Sue Tipton bought the Gungate Hotel in Tamworth, Staffordshire, on impulse because she was looking for a challenge, but the last few years have become a constant struggle and she has been forced to run the business virtually single-handed.

Alex Polizzi heads to Crawley in West Sussex to try to help out a family-run concern just five miles away from Gatwick. Despite its proximity to the busy airport, the Waterhall Country House Hotel is struggling and owners Anne and Andy Marsh desperately need a change in fortunes if it is to become profitable