What would the Dalai Lama say? The Bedford Post Inn, the tony Westchester farmhouse and restaurant owned by Richard Gere and Carey Lowell, has been dragging its heels on paying workers and vendors, three who have worked with the inn tell Page Six.
The A-list couple took over the historic farmhouse in 2008 with partner Russell Hernandez, and revamped it into an eight-room inn, restaurant, cafe and yoga studio. Room rates range from $395 to $550 a night.
According to insiders, some yoga instructors at the inn who earn up to $75 per class have had payment delayed for up to three months at a time. The yogis say multiple e-mails and phone calls to accountants went unanswered, leading them to stand outside the accounting office in a trailer near the main house to beg for their paychecks.
“I find it humiliating,” one employee said. “It’s the exact opposite of what yoga is about — integrity, being honest.”
Vendors, too, are grumbling. One who did thousands of dollars worth of business with the inn said getting paid was unpleasant because managers, including Hernandez, were unreachable. “Getting [Hernandez] on the phone to get payment is like trying to get to the president,” said the supplier, who no longer does business with the inn.
Sources said it doesn’t help that Gere and Lowell are rarely at the property to keep an eye on things.
A rep for the Bedford Post Inn responded, “Like all businesses, vendors for the Bedford Post submit their bills for approval and, once approved by the managers, they are paid within their payment terms. The Bedford Post is current on its vendor payments.” The rep added that Gere and Lowell remain deeply involved with the property.