The BEST episodes of The Hotel Inspector
Every episode of The Hotel Inspector ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Hotel Inspector!
The series that transforms failing hotels returns with Alex Polizzi at the helm. Alex, whose family owns the renowned Rocco Forte group of hotels, is on a mission to change the fortunes of some of Britain's most calamitous establishments.
#1 - Grand Hotel, Hastings
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/6/2007
Ruth heads to the East Sussex coast to tackle a hotel whose owner is actively opposed to her ideas before he has even met her. Ruth is in Hastings to visit the Grand Hotel, a seafront establishment with 17 rooms that is rapidly losing business to the new budget hotels elsewhere in the town. Owner Peter Mann, who has been running the hotel for 18 years, is keen to reverse his fortunes, but is wary of Ruth’s infamous no-nonsense approach even before her arrival. “If she’s going to come here a cross between Darth Vader, Genghis Khan and Gordon Ramsay, then that’s not going to work at all,” he warns. Unfortunately for Peter, his worst fears are confirmed when he meets Ruth. She is deeply unimpressed by his hotel the moment she sets eyes on it.
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#2 - Sunnyside
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/20/2009
Alex Polizzi attempts to help the struggling Sunnyside Hotel in Blackpool. In a bid to boost the B&B's pitiful occupancy rate, the owners plan a huge refurbishment - but refuse to take on Alex's suggestions. Can she get them to incorporate her design ideas and improve the lousy service?
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#3 - The Astor, Plymouth
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/22/2010
For her first challenge this series, Alex visits the three-star, 62-bedroom Astor in Plymouth, owned by the flamboyant Joseph Louei. Having risen from pot-washer to owner of a hotel in 30 years, Joseph is naturally very proud of his achievements. However, in recent years Plymouth has been flooded with cheap chain hotels, so the independent hostelries are struggling against stiff competition. In the nine years of Joseph’s ownership, the Astor has never made a profit. Its woes are compounded by a raft of terrible online reviews from dissatisfied customers.
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#4 - First In Last Out, Winchester
Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/18/2011
Straight-talking, award-winning hotelier Alex Polizzi answers an SOS call from Jon Sweeney, owner of the First In Last Out, a 17th-century pub and B&B in Winchester that has been plagued by poor reviews – with one disgruntled guest even suggesting it might be the 'worst hotel in the UK'. The Hotel Inspector uncovers a cleaning regime that leaves much to be desired and, after a run-in with a shower room that has a life of its own, she checks out, leaving the First In Last Out with the distinction of being the first establishment she has ever refused to sleep in. The glamorous Polizzi is no quitter, but will the First In Last Out be too big a challenge even for the Hotel Inspector? Jon's main clientele are contractors who are not too bothered by their surroundings, but in order to make inroads on the tourist trade he is desperately in need of Alex's help. She faces the challenging task of showing Jon that budget accommodation does not need to mean low quality. Can she turn around the fortunes of FILO and get Jon to clean up his act – and his rooms?
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#5 - Jessop House Hotel
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/24/2008
Alex heads to historic Tewkesbury to inspect the eight-bedroom Jessop House Hotel, located just yards from the town's famous abbey. "It looks like a very pretty town," Alex says. "According to their website, I’m staying at an equally pretty boutique townhouse hotel. Can't imagine what's going wrong there." It soon becomes apparent that the Jessop's problems are twofold, as Alex discovers a business and a relationship in crisis.
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#6 - Welcome Traveller Inn, Pembrokeshire
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/2/2011
Alex comes to the rescue of the Welcome Traveller Inn, located in west Wales. Despite its excellent location, this family-run business is struggling. Can any of Alex's bright ideas turn the hotel's fortunes around? Geoff, Babs, Sarah and Kirsty have been welcoming travellers to their inn for the last seven years. They have eight bedrooms, a dining area, bar and conference room. The excellent location in west Wales should mean that the family can pick and choose from local trade, as well appeal to holidaymakers. However, the facts tell a different story – one of low occupancy rates, thousands of pounds lost last year and poor online reviews. Babs has reached the end of her tether with the business and the rest of the family are scratching their heads over ideas for how to improve the occupancy rates. Additionally, the whole family admits to never agreeing on the best way to take the business forwards. The family's future is completely tied up in this business and Babs, who pays the bills, thinks she has six, maybe 12 months left to turn things around. If the business fails, Babs and her clan will lose both the business and the family home. Can Alex persuade the family to put their differences to one side and pull together to entice people back to the hotel?
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#7 - La Casa Hotel, Torrox
Season 11 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/28/2015
Alex Polizzi pays a visit to La Casa Hotel in the village of Torrox Pueblo near Malaga in southern Spain, where a number of factors have led to a room occupancy rate of just 25 per cent. With little prospect of selling up and moving back home, sisters Sarah and Karen have no choice but to try to make the hotel work, but a drop in tourist numbers and the collapse of the Spanish economy in 2012 have saddled the pair with debts, leaving Alex with a huge task on her hands to turn around their fortunes.
