Around the world a new breed of holiday destination is on the rise: huge hotel complexes built to satisfy every possible desire, whether you’re a happy family or a high stakes gambler. A mega resort wants to sell you the holiday of a lifetime. Secrets of the Mega Resort, Channel 5 2019
The Bahamas: a chain of 700 tropical islands off the coast of Florida … Welcome to Baha Mar: a mega-resort opened in 2017. It covers 1,000 acres and cost £3.4 billion to build … a five-star holiday park for around 7,000 guests. ibid.
The biggest casino in the Caribbean. ibid.
Every suite in this hotel has its own butler. ibid.
It’s own animal collection for guests to enjoy. ibid.
The resort’s three hotels … [serves] 15,000 meals every day. ibid.
We are checking into a Las Vegas legend: Caesar’s Palace, where high rollers live the high life, dedicated to decadence from day one. To discover the secrets of one of the world’s greatest hotels. Inside the World’s Greatest Hotels s1e1: Caesar’s Palace, Channel 5 2020
With nearly 4,000 rooms including 600 suites, villas and penthouses, there’s something for everyone. ibid.
Evel Knievel had a game-changing idea … and mistimed the landing … ibid.
‘Caesar’s was at the time the most extraordinary place I think on the planet.’ ibid. Simon Calder, Independent travel writer
Bacchanal Buffet: Nine show kitchens, each with a different theme, serving 500 dishes, this isn’t your regular pub Carvery. ibid.
One of the most famous hotels of the east. A playground for the rich and famous. With a past as exotic as its surroundings: Raffles. Inside the World’s Greatest Hotels s1e2: Raffles
Now it’s re-opening after a two-year and multi-million-dollar renovation. ibid.
A top suite here can cost up to £10,000 a night, but at least it comes with your own personal help. ibid.
115 luxury suites each with its own veranda. ibid.
Edinburgh: Dominating this city skyline one of the world’s most famous luxury hotels: The Balmoral. Ten storeys tall with a clock tower second in fame only to Big Ben, The Balmoral has 167 rooms and 20 luxury suites. Inside the World’s Greatest Hotels s1e3: The Balmoral
A night at the retitled Balmoral costs anywhere up to £7,000. ibid.
Grand railway hotels started popping up in all the big cities. ibid.
Today we are checking in to a Hollywood legend with a past as star-studded as the silver screen to discover the secrets, reveal and highs, and the lows, of one of the world’s greatest hotels. Inside the World’s Greatest Hotels s1e4: Beverly Hills Hotel
Rising above Sunset Boulevard, this celebrity playground is a byword for luxury and glamour. ibid.
The five-star hotel sits in 12 acres of tropical gardens. ibid.
The hotel is immersed in popular American culture. ibid.
A royal favourite with a racy past … one of the most exclusive and expensive districts in the world … One of Park Lane’s most famous fixtures: The Dorchester. Inside the World’s Greatest Hotels s1e5: The Dorchester
250 luxury rooms and 49 suites, the most legendary of which could set you back on a good day around £5,000 per night. ibid.
The world’s first reinforced concrete hotel. ibid.
With almost 200,000 hotels on the planet, it takes something special to stand out from the crowd. And satisfy the world’s most demanding guests. Today, the story of one of London’s most legendary hotels: The Ritz. A hotbed of royal intrigue. With a hidden past. We find out the secret of how to be one of the world’s greatest hotels. Inside the World’s Greatest Hotels s1e6: The Ritz
This five-star establishment was opened on the 25th of May 1906, and was designed to reflect the opulence of the 18th century French court. The palatial interior meant royalty could be at home … The hotel opened with great fanfare. ibid.
With the King in his corner, The Ritz had triumphed and exacted his revenge on The Savoy. And now over a hundreds years later both hotels still compete over the same territory. ibid.
[After] a few shandies in the hotel’s Rivoli Bar, there are 112 rooms to choose from plus 24 suites, the best of which could cost you over £10,000 a night. ibid.
‘The [Jarrow] marchers decide to storm The Ritz hotel. ibid. historian
Afternoon tea is now served well into the evening. ibid.
Airbnb: the true cost. The good and the bad. But what’s the cost to a community? And are they contributing to our housing crisis? Tonight: Airbnb: The True Cost? ITV 2013
Over the last decade millions of home-owners have cashed in on spare rooms and property, renting them out via on-line companies. ibid.
Over seven-million rooms, flats and houses in more than 220 countries and regions worldwide. ibid.
Unparalleled luxury. Unbeatable service. And an unrivalled reputation. Standing in the heart of London’s West End it’s been a byword for style for 130 years. Inside this gleaming Art Deco entrance some of the world’s most famous faces have checked in. But it’s a five-star hotel with so-much more than a place to stay. Inside ... s3e1: the Savoy, Channel 5 2019
The Savoy: Britain’s first ever luxury hotel, set between London’s sprawling theatre and the River Thames it offers its guests an experience like no other. ibid.
A stay in their top room, the Royal Suite, starts at £14,000 a night. ibid.
More than £2,000 a night to stay in a suite complete with their own personal butler. ibid.
The Savoy had another long term guest: Oscar Wilde. ibid.
Premier Inn is Britain’s biggest hotel brand. It’s the budget chain that likes to act posh … Will the hotel chain that reinvented the budget experience need to reinvent itself again? Premier Inn: Britain’s Biggest Budget Hotel Brand, Channel 5 2020
With over 76,000 rooms and more than 30,000 staff Premier Inn is a hotel giant. It’s popular with all types … in over 800 hotels. ibid.
‘It’s that predictability.’ ibid.
The Good Night’s Sleep Guarantee was groundbreaking. ibid.
1Welcome to Britain’s largest independent hotel chain. 265 one-of-a-kind hotels, served by 18 of the UK’s top 20 motorways. Cared for by hundreds of receptionists, thousands of cleaners and the odd dog. A Very British Hotel Chain: Inside Best Western I, Channel 4 2020
Barney the Receptionist, Cornwall ... Fowey Valley is 1/265th of the Best Western membership. ibid.
Stonecross Manor: ‘It was perfect. Easy to find on the main road.’ ibid.
‘We’re undercut repeatedly by …’ [bleeped]. A Very British Hotel Chain: Inside Best Western II
East Midlands Airport … One of Best Western’s two Illustrious Collection. ibid.
‘We thought we should build escape rooms … It [Kegworth] morphed into a morphed into a spaceship.’ ibid. company lady
Over at Best Western HQ rooms are being filled, hotel quality is being controlled and CEO’s Rob’s ambitions are being fulfilled. A Very British Hotel Chain: Inside Best Western III
Mount Pleasant now has 84 rooms, 8 spa suites and a general manager who is as proud as Punch. ibid.
The Ritz Hotel: fashions have been born here. Books, plays and songs have been written about it. Its name even appears in the British dictionary. The Ritz looks much as it did when it first opened in 1906. But the London landscape is very different today. Inside the Ritz Hotel s1e1, ITV 2020
The hotel is on the edge of Green Park, just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. ibid.
136 bedrooms so every week 2,000 king-sized sheets are changed. ibid.
When Cesar Ritz built the hotel in 1906 he wanted the exterior to look like it belonged in Paris and the interior like Versailles. ibid.
Around 400 people a day come to The Ritz for its all-day afternoon tea. ibid.
The jewel in the hotel’s crown is its restaurant which still looks as glamorous now as it did on the day it opened in 1906. Inside the Ritz Hotel s1e2