COEUR d'ALENE - The Roosevelt Inn always attracts big crowds for the North Idaho Bed and Breakfast Association's annual holiday tour.

After all, the 1905 former schoolhouse is near downtown Coeur d'Alene so it's easy to find. The four-story brick building has been listed on The National and State Register of Historical Places, so it's fun to wander through it.

It's always decorated to the T, inside and out, for the holidays.

But this Sunday's 23rd Holiday Bed and Breakfast Tour could see the biggest crowds yet venturing into the inn owned by John and Tina Hough - and some credit, goes to Gordon Ramsey.

The man who made "Hotel Hell" a hit visited the Roosevelt Inn for a week in February, with the show airing on FOX TV in early September.

His initial impression of the inn, of John, of its dinner theater and its food, were, well, let's say they weren't positive.

But he didn't leave a dissatisfied customer.

When Ramsey and crew departed, they left behind two renovated bedrooms, a refreshed banquet room, and breathed some new life into the aging Roosevelt.

There was good and bad of being on the nationally shown program.

"We kind of felt blindsided in some ways, but the overall product was good," said Tina Hough on Tuesday.

Let's have drama

During Ramsey's visit, crews filmed hundreds of hours.

"They told us when they came in, if you guys don't give us drama, we'll make it, and they made some drama, they kept us on our toes," Tina said. "They would switch things up for us constantly, we were constantly off balance and they wanted to see how we dealt with it."

When the show finally aired, John came across as the bad guy. Tina the kind wife trying so hard, and Gordon the guy who could save the Roosevelt and their marriage.

Tina said it was stressful then, but looking back, she laughed about what they went through.

"Every reality show, there's a villain, there's a victim, there's a savior. Somebody had to play each part. I'm just glad they didn't make me out the villain," she said.

Following the show, Tina said they received hundreds of emails, notes and phone calls. Some empathized with the difficulty a husband and wife team face in trying to make a bed and breakfast work.

"That's what struck the chord with everybody," Tina said.

One urged Tina to leave John, saying she had wasted 33 years with him. Another man called in tears, saying he knows how tough it can be to make a marriage and business succeed.

There was one letter, postmarked from the United Kingdom, in which the writer threatened to kill John because he was filmed, following a tense confrontation with Ramsey, saying, "I'm going to kill him."

It ended, of course, on a happy note, with Ramsey showing off the renovated rooms, surprising the Houghs with a wedding planned at the Roosevelt, and everyone hugging and smiling, confident in the future.

They followed Ramsey's advice about menu changes and offer dinner to guests Sunday through Thursday. They've fielded more calls and reservations - although Tina said she can only directly connect one reservation to being on "Hotel Hell."

Even the dinner theater, which Ramsey discouraged, is going strong with more people attending.

"They have gone through the roof since the show."

The restored Roosevelt

During a brief tour, Tina highlighted improvements to the Bell Tower Suite and what is now called the Gordon Ramsey Suite.

There's new paint and carpeting, furniture, bedspreads, pillows, lamps and nightstands.,

"It's all more contemporary looking," she said.

The Gordon Ramsey Suite was previously a two-bedroom unit, converted to an executive suite, complete with new sitting area.

"I like the way it looks," Hough said.

But she notes those two rooms were the Roosevelt's highest-producing rooms.

"I wish they would have taken my least producing rooms and done something to them, because they're the ones that needed help," she said, laughing. "But I like the general feel of this."

The Roosevelt is now half contemporary, half Victorian.

"We're reaching those 20- to 40-year-olds and yet keep the baby boomers that are my bread and butter," she said. "That's the new plan."

The makeover of the downstairs banquet room - from yellow, burgundy-colored walls and two dreary carpets, to neutral colors, a lighter, more open feeling - along with new chairs and tables and linen and place settings, is key to the Roosevelt's future as it vies to catch more wedding reservations.

"I love it," Tina said. "I think this room is going to be the biggest difference."

The banquet room, she said, had become a drain on the business, a poor investment.

"It just hadn't performed for us," she said.

But a wedding this week, and four Christmas parties, a recent business conference, show it has turned the corner.

"Now, it's a whole lot more user friendly," Hough said.

Guests can tour the Roosevelt on Sunday, listen to the Charter Academy choir, and try homemade soup.

Tina said the annual tour gives people a chance to stop in and see the changes, and in the end, recommend the Roosevelt to family and friends who visit.

"Hopefully, you'll think about us for a place to stay," she said.

North Idaho Holiday Bed and Breakfast Tour

The annual North Idaho Holiday Bed and Breakfast Tour is noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For 23 years, area bed and breakfasts have opened their doors for public viewing of their beautifully decorated homes. This year's visitors can also purchase gifts handmade by the innkeepers and local artists.

The tour is free to the public, with a food or cash donation collected at each bed and breakfast you visit. Proceeds go to local food banks and Christmas for All.

Participating properties are:

The Roosevelt Inn and The McFarland Inn, both Coeur d'Alene; Cedar Springs in Rathdrum; Log Spirit and Cedar Mountain Farm in Athol; Mullan House, Mullan; Sweet Magnolia and Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, both in Sandpoint.

Information: Tina Hough, 765-5200, (800) 290-3358 and nibba.com