The Hotel

It’s manager Mark’s first summer season at The Grosvenor Hotel. In a bid to keep the guests happy and boost his cash flow he’s launching Party Night – an entertainment extravaganza destined to live long in the memory – and keep them coming back for more. From the age of four Mark entertained guests at his parents own hotel, later going on to earn good money singing alongside his father on the music hall circuit. According to his mother, Stella: “Mark realised even when he was two that if he danced and did the twist, people used to give him pennies. He enjoyed entertaining people because his dad was an entertainer.” Over 40 years later and he’s recreating his very own party night, bringing the good times to his own hotel and his dad’s favourite song “When You’re Smiling” back to life. To get the party started Mark is hosting “Play Your Cards Right” with deputy manager Christian dressed in drag to play his “dolly dealer”. But Christian is more interested in propping up the bar than helping out, as Mark struggles alone to keep the guests entertained. When Mark starts to lose his audience can his music hall magic bring them back? “It’s not me it’s the audience I always worry about; you know I’m always great. Sometimes you have a lousy audience.” Checking in this week and just in time for party night, are Mr and Mrs Melling from Barnsley. Having lost both their partners, they never thought they would ever find love again, until by chance they met in a lift in Benidorm. They are now celebrating their 11th wedding anniversary at The Grosvenor. A bunch of fun-loving Londoners are also on their summer hols at the hotel. But a week of bingo, booze and cabaret karaoke isn’t quite the break they were expecting.

It’s the middle of the summer season and temperatures and tempers are rising. This is the hardest time of the year for staff explains manager Mark: “It’s a nightmare because the staff are getting more and more tired and stressed and they’re seeing people here on holiday enjoying themselves. I think that’s where we’re at the moment - Summer-itus.” In a bid to boost staff morale Mark decides to gee up everyone with his latest idea: Employee of the Month. But finding a suitable candidate is proving trickier than he thought and time is ticking for Mark to make a decision. Checking in this week are Christian and Patricia with Christian’s three grandchildren - Alexander (14), Olivia, (12) and Louis (7). This will be the last holiday Christian has with his grandchildren for a long time as the kids are emigrating to Australia in six months. After a six hour car journey from Warrington, they arrive with high expectations of what hotel service should be like but Christian is disappointed by the lack of attention from certain members of staff... Spending time on holiday with family is also important for father and son Dave and Darren. For many years they had family holidays in Torquay but now they’re returning for the first time since Dave lost his wife to cancer last year. It’s a chance for Dave and Darren to reminisce and build new memories together.

Manager Mark's latest money-making scheme is to hold the hotel's first ever pool party, with a BBQ, cocktails and ice cream galore. He's also come up with the novel idea of ‘Dolphin Racing', where children ride on the back of inflatable dolphins while the guests bet money on the winner. "What makes a good holiday is when you do things you wouldn't normally do," explains Mark. "I remember I once went on holiday somewhere and I rode a camel....It's something I'll always remember. I haven't got any camels but at least I can try and do something else they'll remember." The hotel staff down tools and join in the fun at the poolside, leaving deputy manager Christian running reception and fuming that he's not even been offered a burger. As he threatens to walk out, the dolphin races begin. Contestants include the Parry family from Worcester. 11-year-old Jenny and 9-year-old Daniel lost their mum to cancer three years ago but dad, Bert, is determined to give them a holiday they'll remember. Also checking in this week are two life-long drinking buddies from the Welsh valleys, Dave and John, in search of some Devon crumpet: "I've got a Viagra and I know what I want," claims John. Always on the look-out for women to chat up, they share life stories and discuss how to survive being single in later life. They might not find love on their holiday but will they at least fall in love with the hotel? Meanwhile, the hotel's telephone lines are playing up again, testing the patience of Reservation Manager Alison to the limits. While Mark's busy sorting details for the pool party, Alison is unable to take any bookings on their rooms.

Stack 'em high and sell 'em cheap' is Manager Mark's business philosophy, and packing the hotel with coach parties paying rock bottom prices is helping to keep them afloat this summer. "Most hotels would be happy to achieve 70% occupancy, but for us we would go out of business," says Mark. But without a computer, his ‘fail safe' old-school booking system of Tippex, paper and coloured pens comes a cropper and the hotel is now overbooked. A new coach party arrives at the hotel, driven by Allan from Liverpool - one of Mark's regular drivers. With his unique sense of humour and collection of silly hats and colourful waistcoats, Allan's joined for once by his long suffering and travel-phobic wife Barbara. Among his passengers are the all-singing all-dancing Baxendale family from Wigan and deaf couple Jimmy and Theresa. Also checking in this week is 11-year-old Basher from Birmingham with his mum Lisa and step-dad Luke. As a special treat for his summer holiday, Mum's agreed he can have the word ‘Bash' shaved in to his hair before he's back to school in the autumn. As the coaches pour into town, Deputy Manager Christian reveals: "The best part of the coaching holidays are the people - so many characters here to have fun. But then again, you could say what's the worst part of the tours and coaches - it's the people..." Unable to cope with the number of bookings, Mark finally decides to embrace the 21st century and, for the first time, allow guests to reserve their holiday on the internet. But with disastrous results, all is not good in Mark's brave new world. "I wish computers hadn't been invented. It's the customers that are confusing us by wanting to be able to book on-line," Mark concludes.

