Catch up TV
Series 2: 2. Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Oman
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.\n\nGiles is marginally more comfortable learning how to drum and sing, a customary Omani welcome as he works alongside Nasser (crashing his golf-cart along the way), overcomes road rage with driver Mubarek on the relentless gradient of local mountain roads, and meets visionary architect Lotfi, who reveals the challenge of constructing a resort on military land and designing 34 pools that respect a cultural need for privacy.\n\nGiles comes into his own on shift with Indian head of housekeeping Ateev, who demonstrates the merits of rosewater and embroils Giles in a magical team-building game of cricket against the might of Food & Beverage. Monica works with one of the few Omani women working at the hotel, food hygiene manager Marshaal, whose ambition is to be the first Omani female GM. Monica also accompanies British general manager and former soldier Darren Darwin on his rigorous morning inspections, flings saj bread dough on a breakfast shift with Chef Mahmoud, picks local pomegranates with Sheik Abdullah (which Monica then uses in a modern spa scrub), and buys a local goat to be prepared using a traditional shuwa recipe, cooked underground and served as international canapes. The hors d'oeuvres are devoured at the hotel's one-year anniversary party, which culminates in a spot of midday dancing for the assembled staff, guests, children - and men juggling guns.
Source: BBC 2
Most recent episodes of Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 8. Wilderness Hotel Inari
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 indige ...
20-12-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 5: 8. Hotel Hubertus, Italian Alps
In the Tyrol region of northern Italy lies Hotel Hubertus - a family-run resort which offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains thanks to its panoramic aspect.\n\nTh ...
14-12-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 5: 3. Nusfjord Arctic Resort
Nusfjord Arctic Resort is a preserved 200-year-old cod fishing village in the Lofoten Islands of Norway. Working alongside the dedicated team, Monica and Rob learn to appreciate ...
07-12-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 7. Stanglwirt Hotel, Austria
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work at Stanglwirt Hotel in the Austrian Alps, owned by one family for 300 years and grown slowly over the years to offer world-class boxing and te ...
30-10-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 6. Gangtey Lodge, Bhutan
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work 3,000m above sea level at Gangtey Lodge, Bhutan, in a remote region that only obtained electricity 11 years ago. This luxury hotel has oxygen ...
23-10-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 5. Datai Langkawi, Malaysia
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti travel to the Datai Langkawi in Malaysia. Beneath rainforest canopies, this hotel is so tucked-away that monkeys will break into the room if the do ...
16-10-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 4. The Hassler, Rome
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti visit the Hassler Hotel, arguably Rome’s most classic and celebrated hotel, which is undergoing a change in management. Family-run for genera ...
09-10-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 3. Six Senses Ibiza
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work at Six Senses Ibiza on the island’s north coast. They help guests in the hotel’s on-site clinic experience biohacking therapies, f ...
04-10-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 2. Argos In Cappadocia
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti travel to Turkey to work at Argos in Cappadocia, a hotel built into a network of ancient caves.\n\nCombining history with modern luxury, Monica fin ...
25-09-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 1. Shanghai Wonderland
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti visit the Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, known as the world’s first 'earthscraper' hotel. Learning about the innovative architectural ...
18-09-2024
BBC 2
Most popular episodes of Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 4: 6. The Lanesborough, London
Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit London's most expensive and exclusive hotel, the Lanesborough. It's the first time the hotel has allowed anyone behind the scenes.\n\nThe ho ...
06-11-2022
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 5: 7. Glenapp Castle, Scotland
In Scotland, Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder discover Glenapp Castle, where guests are treated to a magical stay made possible by a dedicated team of local staff. \n\nMonica and R ...
17-06-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 6: 7. Stanglwirt Hotel, Austria
Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work at Stanglwirt Hotel in the Austrian Alps, owned by one family for 300 years and grown slowly over the years to offer world-class boxing and te ...
30-10-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 5: 8. Hotel Hubertus, Italian Alps
In the Tyrol region of northern Italy lies Hotel Hubertus - a family-run resort which offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains thanks to its panoramic aspect.\n\nTh ...
14-12-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 3: 1. Mgm Cotai, Macau
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. \n\nJoining t ...
22-03-2021
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 4: 2. Reid’s Palace, Madeira
Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit Reid’s Palace on Madeira, which first welcomed the world's glamorous elite 130 years ago and is working to keep its silver service tra ...
26-03-2023
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Shorts: 2. Icehotel, Sweden
Giles and Monica don their best thermals and extreme weather gear, and travel 200km north of the Arctic Circle to Sweden's Lapland. They enter a magical world of snow, ice, inky ...
14-11-2018
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 5: 4. Ceylon Tea Trails, Sri Lanka
Monica and Rob travel to the highlands of central Sri Lanka to learn about Ceylon Tea Trails - a series of colonial era bungalows that have been renovated and revisioned by a lo ...
18-04-2024
BBC 2
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby
Series 4: 4. Nimb Hotel, Copenhagen
Monica and Giles travel to Copenhagen to work at Nimb Hotel in the historic Tivoli Gardens. Giles learns to be the brake man on one of the world’s oldest wooden rollercoas ...
21-05-2023
BBC 2