Alex Polizzi heads to the LG Thai Derm Spa and Guest House in Loughborough, where she tries to help out first-time hoteliers, husband and wife Hasmeeta and Bharat. When the couple took over two years ago, they fell in love with a unique Thai-themed business that boasts a Thai spa with treatment rooms, a 24-seat Thai restaurant and 10 guest rooms. The business survived the pandemic - but at huge cost, that includes dirty rooms, a broken spa and chaotic management.

This time, the Hotel Inspector visits Caer Beris Manor, run by former Dubai real estate agent Omar and his wife, Kim, along with Kim's publican parents, Pete and Angie. In 2019, this family of first-time hoteliers took on the 22-bedroom manor near the Brecon Beacons, complete with 30-seat restaurant and function room. Despite their inexperience in the hotel industry, the family have high-minded ambitions for their business, dreaming of offering fine dining and a five-star experience at a three-star price. But having barely survived their first full season, the reality is that the family have bitten off more than they can chew. As well as dodgy decor at odds with the historic building, the hotel is run by a skeleton crew, piling more pressure on the family. The family has big ambitions for the restaurant, but with no chefs in the kitchen, it's an area that's fallen to self-taught cook Omar to oversee alone. Alex advises that the family put on hold their dream of a Michelin-starred establishment, and bring in experienced business owner, Barney Cunliffe, to help them think carefully about their dramatic change of direction, and tell them what it really takes to achieve a Michelin star. Can Alex convince the family to go back to basics — or will she leave them determined to reach for the stars?