Romance is in the air at the Grosvenor this week as two loved up couples check into the hotel. Single mum of four, Jane, fell in love with her children's babysitter, Mike, and having just got married four days ago, they arrive at the hotel on a whistle-stop tour of Devon. Meanwhile, Terry and Arelene who've been married for 47 years are celebrating the honeymoon they never had by staying at the Grosvenor and are hoping to spice things up in the bridal suite. As for recently separated Manager Mark, he's decided to re-open the hotel's nightclub - not in the hope of finding a new partner, but in a bid to cash in on this potential goldmine. He's looking for ideas for the club from the staff and Christian thinks he's come up with the perfect solution to reinvigorate the hotel - an ‘omni-sexual' club night called ‘Fusion'. "Torquay needs something, it's lost its sparkle, it's lost its va-va-voom," explains Christian, who offers to create a stir in town by going out in full drag with semi-naked men to advertise his brainchild. Mark isn't convinced that's what the tourists want: "I don't think Torquay needs an omni-night... I don't think I need an omni-night," he protests. Eventually Mark decides the best launch for the club's opening has to be a straightforward singles night. He wants all the staff to come - single or not - to boost numbers, but the only person hoping to find love is the hotel Company Secretary, Nicky. Young barman Zach doesn't make it to the singles night but he's been keeping himself busy chatting up the younger guests at the hotel. After he's caught on CCTV camera taking a female guest to the pool after hours, Zach tries his best to keep out of Christian's way.

"I would sell the hotel on three things...location, entertainment and food," claims Manager Mark in this week's episode. He's come up with a plan to revamp his old restaurant, The Inn, and he wants 23-year-old new chef, Jenna - who he's promoted from housekeeping after finding out she is a qualified chef - to come up with a tantalising menu. But Jenna's ambitious ‘fine dining' menu of black pudding tortellini with pancetta foam is a far cry from Mark's idea of a steak and fish restaurant serving prawn cocktails and black forest gateaux. Mark thinks he knows exactly what the tourists and locals of Torquay want to eat, even though his own diet mainly consists of steak, bread and tinned spaghetti hoops - and he hasn't eaten a vegetable since he was 18 months old. With grand ambitions for the new restaurant, Mark decides he needs to employ another waiter. He asks Restaurant Manger, Marta, to find and hire the perfect candidate. Thinking he can do everyone's job, Mark also decides to carry out his own interviews and offers a keen waiter the job on the spot. He forgets to tell Marta about his decision, even though she has already hired somebody else for the same position. "When someone walks in for an interview, 9 times out of 10 within about 5 seconds I make the decision whether to give them the job or not...if I think they look the part I decide to give them the job," explains Mark. On the night of launching Jenna's new menu, Manager Mark invites the crème de la crème of the Torbay Hotel Association to the restaurant. Their review and opinion is crucial to Mark's restaurant and Jenna's career. With Jenna left struggling on her own, Mark reassures her that all they have to do is reorganise the kitchen and everything will run like clockwork. Convinced he can save the day, Mark rolls up his sleeves and takes over frying the fish telling everyone he used to serve 120 customers on his own anyway. Among the guests checking in this week are Jane and Robert with their son Jack. Working every day of the year except Christmas day, their two-and-a-half day stay at the Grosvenor is a rare treat. But another couple, Jackie and Dean - who check in to the hotel with 18-month-old Jessica - have learnt the meaning of ‘working to live' rather than ‘living to work' after an accident threatened to change their lives forever.

"I think the Great British Holiday is due to make a comeback!" announces Manager Mark in the final episode of the series. "We discovered aeroplanes and Spain and cheap holidays abroad... but we've done that now!" he argues. From bingo to BBQ's, nobody does a holiday quite like Mark Jenkins, and even when he does venture abroad he has to take his Union Jack with him and plant it on the beach. Back in Torquay, it's nearing the end of the summer season and to make the most of the clear blue skies Mark decides to throw one more BBQ pool party. In true British style, the weather has other ideas and the heavens are about to open... "It's liquid sunshine....what's a British BBQ without a soggy hotdog!" declares Mark. "What makes us British unique is our sense of humour - we can laugh in the face of adversity," he adds. Like any other British seaside proprietor, Mark is worried about what will happen next when the peak season is over. Seven months ago he ran into financial trouble when he bought the Grosvenor and it's been an uphill struggle since then... "This hotel has caused me a lot of problems. I've lost my home, my marriage and my car... I could put up with losing my home, I could just about put up with losing my wife, but I'm really upset I lost my Bentley." Now living in the one of his hotel bedrooms and working round the clock to keep the Grosvenor ticking over, Mark thinks it's time he rewarded himself by getting back his pride and joy, his Bentley - same colour, same number plate, but this time bought on hire purchase. This time he's determined to keep the car - whatever happens. Checking into the hotel this week are Rose and Alan from Wales who spent their honeymoon in Torquay 35 years ago. Now they are returning with their granddaughter to relive some old memories.

Smash hit comedy-doc series, The Hotel, is back - with a new seaside location, new staff, new guests, and new calamities. Set in Torquay, The Grosvenor Hotel is a traditional 3* British holiday hotel - with a difference. At the helm is manager Mark Jenkins, a seaside hotel entrepreneur who lives alone in one of his own guest bedrooms. Mark has a track-record of turning failing seaside hotels around, and The Grosvenor is his latest venture. Part businessman, part showman, his formula is simple: buy the place outright, keep all the existing staff, discount the room rate and ramp up the entertainment... But inheriting staff can prove tricky: “If I had my way, I would actually clone myself into every job in the entire hotel.” For now though, Mark’s assisted by his trusted team: Alison, the bubbly, straight-talking reservations manager, and Christian, the long-suffering, perma-tanned deputy manager. Together, they cater for coach loads of the Great British Public who flock here for seaside fun, bringing all their ‘baggage’ with them. Cue more magic – and mayhem – for a summer season at The Hotel.