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#10 - Rosehill House Hotel
Season 15 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/6/2019
Owned for the past 25 years by John and run by his daughter Emma, they have cluttered the 31-room establishment with tat and lost sight of who their customers are. Recently, bookings have taken a sharp decline and to make matters worse John's wife Jacquie - once the life and soul of the hotel - has been forced to retire due to illness, leaving Emma to run the place alone.
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#12 - The Sheldon, Eastbourne
Season 14 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/17/2018
Alex Polizzi visits Eastbourne's the Sheldon, where owner Judith is doing nothing to make her business stand out from the competitive seaside crowd. With Judith's help, Alex gets busy rebranding the Sheldon as a family B&B in time for the all-important summer season.
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#13 - Westward Ho! Hotel, Folkestone
Season 14 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/26/2018
Jon was left this 13-bed hotel with stunning views by his late mother, but occupancy is flagging and he has fallen out with the young couple who live in and manage the property. Alex must mediate a massive fall-out to try to get everyone back onboard.
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#14 - The Gungate Hotel, Tamworth
Season 10 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/13/2014
Alex attempts to offer some advice to the owner of the Gungate Hotel in Tamworth to help turn the fortunes of the business around.
#16 - Kingston Estate
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/26/2010
Alex Polizzi visits the Kingston Estate in rural Devon, where former model Liz Corfield and her husband Michael run a luxury B&B, guesthouses and a spa and conference facility, but are struggling financially due to falling guest numbers and the effects of the recession. Alex suggests room revamps and aggressive marketing, but the couple seem unwilling to listen to her advice.
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#17 - The Meudon
Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/9/2012
Alex travels to the Meudon Hotel in Falmouth to help father-and-son team Harry and Mark Pilgrim. The 29-bedroom country-house hotel was once a sparkling jewel on the Cornish coast, boasting 8.5 acres of sub-tropical gardens that lead down to the hotel’s private beach. But it has failed to move with the times and for too long now has been struggling with low occupancy and low profits. Alex quickly gets down to the roots of their problems. She discovers that 86-year-old Harry’s reluctance to let go of the reins has left son Mark frustrated in his role of general manager. With the old-fashioned decor and unimaginative restaurant menu only attracting elderly clientele, the hotel is facing an uncertain future. Alex worries that the family lacks the vision and energy for change. She demands an immediate clear-out of all the doilies and relics of the past to widen the hotel’s appeal, and tells Mark to star putting himself forward to become more of a leader. Can Alex help with the Pilgrims’ progress?
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#20 - African Queen
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/10/2009
Alex climbs aboard floating hotel the African Queen. With the boat running at just 30 per cent occupancy, owners Bonny and Andy are at breaking point. Can the hotel inspector throw this beleaguered couple a life jacket? South Africans Bonny and Andy Cowley previously ran a successful hotel and restaurant on the Isle of Wight. When they bought 85-year-old Dutch barge the African Queen they were full of hope for their new project. "We thought, 'We're gonna fly!' but it didn't work like that," says Bonny. The eight-bedroom floating hotel is failing to turn a profit - and even when the couple have guests, the heavy workload of running the boat is taking its toll.
Watch Now:Amazon#22 - Gipsy Hill Hotel, Exeter
Season 15 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/27/2019
Alex Polizzi is called to the Gipsy Hill Hotel in Exeter, where owner Grace has plans to retire and hand the business to her daughter Jackie, who currently manages the hotel. But profits are falling and Grace worries there will be no business to pass down. Alex immediately spots that the hotel is stuck in the past, with its old-fashioned decor. Can she convince the owner to release her grip on the purse strings and allow her daughter to take ownership now?
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#23 - Mountain View, Port Talbot, Wales
Season 11 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/7/2015
Lisa and Eli took on the Mountain View B&B 10 years ago and dreamt of becoming Port Talbot's premier overnight destination, but plunging occupancy rates and scathing reviews have put the business's future in doubt. Alex Polizzi heads to south Wales, where she is concerned that the couple's two large dogs and Eli's daily habit of feeding a flock of hungry pigeons might be the reason for their problems. But when she suggests a radical solution, a battle of wills ensues that leaves Alex on the brink of walking away altogether.
#25 - The Clover
Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/5/2012
Clover Spa is a seven-bedroom hotel and spa, owned and run by Tim Higgs. Tim has been a naturist for more than 30 years, and after a career as a farmer decided to take the plunge and become a hotelier, opening up Britain's first 'elite' naturist retreat. But allowing his naturist guests to let it all hang out has hit his bottom line. Despite attracting guests to use his spa facilities during the day, he is struggling to attract people to stay the night. When Alex arrives she is shocked to discover that Tim insists his guests remain naked throughout their stay, in every part of the hotel, including the lounge and restaurant area. And Alex is no exception!
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