Throng

Monday 17th August 8.00pm

Continuing on Five this week is the fifth series of the hotel-renovation show. In this instalment, Alex Polizzi checks in to Glangrwyney Court in the Black Mountains. Despite a five-star rating and a reasonable occupancy rate, the guesthouse is bleeding cash at an alarming rate. Can Alex get to the bottom of this money pit?

Christina and Warrick Jackson turned their home, Glangrwyney Court, into an eight-bedroom guesthouse 14 years ago. Christina gave up her job in banking to run the establishment, but when former doctor Warrick also retired, the extent of the couple’s financial problems could no longer be ignored. Despite an occupancy rate of 57 per cent, Glangrwyney Court is rapidly going under. “We’ve never made a profit. We’ve only just managed to keep going,” Christina admits. Without Warrick’s steady income, the couple are in danger of losing not just their business but their home. And with their daughters also employed at the hotel, the whole family could soon be facing unemployment.

When Alex arrives, Christina quickly outlines the Glangrwyney’s woes. The hotel inspector is taken aback by the low prices Christina is charging for the rooms. “You seem to be on the cheap side,” she tells her. Alex checks in to the bridal suite, but is not impressed by the plastic doll in a cot – nor by the vast amount of clutter in the bedroom and bathroom. “There’s not one place to put something down. There’s just too much stuff,” she says. But the clutter is not the only problem – Alex is also astonished by the number of erotic paintings and ornaments Christina has on display. “I find her taste for nudes rather strange,” she admits.

The following morning, Alex and Christina examine the Glangrwyney’s figures together, and Alex is appalled by what she finds. Christina’s average room rate is just £58, and she is making a loss of £10 every time she rents out a room. “You’re doing all this work and you’re not making any money!” Alex exclaims. She also tackles Christina’s decorative choices. “You have to make a man feel like he’s not waking up in Barbara Cartland’s underwear,” she insists. Overall, however, Alex believes there is hope for the hotel. She leaves Christina and Warrick with strict instructions to declutter before she returns in a month’s time.

To hammer home the message that Christina and Warrick are undervaluing their product, Alex sends them to stay in a nearby hotel. Despite providing a similar level of service, their competitor is charging £134 per night. “It definitely makes me feel that we could justify putting up our prices,” Christina says. She also gets to work cutting down on the amount of ornaments and furniture in the Glangrwyney.

When Alex returns, she is delighted to see that Christina and Warrick have raised their tariff by £20 per night. Christina has also decluttered some of the rooms – but Alex still feels there is more work to be done. After a manic clearing spree, the hotel goes from overly stuffed to stylish. Alex even persuades the couple to have a car-boot sale to raise some much-needed cash.

Next, Alex talks Warrick and Christina through her plan for saving the business. She believes that if the couple target the lucrative corporate market, Glangrwyney Court has a chance of making a decent profit. A representative from a teambuilding firm arrives to look at the hotel, and she is pleased with what she finds. “I’ve got no doubt that she would be a really good host,” she says of Christina. The rep is so impressed, she decides to book out the hotel for a team-building exercise.

Worried about the Jackson family’s chances of success, Alex arrives to mastermind the event. She is concerned to learn that Christina has decided not to charge for drinks. “Think money, think bottom line,” she warns her. The day runs smoothly – but when the evening arrives, Christina begins to lose control of her team. With no clear plan, the meal nearly grinds to a halt. “The whole household is completely barking mad,” says Alex. Can she rescue the eccentric Jackson clan from themselves?