my style.
I'm seeing a lot of stuff here I'm not pleased with.
It's a transition here, and it's not your fault.
No, they were not trained properly.
I agree.
I agree.
You have a good wedding? Well, you know what? Wedding present? - It's on me.
How about that? - Oh, my God.
I'm paying for his wedding.
Yes.
Look, we appreciate I appreciate your business.
Thank you so much.
- Stephanie - Yes.
I wasn't trying to be hard with you, but I got so frustrated early on.
I understand.
This is not Stephanie's fault.
There's a massive communication breakdown here.
I'm sorry.
Okay? I am so disappointed.
The other properties aren't up to Diamond standards, but it's understandable because their teams haven't even been told yet.
Everyone on this property should be trained to the Diamond level of standards, and they're not.
There's gonna be a transition.
But I'm gonna speed up this transition a lot.
This week, I've learned a lot.
When I acquire broken hotels, it's not gonna be enough to just throw money at these resorts, and hopefully they'll improve.
I need to make it personally my mission to make these properties great, and train these team members.
We have one shot of making every guest's vacation experience great.
And if we can do this, I think it's gonna make our company that much better, that much stronger.
Announcer: Coming up, the employees think they're coming to give feedback on whether or not Mark deserves money to open his own boutique hotel.
How will they react when they find out the boss' true identity? I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, the chairman and CEO - of Diamond Resorts.
- Oh, my God.
All of my team members have been called to the Cabo Azul Resort.
They think they're coming to speak to a wealthy investor, and rate my performance.
Hey, you're Markus? Get out of here.
Steve.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
How did Mark do? He did a good job with the shampoo.
- Not with the blow drying? - No.
No, no, no.
Mark was difficult at times.
Uh I wanted to ask you about Mark.
- Yeah.
- I'm an investor.
You're an investor? - You're Mark.
- Why would you say that? Because you look like Mark without a beard.
You don't know who I am, do you? - No.
- I was Mark Largos.
Okay.
I'm Stephen J.
Cloobeck, the chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts.
Oh, my God.
You are you are the owner.
[Chuckles.]
You ever see the show Undercover Boss? - No kidding? - Stop it! Dude, you were incredible, man.
You had me wow.
[Laughs.]
I kept a little bit of Mark with me.
- Are you for real? - Yeah.
I actually got my ears pierced for this.
Oh, so now you're rockin' out.
Now you're, like, the cool boss.
Monique, you were lovely.
You are exactly what the guest needs to see in the activities department.
You mentioned the uniforms.
You don't like 'em? I know.
We should change 'em.
We should! I want you to design 'em for me.
- Aah! - But but but - You gotta do me a favor.
- What's that? You've gotta go to FIDM first.
Aah! You're are you serious right now? I'm gonna pay for you to go to fashion school.
My mama's gonna be so excited.
Thank you.
Oh, my gosh.
Here, take my hankie.
Oh, my goodness.
Thank you so much.
You know, you can't commute, so I'm also gonna get you an apartment for two years in downtown L.
A.
Oh oh, my God.
You don't understand how much this means to me.
I never wanted to put that on my mom.
My mom's a single parent.
Oh, my goodness.
I'm gonna make you proud.
Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
The opportunity to go to school when I didn't think there was an opportunity To go after my dream is incredible.
I mean, not everybody gets to do what they love.
I can't even explain what it feels like, or, I mean, there's really no words.
I'm speechless.
Markus, how'd I do on the sink? Dude, you shredded that thing.
[Laughs.]
I did, didn't I? You did.
- You've had a tough road, huh? - Yes, sir.
I understand.
It wasn't easy to build my business.
But I want to hear about your business plan.
What do you want to do? I always wanted to be an electrician.
You know, have a nice, good company.
I worked for my dad, and, uh Second-generation electrician.
Something that, you know, brings a little honor to my family.
That's what I always dreamt about.
Why is that, sir? Why are you asking me that? Because I'm gonna make an investment in you.
In me? We're gonna go into business together.
I'm gonna put up $100,000 to start your business.
$100,000? Yeah.
But I want to be your partner.
I'm gonna own 10%, you're gonna own 90%.
There's no way this is possible.
This is a chance, and you're gonna make me proud.
Gonna make yourself proud.
Thank you so much.
I'll do the best I can.
It's enough to actually make you cry.
When I got to the real world, I wasn't ready for it.
It smacked me in the face at 100 miles an hour, and every choice I made was wrong.
You feel defeated.
Maybe it is true.
Maybe dreams do come true.
Veronica, spending time with you you treat our guests like family.
Because in Cabo Azul, we are a family.
Yeah.
And we have a lot of friends, and they are asking about my husband, my my baby girl.
- Daniella.
- Uh-huh.
- Beautiful name.
- Thank you.
So you know what? You told me about Daniella.
You know, you've sacrificed a lot.
- I know.
- Working multiple jobs.
Your husband working multiple jobs.
Si.
You don't have to save money.
No? Why? [Chuckles.]
I'm gonna pay for it all right now.
I want to take care of Daniella.
I want her to have her surgery right away.
You're gonna call the doctor on Monday, and you're gonna go get baby Daniella taken care of.
Gracias.
How do you get to the doctor? We have to take a bus, three hours, - because we don't have a car.
- You do now.
Really? Yeah, I'm buying you a car.
Oh, my God.
This is real? [Laughs.]
This is real.
- You are real? - I am real.
I'm gonna give you 1.
3 million pesos to buy a new home.
Wow.
That is a a lot of money.
A lot.
I don't want you working two jobs.
I want you to spend more time with Daniella.
I'm sorry.
Veronica, I invited your family here your husband and little baby Daniella.
- Where? - So I'm gonna say good-bye, and then you go meet them.
Okay? - Thank you - You're welcome.
Mark.
Mark? I'll remember this, Mark.
Thank you.
This money help me a lot, you know? Daniella is my world.
Um, we can do the surgery, and we can buy a house.
This money is gonna be changing my life right now.
Right now.
It's been amazing to go undercover for a second time.
This week, I really got a firsthand look at what it's like to take over a broken resort.
It's all about great communication.
It's all about training.
It's all about creating an unbelievable team.
We have a special guest Stephen Cloobeck.
[Cheers and applause.]
Thank you.
I worry about two things every morning our guests, and all of you, our team.
You know, now it's about fixing those companies, because they're broken.
I met some phenomenal people this week who face their own set of challenges.
And I realize I need to do much more to make sure that all of my team members are better taken care of.
I've set up a crisis fund for all of our team members that may be in need.
I have personally donated a million dollars of my own money to this crisis fund.
And the company is matching that million dollars to make it $2 million.
[Cheers and applause.]
I love you all.
I appreciate everyone's hard work.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
[Cheers and applause.]