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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.

Church minister John Humberstone has been welcoming guests to the Grade-II listed Alexandra Hotel in Llandudno for the past couple of years, but the business is in deep trouble. Alex Polizzi heads to north Wales to try to revive the establishment's fortunes, but has her work cut out to transform its failing restaurant, bad reputation and negative reviews.

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.

Best friends Neil and John took over the Vidella Hotel in Blackpool a decade ago, but their love of practical jokes is beginning to wear thin and falling trade has started to take its toll on them. Alex Polizzi tries to turn their struggling business around, but has her work cut out to prove to the owners that a failing hotel is not a laughing matter.

Alex visits a hotel in Dorset which has seen a steadily declining occupancy rate. Could the answer to the hotel’s problems lie in a spirited assistant? The beautiful hotel is set in six acres of Dorset countryside, and comes complete with stables, an outdoor pool and even its own cricket pitch! It also comes with an owner whose collections of knickknacks are liberally littered around the hotel and its ten bedrooms. The owner and his wife have lived in the lodge for over 20 years and consider it their home. But having decided to close the door on letting the whole place out for money-spinning functions, they have seen their income dwindle. They are now worried about how the house will support them in the future. Alex feels that modernising the hotel is the only option if they are going to attract more visitors. Can Alex win the apprehensive owners round to her way of thinking? She finds a possible saviour in the form of the couple’s assistant, who has worked with them for more than twenty years. Could she be the light that guides the hotel into a bright new future?

Sue Tipton bought the Gungate Hotel in Tamworth, Staffordshire, on impulse because she was looking for a challenge, but the last few years have become a constant struggle and she has been forced to run the business virtually single-handed. Alex Polizzi spends a night to get a feel for what guests encounter and the next day delivers a hard-hitting verdict. Can Sue handle the truth?

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?

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.

Alex Polizzi returns to one of her first hotels, Gwent's West Usk Lighthouse. Once voted Britain's most romantic B&B, it had fallen into disrepair and had become cluttered. Alex tried to convince owner Frank and wife Danielle to de-clutter and attract new business to fulfil their B&B's potential. Will Alex's latest ideas inspire those in need of help?

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?

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.

Jill and Steve own and run a smart 14-bedroom, two-star manor hotel on the outskirts of Birmingham. It boasts a restaurant, swimming pool, gardens, and a marquee fully equipped for the hotel’s wedding service. Jill loves to play bridal fairy godmother, but life at the hotel is far from a fairytale. The couple has invested time and savings in the manor, but the bottom line doesn’t match their input. The business has never made a profit; they are losing £700-£1,000 a week; and now their relationship, as well as the hotel, is floundering.

Alex Polizzi heads for Derbyshire's Peak District to help the owner of a 15th-century inn deal with a stream of problems. The two-star venue has 10 en-suite bedrooms, a bar and a 50-seat restaurant, but struggles to attract customers at the weekends. With a wage bill of £10,000 a month, the business is estimated to have made a loss of £600,000 over the years, and the expert hotelier sets out to improve the dated decor and turn around the hotel's fortunes.

Alex Polizzi tries to reverse the fortunes of the Sandygate Hotel in South Yorkshire, where owners Dave and Dyan Elliott have estimated they have six months before going bankrupt. With occupancy rates as low as two per cent, Alex advises them to increase their online presence, court businesses for extra clients and re-evaluate their restaurant's profit margins.

This week’s show sees Alex turn her attention to the Rutland Arms Hotel in Bakewell, Derbyshire. Set on the edge of the Peak District, the hotel enjoys high occupancy rates during the summer months, but poor organisation, bad reviews and an absence of visitors in the winter have pushed 68-year-old owner David to the brink of financial ruin.

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.

Alex visits the market town of Wisbech, where the 300-year-old Rose and Crown is in crisis. Can the hotel inspector convince owners Jacquie and Jonathan to eliminate the mountains of paperwork strangling their business?

