The Hotel Inspector

For her first assignment, Alex faces the tall order of rescuing a massive 43-bedroom hotel in Wales that has seen better days. Reputedly the oldest hotel in Wales, the Castle of Brecon was once a glamorous destination for the rich and famous. Neglected for decades, it is now owned by Leon Ricci and his Russian wife, Natasha. With no previous experience in the industry, the couple admit they bought the hotel on a whim - and were even advised by an agent to steer clear of it. "He said, 'No, don't buy it - it's a well-known white elephant in the industry'," Leon recalls.

This week, Alex heads to an attractive pub hotel on the banks of the River Severn in Worcestershire. The views may be picturesque but this establishment is far from tranquil. The Lenchford Inn is managed by two couples on the brink of a breakdown. Dave and Marie, along with her brother Ian and his wife Wendy, bought the inn thinking it would be a ticket to early retirement. But the combination of four floods in two years and the owners’ inexperience has left their hopes in tatters. The nine bedrooms and 80-seat restaurant are as empty as their bank accounts and, with a ten-year age difference between the two couples, they cannot see eye-to-eye on anything.

Alex heads to historic Tewkesbury to inspect the eight-bedroom Jessop House Hotel, located just yards from the town's famous abbey. "It looks like a very pretty town," Alex says. "According to their website, I’m staying at an equally pretty boutique townhouse hotel. Can't imagine what's going wrong there." It soon becomes apparent that the Jessop's problems are twofold, as Alex discovers a business and a relationship in crisis.

Alex visits the West Usk Lighthouse, a unique four-bedroom establishment on the edge of the Bristol Channel. Owners Frank and Danielle bought the lighthouse after seeing an advert in Exchange & Mart. Twenty years later, despite a base of loyal repeat customers, the business is barely keeping its head above water. “If we don’t get more money, a better turnover, a healthy profit, we will not survive,” says Frank. “I want to stay here and fight, if you like, for the survival of the lighthouse and my business.”

Alex heads to Torquay, which was once home to Britain’s most notorious fictional hotel. The 12-room guesthouse Number Nine is no Fawlty Towers, but it is certainly faulty – losing both guests and money. Owner Rachel Roffe admits she is out of her depth. “A week after I moved here, I remember sitting in the garden, and I just burst into tears and thought, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’” she recalls.

Alex visits a nine-bedroom guesthouse in Folkestone. Garden Lodge is only two miles from the Channel Tunnel and should be getting a healthy passing trade. But business is in decline, and owners Sue and Ron Cooper desperately need help.