The seventh series of the Hotel Inspector kicks off with the uncompromising Alex Polizzi visiting the First In Last Out (FiLO) bed and breakfast in Winchester.
The 17th-century pub with rooms has been subject to some horrendous online reviews by disgruntled guests, and who could blame them?
One came across a used condom in her bed! And she wasn't even the one that posted a damning assessment of the B&B that began with the heading "could this be the worst hotel in the UK?"
On the brink of bankruptcy, owner Jon Sweeney had resorted to slashing room rates in a bid to drive business, resulting in a market made up primarily of contractors.
Enter Alex. The granddaughter of Lord Forte and niece of Sir Rocco Forte, she trained at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, before further earning her stripes in the family business. So it's fair to say she knows what she's talking about.
This opening episode of the Channel 5 series kicks off with a Hotel Inspector first. So disgusted with the lack of cleanliness at FiLO, Alex refuses to spend the night. The shared shower facilities could easily be mistaken for an experiment to home-grow penicillin.
""This is my line in the sand and I will not cross," Alex declares to camera. "I will not stay here."
On returning the next morning, Alex's first port of call is the shower room. Has it been cleaned over night? Of course not. How absolutely barmy. Satellite Dishes would like to think owner Jon was gently discouraged from doing so by unscrupulous producers looking to make good TV but alas that probably wasn't the case.
Jon is the first to admit that there is no excuse for poor hygiene, admitting that as it costs nothing there is no defence. But that doesn't stop him from casting all the blame on his staff, maintaining that they're not doing as they're told.
Alex takes no prisoners here and points out that the buck will always stop with the owner of the establishment, a concept he eventually starts to grasp.
A dirt detector is used to measure the effectiveness of the housekeeping and according to Alex, the industry rule is that any score over 1,000 is unacceptable. When the sink in the bar area scores a massive 74,242 she calls in industrial cleaners to bring the property into line.
The showers are ripped out and replaced and the uninviting breakfast area is given a makeover that makes it not only more appealing, but multi-functional so that it can also be used in the evenings.
But has FiLO really improved? Alex convinces Jon to invite the authors of the worst online reviews to return to the B&B. Face to face with his worst critics, Jon eagerly explains all the changes made to better the property and apologises for their previously dreadful experience. Most of all, Jon's attitude towards his establishment has changed.
Alex and Jon's efforts are successful with all of the unhappy former guests declaring that they would again stay at FiLO.
What this episode of the Hotel Inspector demonstrates is that it's the people that can make or break a business. Jon ends up more positive and proactive and seems genuinely to have learned a lot from his firm but fair mentor and the B&B will no doubt benefit as a result.
It would certainly be interesting to see Alex return six months down the line to see how he's got on without her.
* The Hotel Inspector airs on Mondays at 9pm on Channel 5
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