Alex Polizzi helps Chris and Leisha, who bought a village pub with 10 rooms in West Sussex just over a year ago, but have now run out of money and momentum. The novice hoteliers are struggling to attract customers to the George Hotel and Leisha despairs of Chris's tendency to get distracted from the job at hand. Alex is quick to identify a rescue plan, but with an unfocused leader at the helm, can they see it through?

Alex Polizzi heads to Colliters Brook Farm near Bristol, to try to make sense of owner Richard's struggling business and help make his dream a reality. After being forced to run a makeshift B&B from the farmhouse instead of his original plan to renovate an old barn on his property, Richard has been trying hard to get his dream back on track, but crippling debts have led to him being stuck in a rut, with no clear direction. Alex can see huge potential the farm, but getting Richard to pull everything together and maximise his profits proves one of her toughest challenges to date.

Alex visits a 15th-century haunted hotel in St Albans, where guests often get more than they bargained for. The 14-bedroom hotel is reputed to be the oldest in this ancient Home Counties town and, with numerous reported spooky sightings, guests often get more than they bargained for. Taking advantage of the hotel’s supernatural reputation, Jayne organises ghost tours complete with stage skeletons and cackling witches, but the haunted theme restaurant menu seems to be scaring off the guests. The McBeaths took over The White Hart four-and-a-half years ago, but with increased competition from the chain hotels, their profit margin is being tightly squeezed, and the couple are spending most of the time arguing about the right way forward. Ross and Jayne have called in Alex for her advice on how to attract more business, but they're not prepared for a sceptical Hotel Inspector who demands that they drop the haunted theme and concentrate instead on 'history not mystery'...

Michelle and her husband Mimmo’s café, located by a stable yard in a tiny Somerset village, isn’t making a profit. The Italian-inspired food they serve is great but there’s very little footfall at the location and the exhausted couple are both working long days for the paltry salary of £2.26 per hour. This predicament calls for a dramatic solution but will Alex's suggestion be a massive gamble that pays off for the couple?

Alex Polizzi heads to the six-bedroom Windsors Hotel in Chertsey, Surrey, where occupancy rates have fallen to 25 per cent. Although impressed by the service and quality of food at breakfast, Alex advises owner Mel White to improve the poor decor, pay more attention to detail and reclassify the business as a guesthouse.

Near the historic city of Bath, business partners Rowena and Mike are running a boutique hotel that is on the brink of going under. Operating the property more like a home than a hotel, Rowena's hospitality means the business is running at a huge loss, so Alex Polizzi attempts to teach these hoteliers how to turn a profit from their customers.

Alex Polizzi visits the 51-bedroom Devon Bay Hotel in Ilfracombe, which is run by inexperienced general manager Adrian and his wife Gill. The establishment has a poor reputation but Adrian has managed to persuade low-cost coach parties to return. However, with the summer season about to start and with no proper hospitality experience, the reality of delivering on his promises is starting to hit home for Adrian. Can Alex turn this novice into a real hotelier before the coaches arrive?

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?

Ruth attempts to change the fortunes of a hotel in Reading, whose owner is resistant to the idea of altering his prices. Beech House is a 15-bedroom hotel in Reading, owned by businessman Michael Bissell. Michael converted the hotel from a care home four years ago and invested around half a million pounds in the facilities, but so far he has failed to attract guests in Reading’s competitive market. The hotel has lost huge amounts of money and Michael has even had to cash in his pension to keep it afloat. “Because of the losses that I’ve made, it’s been me paying the guests to stay here,” he says. Months away from bankruptcy, he has called in Ruth Watson to help avert disaster.

Ruth meets Vincent and Lidy Van Nuyk, the Dutch owners of the 14-bedroom Safari hotel in Bournemouth. Drowning in debt and unable to carry out vital renovations on the hotel, Vincent and Lidy desperately need help if they are to turn their fortunes around. Vincent and Lidy took on the Safari after 13 years spent running a successful restaurant in Ireland took their toll on Vincent’s health. However, their hopes of a quiet life are unfulfilled: the hotel has failed to turn a profit and they have been driven to the brink of bankruptcy. The lack of money is reflected in the shabbiness of the hotel, which is in dire need of renovation. “We feel defeated,” sighs Lidy. “We want to improve, but we have no cash for it.” To save money, Lidy and Vincent do all the work themselves –including cleaning the 14 bedrooms and doing all the cooking –and are forced to live in one room. Overwhelmed, they have no idea how to pull themselves out of this hole and need someone to show them how to improve things.

