Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby (2017)
Giles Coren and Monica Galetti travel the globe visiting some of the world's most incredible hotels. They go beyond the lobby to see the areas that the public never see and roll up their sleeves to work alongside staff.
Seasons & Episode
Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder travel to Kasbah Tamadot in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. With Sir Richard Branson as their boss, they discover how genuine Berber hospitality and spectacular views of the landscape make it unique. Monica helps the chef source local produce at the nearby market and gets to know a very famous visitor, while Rob mucks out the hotel stables and guides guests on a mountain trek.
Nusfjord Arctic Resort is a preserved 200-year-old cod fishing village in the Lofoten Islands of Norway. Working alongside the dedicated team, Monica and Rob learn to appreciate the difficulties of running a high-end resort in such an extreme environment. Battling snowy paths with housekeeping, facing huge waves on fishing boats and chasing the Northern Lights is all in a day’s work in the Arctic Circle.
Monica and Rob travel to the highlands of central Sri Lanka to learn about Ceylon Tea Trails - a series of colonial era bungalows that have been renovated and revisioned by a local family of tea entrepreneurs. Monica works with the tea pickers and learns the importance of the industry to the country, while Rob tracks leopards in the surrounding plantations. The highlands are a rugged landscape, but as Rob and Monica discover, with dedication and detail, guests can still get a luxury experience.
At Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa, Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder join forces with the hotel staff to learn how to deliver a luxury safari experience. Open to wild animals yet delivering high luxury, both wonder and danger are around every corner. Rob is put to work tracking cheetahs and preparing meals for the guests, while Monica wields a machete with the habitat team, learning how to rewild the area before taking some excited guests on a game drive.
Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder visit Italy to go behind the scenes of Borgo Egnazia - a hotel modelled on Puglia’s historical local villages. They work with the local staff to find out how you deliver a genuine version of Italy within a carefully designed replica. Monica makes focaccia for the cherry festival with chef Rocco, while Rob meets the decoration team who work hard to deliver an experience that blends reality with theatre.
In Scotland, Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder discover Glenapp Castle, where guests are treated to a magical stay made possible by a dedicated team of local staff. Monica and Rob are put to work collecting home-grown veg for the kitchens and giving eagle demonstrations in the castle grounds, before joining forces to deliver an intrepid sea safari and a glamping trip to the Hebridean Isle of Jura.
Monica and Rob discover what it takes to run Hotel Hubertus - a family-run resort which offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains thanks to its panoramic aspect.
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