Five will introduce a brand new Hotel Inspector when the series returns this week. Renowned hotelier Alex Polizzi is to front the new-look show. Alex is an award winning hotelier and the daughter of Olga Polizzi, the granddaughter of Lord Forte and niece of Sir Rocco Forte, so she has all the industry experience and authority needed to turn flagging hotels into profitable ventures. She trained at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, worked for Marco Pierre White at the Criterion, and has done stints at Rocco Forte hotels in Cardiff, Rome, St Petersburg, as well as setting up her mother’s hotel, Tresanton in Cornwall.

Alex’s mission remains the same for this well-established format – casting fresh and expert eyes over a number of failing hotels and bringing them up to the impeccably high standards of excellence synonymous with the Forte name. Alex will bring a practical intelligence and fiery Italian temperament to bear on every level of the hotel trade. With her straight-talking and practical advice, Polizzi hopes to turn them into successful and profitable ventures and use the experience gained through her current role as proprietor of the Hotel Endsleigh in Devon (recently voted the best rural retreat in the UK) to advise these ailing businesses. From staffing to menus and from décor to hygiene, Alex will leave no stone unturned in her desire for improvement. Energetic and intense, Alex rolls up her sleeves, puts on her rubber gloves and gets stuck in to help.