Tonight, Ruth visits a bed and breakfast establishment housed in a beautiful medieval priory. The owner is reluctant to share her home with guests, but needs to boost her income to avoid losing the property altogether. Can Ruth persuade her to focus the business on weddings and fashion shoots? Butley Priory is a six-bedroom B in a converted 14th-century priory, just a stone’s throw from Ruth’s own hotel in Suffolk. The owner is musician and former model Frances Cavendish, who opened her home to paying guests to make ends meets after her divorce eight years ago. Unfortunately, the rooms often stand empty and Frances is on the brink of selling up. “If we don’t get more guests through the door I’m going to have to call it a day,” she tells Ruth.

Renowned hotelier, restaurateur and author Ruth Watson continues her mission to reverse Britain’s reputation for poorly run hotels, guesthouses and B In tonight’s instalment, Ruth tackles the oddly named Weyanoke – a large hotel on the Eastbourne coast currently suffering from something of an identity crisis. Three years ago, after a stint running a small B, Mark and Heidi Cowderoy bought the Weyanoke – a beautiful, 33-bedroom Victorian hotel situated on the Eastbourne seafront. In the past, the hotel has catered mainly for coach parties of pensioners paying as little as £20 for a room, but this business is quickly dying out. Heidi and Mark decided to refurbish the hotel to take it upmarket, but their spending has meant that they have failed to make any profit since the beginning of their venture. Since buying the hotel, the couple have spent in excess of £1 million on what Mark calls a “Victorian money pit”. Now deep in debt, Mark and Heidi are in dire need of Ruth’s help before their business collapses.

In tonight’s instalment, Ruth visits the heart of Greenwich, South-East London, to meet actor hotelier Robert Gray and assess his three-bedroom B Actor Robert Gray turned his home into St Alfeges B five years ago to maintain the cashflow between acting jobs. A former antiques dealer, he has filled his house with unusual art and objects and decorated with flair and personality – but he is the first to admit that the ‘shabby-chic’ look is starting to look just “shabby”. “I think we need a facelift,” he confesses.

Ruth comes to the aid of a pair of novice hoteliers in Great Yarmouth, who desperately need a crash course in the hotel business if their guesthouse is to stay open. To see how a hotel should be run, they visit a five-star hotel in their town, before Ruth takes them to her own establishment in Orford.

Ruth heads to the Woodlands Lodge, a 16-bedroom country hotel set deep in the heart of the New Forest. The Woodlands' restaurant has recently lost its coveted AA rosette and a new hotel in the area looks set to ruin the business. Can Ruth help transform the hotel's faded decor and put owners David and Jenny Norbury back on track?

Alex Polizzi visits a Blackpool hotelier who has grand plans for his seaside establishment, but a lack of star rating and a string of bad reviews have led to dwindling bookings. Having bought the derelict 15-bedroom property in 2009, the owner spent £250,000 trying to turn it into an upmarket destination more in keeping with a private members' club.

Nine years ago, Bournemouth business Hotel Celebrity lacked much needed glamour. Owner Ken has done more work to the 55-room hotel, and has taken on another, but are either of them making any money? And what advice can Alex Polizzi give to help Ken get his new property turning a much-needed profit?

The owners of Paramount Hotel in Nottingham push Alex Polizzi to the edge and she comes close to walking out for the first time ever. Mary and Milad have ploughed their life savings into the business, remortgaged their home, borrowed from relatives and rented rooms for tiny amounts to undesirable guests in an attempt to keep their heads above water. Will Alex have the power to change their fortunes?

Alex Polizzi returns to help a couple with their beach-front business in the Merseyside resort of Southport. John and Mel opened a craft ale bar and started renovating the flats above it into a hostelry despite having no experience. With the residence more of a building site than a boutique hotel, Alex has to get stuck in as the first guests are due in a matter of weeks.

