Name: Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby
Genre: Documentary, Reality
Rating: 4.7
Cast: Monica Galetti, Robert Rinder, Giles Coren

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Monica Galetti

Robert Rinder

Giles Coren

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.

Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby

Lisa Taitano

The Marina Bay Sands - Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby: Episode 1 Preview - BBC Two

Giles and Monica join the 9,500 staff working at one of the world's largest hotels. As well as viewing some of the facilities on offer they go behind the scenes to see the parts of the hotel guests never see.

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Giles and Monica visit Mashpi Lodge in the Ecuadorian rainforest which features a gondola cable car to transport guests through the forest canopy. The pair learn how eco-tourism is saving endangered species.

Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Giles and Monica discover a unique hotel in Kenya where giraffe, guests and staff all co-exist. They then visit the Sasaab Lodge a 6-acre plot set within 82,000 acres of land owned by the Samburu tribe who receive a fee for each guest.

Giraffe Manor, Kenya

Giles and Monica visit and go to work in the luxury hotel in Marrakesh, which was built by royal decree to showcase the region. Monica learns how to pleat the curtains while Giles dons the uniform of a butler.

Royal Mansour, Morocco

Giles and Monica visit the hotel sited off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. Housekeepers Cynthia and Lori rope Giles into a boat race while Monica learns the secret of growing the perfect potato.

Fogo Island Inn, Canada

Giles and Monica's final stop-off takes them 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle into Swedish Lapland. Giles joins the artists who craft the rooms from huge blocks of ice while Monica meets the hotel's 82-year-old reindeer-meat supplier.

Icehotel, Sweden

Return of the series exploring extraordinary hostelries. Giles Coren and Monica Galetti explore one of the world's most luxurious eco resorts on the small island of Tetiaroa in French Polynesia. Surrounded by a beautiful coral reef and an abundance of marine life, they work alongside staff of the exclusive Brando Resort to serve five-star luxury to guests paying up to £11,000 per a night.

The Brando, French Polynesia

In the second episode, Giles and Monica travel to the Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar in Oman. It is the highest five-star hotel in the Middle East and a resort seeking to blend local tradition with modern tastes. Built to resemble an ancient Omani fort, and situated 2,000 metres above sea level on the rim of a dramatic canyon, the hotel has recently made the most of its location by constructing a jaw-dropping via ferrata and zip-wire rope course along the cliff edge. Led by the hotel's mountain guru Maher, Giles and Monica undertake a test-run of the stunning adventure course before it opens to guests, facing 30-metre drops and Giles's prolific fear of heights.

Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Oman

Giles Coren and Monica Galetti head to the foothills of the Swiss Alps to experience a very different type of travel - health and wellness tourism. The Grand Resort Bad Ragaz houses not only multiple restaurants, spas and golf courses but also Olympic-standard sports facilities - and a high-spec clinic boasting 80 medical staff, who offer guests everything from sleep therapy to dietary advice and surgery.

Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

Monica and Giles hop across to Ireland to scale the imposing and ancient ramparts of Ashford Castle. Founded 800 years ago & set in 350 acres, it later became the family home of the Guinness family. With the help of hotel historian, Fintan, Giles discovers that the castle has had a rollercoaster journey through the centuries, sporadically reaching moments of real jeopardy, only to be saved by a turn of events or new owners. As recently as 2011, the hotel went into receivership but was bought in the nick of time and, after undergoing a £50 million restoration, has the ambition to be the best hotel in the world.

Ashford Castle, Ireland

Giles Coren and Monica Galetti visit a hotel in South Africa that has been built into a 187-foot tall former grain silo and which also incorporates a museum of contemporary art. They are challenged to wash the building's 96 windows inside and out, and discover how staff have coped with the challenge of keeping the place clean in the wake of the worst drought to hit Cape Town in a century.

The Silo, South Africa

Giles Coren and Monica Galetti travel to South America to work in Vira Vira, a hacienda hotel that overlooks an active volcano near Pucon, the adventure capital of Chile. Giles and Monica prepare a meal for guests, go trekking through the Chilean forests on horseback and hear how the chef has an abundance of Chilean produce for his recipes. Last in the series.

Hacienda Vira Vira, Chile

Monica and Giles travel to the self-governing Chinese city of Macau, which is the gambling capital of the world, welcoming millions of Chinese visitors every year. Joining the 6,000 staff of its newest super-hotel, the MGM Cotai, Monica gets special access to The Mansion, a secret VIP world of huge suites where even money can’t buy a stay. Giles flies through the air in one of the world’s most technologically advanced theatres and helps create the floral displays for Chinese New Year.

