Are all our hotels like these? (The Hotel Inspector)

Member Name: blackviolets

Product:	The Hotel Inspector
Date:	05/08/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: light entertainment, quite enjoyable to watch

Disadvantages: presenter doesn't really do anything

There are only 3 programmes on Channel 5 which I regularily tune in to watch. Them being Neighbours, The Mentalist and now The Hotel Inspector. I'd seen the adverts dotted about, not really all that interested but then we ended up watching an episode when there was nothing else on and now I'm hooked.

It does what it says on the tin really. Alex Polizzi visits hotels around the country which are failing. Whether through bad management or just the hotel being a bit of a shambles you can be sure that she'll be sniffing about the place.

It does appear to be a bit of a make over show. The bedrooms and bathrooms seeming to be the main complaint. In most of the hotels Alex does have a problem with how clean the rooms are which I suppose is the most important. I am a bit confused as to why these hotel owners would want to come on TV showing everybody how filthy and run down their establishment is. Although I will agree on the fact that in some cases a lick of paint is all what the room needed to make it look better. The menu is also often featured, usually the food is too complicated and they need to simplify it a bit.

Unlike other reality make over business shows they don't go back and see if the hotel is still going or if they fell back into their old ways again. That for me is the most important thing about it. It's alright to have it revamped but you want to see if they can actually hack it.

What I can't understand however is that when they get a professional hotel inspector to come in to see their ratings, no matter how bad, they've managed to get stars. In the last episode the hotel owner hadn't changed the bed sheets, forgotten the 7:30 wake up call and the inspectors newspaper and didn't have the bill ready for when the she checked out. Yet somehow managed to get a 3 star rating! I cannot believe that would happen in real life.

I'm still in two minds as to if Polizzi is the right person for the job. Fair enough she does the presenting well enough but when watching it you realise she does absoloutly nothing. She speaks to the owners, points out how bad the place looks or complains about the food, then flounces out again. Not seeing her until the jobs been done.

OK, so she's supposedly a celebrated 'hotelier' and must have some kind of experience in the job but from the programme you get the impression that they've got her because of her family.

Her Grandfather was a lord, her Mum being a hotel designer and her Dad who was an Italian marquess. Channel 5 also seem to want to boast about how she used to work for Marco Pierre White, maybe to give her some kind of credibility.

The Hotel Inspector is on at 9pm, Channel 5 on Mondays. I don't think it's something to be taken too seriously but considering all the other programmes which 5 show it's actually quite good. It's easy to watch and theres nothing to cause much controversy over unlike other similar reality programmes.

Summary: .