Polizzi helps a couple in Bournemouth whose hotel near the beach is struggling to break even. Despite frequently reaching full capacity - with 57 beds in 21 rooms - the pair cannot seem to turn a profit, so the expert hotelier advises them to strip back their facilities and begin charging for extra amenities. She also suggests they build on the success of their Army-style boot camp by offering other self-improvement courses to their guests.

Alex Polizzi visits Eden Lodge in the popular holiday and sailing resort of Falmouth in Cornwall, booking into the B&B as a guest to gain an impression of the average customer experience. She is not impressed by owners Lynn and Ziggy's self-decorated bedrooms and the condition of their indoor swimming pool, and decides they need a serious wake-up call if they are to operate at a profit.

Alex Polizzi heads to the Devon seaside town of Torquay to try to transform the fortunes of the Harmony B&B. Dutch owners Hans and Monika have been struggling to attract enough guests through the usually profitable summer months, and are in desperate need of profits now they are faced with the winter low season. Could the couple's love of music-themed decor be putting off potential customers?

Alex Polizzi returns to one of her earliest assignments as Hotel Inspector, in the shape of West Usk Lighthouse on the edge of the Bristol Channel, which she first visited back in 2008. Despite initially turning a profit for a few years following the show's visit, owners Frank and Danielle have seen occupancy steadily decline. Once again, Alex casts her expert eye over the hotel and recommends the best way forward.

This time Alex is in Dorset and is quick to see why trade at the Coach and Horses with its 8 rooms has veered off track. Owners James and Yvonne are struggling to drive business in the right direction with low occupancy.

Alex Polizzi head to the Dukes in the Bedfordshire village of Heath and Reach to help mum-of-two Sarah to improve the pub she bought three years ago. After a successful first year, a personal setback turned Sarah's dream into a nightmare. With a knock to her confidence and her eye off the ball, occupancy took a nosedive and the business has bombed. Alex arrives to find Sarah hiding from customers in the kitchen, staff kicking their heels and the place looking more like a youth club than a character country pub.

The hotel inspector finds her way to Spanhoe Lodge, an eight-bed B&B in the middle of the Northamptonshire countryside. It's a clean and tidy rural retreat run by meticulous owners Reece and Neil.

Alex Polizzi heads to the LG Thai Derm Spa and Guest House in Loughborough, where she tries to help out first-time hoteliers, husband and wife Hasmeeta and Bharat. When the couple took over two years ago, they fell in love with a unique Thai-themed business that boasts a Thai spa with treatment rooms, a 24-seat Thai restaurant and 10 guest rooms. The business survived the pandemic - but at huge cost, that includes dirty rooms, a broken spa and chaotic management.

The Hotel Inspector visits Caer Beris Manor; run by former Dubai real estate agent Omar and his wife, Kim, along with Kim's publican parents, Pete and Angie. Despite their inexperience in the hotel industry, the family have high-minded ambitions for their business, dreaming of offering fine dining and a five-star experience at a three-star price. But having barely survived their first full season, the reality is that the family have bitten off more than they can chew.

Alex Polizzi visits the Little Thatch Inn in Gloucester and meets the property's owners, mother-and-daughter team Jackie and Beth McDougall, who have conflicting ideas over whether to modernise in the hope of attracting more custom. In the past, the 23-bedroom hotel and its restaurant ran a brisk trade, but today business has slowed considerably and the duo have considered cutting their losses and selling up. Alex gets to work ensuring the duo can start working in tandem and look forward to a brighter future.

Alex Polizzi heads to the Dorset seaside resort of Bournemouth to help 67-year-old Ken Robins, the owner of a struggling hotel where all 55 bedrooms have been named after movie stars and famous musicians. After inspecting and experiencing the facilities, Alex reveals she thinks that Ken has not gone far enough with the celebrity theme and offers advice on how to inject more glitz and sparkle into the hotel. Will former accountant Ken agree with her more radical and glamorous blueprint for fun?