MGM Cotai, Macau

Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit the Scottish Highlands to work at The Torridon, Britain's most northerly five star hotel. Its need to balance a luxury stay with being self-sufficient has Monica collecting sea-weed for the kitchen and helping to herd Highland Cattle. Meanwhile, Giles learns to change toilet seats and joins the staff in their afternoon off for a swim in the beautiful but freezing cold loch.

The Torridon, Scotland

In this episode, Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit Schloss Elmau, a hotel deep in the snowy Bavarian Alps that claims to be a cultural hideaway and restore their guests mind, body and soul. Monica joins in the daily meditation session for the restaurant staff, and Giles recites poetry and travels to a mountain hut to serve dinner, while dressed in lederhosen. They join the hotel guests for an evening of world-renowned musicians playing for free.

Schloss Elmau, Germany

Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit Jade Mountain, a hand-built hotel in St Lucia where each room has no outer wall and so is open to the ocean view - as well as having its own private infinity pool. Giles finds that room service here is tougher than it seems, and Monica dives for lionfish, which they both serve to guests visiting especially to have their wedding on the beach.

Jade Mountain, St Lucia

Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit the Yorkshire Dales to work at Swinton Estate, the ancestral home of Lord and Lady Masham. By taking a look the heart of the grand house and its countryside charm, as well as the wider estate, which has opened up to for guests to enjoy, Monica and Giles learn about the challenges of making history pay in the modern world.

Swinton Estate, Yorkshire

Monica Galetti and Giles Coren stay in the city they live in to work at the Shangri-La Hotel, in Britain's highest hotel. Their expectations of a standard business guest experience are blown away by discovering a hotel that makes guests' personal moments special. From bath butlers to marriage proposals, the hotel is a resort for celebrations in the clouds.

Shangri-La, London

If lazily sipping cocktails in the sun is your idea of a dream vacation, then look away now. In this unique BBC Select travel documentary, Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit Iceland's ION, an adventure hotel levitating out of a dormant volcano. Guests expect the icy experience of a lifetime, exploring lava flows and glaciers. But how do you keep guests safe when a volcano starts erupting?

Icelandic ION Adventure

Desperate to sleep in the same spot as Winston Churchill? Join Monica Galetti and Giles Coren as this BBC Select travel documentary visits Madeira's Reid's Palace which first welcomed the world's glamorous elite 130 years ago. Contemporary cool, extreme luxury and astonishing attention to detail is coupled with stunning scenery. But why is Monica cleaning crabs out of a historic swimming pool?

Reid’s Palace, Madeira

Get ready to experience luxury, glamor and contemporary chic. If you can find it. As Monica Galetti and Giles Coren learn in this unique travel documentary for BBC Select, Croatia's Grand Park is a design classic that blends into the incredible scenery that surrounds it. Art and high cuisine come with a Croatian edge. But will Monica be able to learn how to clean Europe’s biggest glass window?

Grand Park Rovinj, Croatia

A Moroccan inspired grand hotel in the heart of Copenhagen? Why not! In this illuminating BBC Select travel documentary, Monica and Giles drop into the unique Nimb Hotel in historic Tivoli Gardens. Oozing luxury with a quirky twist, Giles rides one of the world’s oldest wooden rollercoasters, there's a trip to an avant-garde restaurant while Monica tries something altogether more horrific.

Nimb Hotel, Copenhagen

The astonishing Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, deep in a Middle Eastern desert, conjures up many questions. How do you build a luxury hotel in such an inhospitable place? And why? In this envy-inducing travel documentary for BBC Select, Giles Coren and Monica Galetti investigate unmitigated splendor amongst the sand dunes and scorching heat. But how do the staff cope in this harsh environment?

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort

You're in for a treat. For the first time ever, you're invited behind the scenes at London's most expensive and exclusive hotel. In this unique travel documentary for BBC Select, Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit the Lanesborough, near Hyde Park. The suites, costing up to $35,000 a night, are often rented for months at a time, and even the cheapest rooms come with a dedicated butler.

The Lanesborough, London

Genuine Berber hospitality and spectacular views of the breathtaking landscape make to Kasbah Tamadot in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco unique. And as Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder discover in this opulent travel documentary, they also have Sir Richard Branson as their boss! Monica helps the chef source local produce while Rob mucks out the hotel stables and guides guests on a mountain trek.

