Accommodation · Europe · Health & Safety · Hotels · Regions · Travel Miscellany · United Kingdom · Western Europe
Posh Hotels Undercover – take 2
Having (half-)watched ITV’s ‘Posh Hotels Undercover‘ this evening, I thought I’d post my thoughts. The programme alleged that a number of Radisson Edwardian‘s London hotels – including the flagship five star May Fair Hotel – left a lot to be desired: there was everything from a supervisor cleaning a washbasin with a toilet brush to a mice-infested kitchen. Whilst I don’t for one moment condone what I saw (some of it did appear to be rather shocking), I do sometimes wonder how fair a representation the Tonight programme gives. There appears to be little opportunity for a full response to the allegations, and it will be interesting to see how Radisson Edwardian will attempt to redress the balance. If you would like to watch the half-hour programme yourself, you can do so for a limited time via ITV Catch-up.
Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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I am sure most hotel managers watching the programme thought “Thank God They Did Not Film at Our Hotel”
I also think Radisson Edwardian will react in an appropriate manner and soon become renowned for excellent housekeeping standards
It is a complete coincidence, but I am attending a breakfast training session at The May Fair Hotel this morning
I am sure I will be both comfortable and safe there
Hello Ray, and thank you for dropping by with a comment.
I agree with what you say, and it does make me wonder things like…
Did they film at other hotels, and just show the very worst footage they could gather? And how much footage did they have to film in order to have enough information for the programme?
Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not trying to defend the hotels in question here. There were things there that, if true, you simply can’t defend. There is just no excuse.
But I am left wondering how much effort the programme-makers go to in order to sensationalise. Afterall, the more shocking the footage they show, the more viewers they get, and so the more advertising revenue for ITV.
Anyway, people generally have short memories. Most people watching probably already don’t recall precisely which hotels were featured on the programme. Give it another month, and probably very few will even recollect which brand it was.
Paul
PS – Hope you had a good breakfast!
I have worked in hotels for 15 years, always in 4 or 5 star properties. I watched this program and was shocked and horrified!
It is fair to question how impartial the Tonight Program really is, however, this was clearly not a one off, if you watch the reactions of the staff there, this is no surprise, it is a way of life for them!!
I have worked as a Duty Manager and IF you have a busy period and you run out if sheets or tablecloths or sponges or whatever you call a sister hotel OR a nearby hotel (we are a friendly lot!) and you borrow from them. I have asked several friends from other hotels and they say them same.
I am sorry, there are no excuses for what was aired,and if it happened in one of our hotels those responsible would be fired on the spot!
Thats my 10 pence worth anyway.
On the plus side, not all hotels are like that, in fact very few indeed!
What will be interesting is whether the AA do anything to their star rating!!