Nine’s Grand Hotel is about to open for business, but should you be checking in?
Grand Hotel, set in Miami Florida, focuses on the staff and owners of the Riviera Grand Hotel, which is owned by the Mendoza family. At the head of the family is Santiago (Damian Bichir, Weeds), who inherited the Hotel from his late wife, and his new wife Gigi (Roselyn Sanchez, Without A Trace). Rounding out the family is Santiago’s daughter Alicia (Denyse Tontz, The Fosters) and son Javi (Bryan Craig, General Hospital).
Our stay at the Riviera begins during a hurricane that leads to the mysterious disappearance of a chef named Sky (Arielle Kebbel, The Vampire Diaries), with Gigi the last person who saw her. A month after Sky’s disappearance, Alicia return home with a business degree and hopes of taking over the hotel – only problem with her vision is that the hotel is now in a poor financial position and selling it is now on the cards. Alicia and Javi are less than thrilled with the prospect. Elsewhere, Gigi’s twin daughters, bride-to-be Carolina (Feliz Ramirez) and Yoli (Justina Adorno), are busy preparing for the wedding. All the while, the hotel gets a new hire in the form of the sweet but secretive Danny (Lincoln Younes, Home and Away).
A disappearance, a wedding, and lots of secrets? The walls of the Riviera have a LOT of stories to tell…
Without going into too much detail, the pilot, written by Brian Tanen, sets up a story full of mystery, intrigue, and surprise. He balances setting up a presumably season-long mystery while also giving us interesting characters and family drama.
Casting of the series is a good mix with Aussie Lincoln Younes being a delight to watch.
With a lot of potential to be your next guilty pleasure, make sure you book your stay at the Grand Hotel.
3/5 Stars
Grand Hotel premiers 8:40pm Wednesday August 28 on Nine.