Kasbah Tamadot, Morocco

Joali offers guests a luxury experience despite its remote location, but how does the Maldivian resort manage it? Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder travel by seaplane to find out in this fascinating travel documentary. Rob discovers hidden workers in the island’s center, while Monica uncovers how food is supplied to the chefs. They realize that delivering paradise is like a giant theatre production.

Joali  Maldives

Nusfjord Arctic Resort is a 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 in this revealing travel documentary. Battling snowy paths, facing huge waves on fishing boats and chasing the Northern Lights is all in a day's work.

Nusfjord Arctic Resort

The highlands of central Sri Lanka are a forbidding landscape, but guests can still get a luxury experience. In this charming travel documentary, Monica and Rob learn about the Ceylon Tea Trails; a series of bungalows that have been renovated by a local family. Monica works with the tea pickers and learns the importance of the industry, while Rob tracks leopards in the surrounding plantations.

Ceylon Tea Trails, Sri Lanka

At Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa, the hotel is open to wild animals while delivering high luxury, so both wonder and danger are around every corner. Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder join forces with the hotel staff to learn how to deliver a memorable safari experience. Rob is put to work tracking cheetahs while Monica wields a machete and takes some excited guests on a game drive.

Phinda Game Reserve, South Africa

How you deliver a genuine version of Italy in a carefully designed replica? Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder go behind the scenes of Borgo Egnazia, a hotel modelled on Puglia's historical local villages in this travel documentary. 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.

Borgo Egnazia, Italy

At Glenapp Castle, guests are treated to a magical stay that is rugged, luxurious and thoroughly Scottish. In this glorious travel documentary, Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder 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.

Glenapp Castle, Scotland

In the Alpine Tyrol region of Northern Italy lies Hotel Hubertus, a family run resort which offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains thanks to its extraordinary architecture. In this festive travel documentary, Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti discover the unique Heaven and Hell spa, enjoy local ski experiences and are welcomed into the family that runs the resort.

Hotel Hubertus, Italy

Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work behind the scenes of a hotel that is built downwards into a quarry, with high-tech guest experiences and rooms with windows looking into aquariums.

Shanghai Wonderland

Rob and Monica make the journey to Turkey to work at a hotel built into a network of caves, where modern luxury meets ancient history and every room comes with its own surprises.

Argos in Cappadocia

Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work at a luxury hotel in Ibiza where cutting edge biohacking therapies are offered alongside cacao ceremonies, inspired by the islands hippy roots.

Six Senses, Ibiza

Rob and Monica work in one of Europe’s last remaining family-owned 'grande dame' hotels – boasting a deep history and celebrity clientele list right in the heart of the Eternal City.

The Hassler, Rome

Rob and Monica travel to the Malaysian rainforest to work at the Datai Langkawi hotel, where monkeys roam free and the soundtrack of forest wildlife is ever present.

Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work at high altitude, 3000 meters above sea-level at a hidden gem of a hotel with Buddhist connections in the remote kingdom of Bhutan.

Gangtey Lodge, Bhutan

Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work at Stanglwirt Hotel in the Austrian Alps, owned by one family for 300 years and offering world-class sports facilities and elegant Lipizzan horses.

Stanglwirt Hotel, Austria

Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work in sub-zero conditions in Lapland as they collect firewood, cook reindeer stew and take cold water plunges at a hotel owned by a Sami family.

Wilderness Hotel Inari

In a festive special, Giles Coren and Monica Galetti travel to Kulm Hotel St Moritz. This Swiss Alpine hotel was the birthplace of winter tourism more than 150 years ago. Back then the owner made a bet with summer guests that if they returned in the winter and did not enjoy themselves he would pay for their stay. The guests stayed for the season - and a new industry of winter leisure and sports was born. During their stay, Giles works as a bellboy alongside veteran head concierge Silvio, while Monica helps joint managing director Jenny transform her office into a private dining room for a nostalgic candlelit dinner.

Christmas Special 2018, Kulm Hotel, St Moritz

Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti visit Wilderness Hotel Inari, an adventure hotel above the Arctic Circle in Lapland. Working in sub-zero conditions, Monica learns about the indigenous Sami culture before prepping some reindeer stew, while Rob gets all hot and bothered maintaining saunas before taking a cold-water plunge in a snow hole. But will Rob finally witness the wonder of the northern lights from the comfort of his own room?

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