On Channel 5 in the UK, a new TV series started called "Alex Polizzi--My Hotel Nightmare." For those who don't know her, she has a series called the "Hotel Inspector" where she goes around helping hotels become more profitable.
In this series, she buys her own hotel and decided to completely renovate it.
So why am I posting this on the RS board. The hotel she bought is the Star Inn in Alfriston. This is where many of the Rick Steves Villages of South England tours stayed for one night.
Changes are happening to many long-held things and ideas, for better or worse. I wonder if Alex will be upgrading the ice making machinery?
With room rates over the next month ranging from £240 to £410 per night, I fear that the RS tours may have spent their last night there.
Many reviews are average at best since the makeover. Pity as it’s a nice village, although the traffic is a nightmare.
Brits aren’t interested in ice making machines.
My wife and I stayed at the Star Inn several years ago and enjoyed it very much. I was curious about what they had done and "googled" it. I found some new (August) reviews on Trip Advisor which were quite good.
Then I realized, even though somewhat different, the reviews were all quite similar. They all referenced a negative review in the London Times and the staff shortages (England is having the same problems as we are). It seemed odd to me there there were 6 reviews in less than a month on a remote inn just after a negative review in a national paper. Normally I would not expect 6 reviews in a year on a hotel of this size and location. Maybe it is just me, but I do have some doubts about the "authenticity" of these reviews.
I always take Trip Advisor reviews with a grain of salt. I trust Booking.com reviews a bit more because you have to have made and kept a reservation through them in order to leave a review.
I have not seen her "Hotel Inspector" shows, but did watch her Italy and Spain series, which were more travel show. They were entertaining, but, to be honest, a bit "posh" for my travel style. For example, the hotel her family owns in Rome was lovely, a grand garden within a city hotel, but I am sure the nightly rate was my weekly hotel budget.
I am surprised that following The Times review that there weren’t more TA reviews. It’s a widely read paper.
It’s not a remote inn - it’s within easy reach of London, Brighton and much of the south east in a tourist hotspot in peak season. TA obviously has a better reputation in England than in America. Only one reviewer is a first time poster, which is the usual giveaway of fake reviews.
Of course there wouldn’t be an ice maker upgrade, Rock Steves tours or not. As if there was ever an ice making machine. But they will have toast cooling racks, to be sure.
A very enjoyable 1st episode which bodes well for the following programmes.
I always found Polizzi an engaging presenter, particulary with the 'tuff luv' she exuded on previous series.
Having spent my entire working life as a construction professional, she was surprisingly either badly advised or naive (for someone normally so savvy) or most likey a bit of both. Even from the most cursory of none instrusive surveys would have picked up those windows - flat roofs built in the '60s even if its not apparent visually are known money pits - from what was shown of the programme it was clear that roof was shot.
On a typical new build project it would be 'normal' to have a 10% contingency, on a building with listed status it should have been at least 20% > 25%. Particulary if something is uncovered during the works that the planners refer to the Department of the Environment for a final decision, whith the consquent delay of months. Given the the construction industry at the best of times is not reknown for on budget programme completions and the propensity of any alteration to the installed M&E installations always costing a fortune, the original budget/programme was optimistic to say the least.
A very interesting programme and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out in later episodes.
