Hotel Inspector Alex Polizzi reveals one 'grubby' city she'll 'never return to'

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

For years Alex Polizzi has been helping to turn around the fortunes of struggling hotels, but she has recently revealed how there is one place that she will never return to
The Hotel Inspector star Alex Polizzi has revealed she will never return to Hong Kong after finding the city "overcrowded, dirty and polluted".
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Since 2008, Alex has appeared on the Channel 5 show where she tried to revive the fortunes of some of Britain's ailing hotels to prevent them from closing down.
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During an interview with the Times she revealed that one negative experience during a trip abroad means she will never return to the destination.
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Recalling her trip to Asia in the 1990s, she said: "One place I'd never go back to is Hong Kong, where I trained at the Mandarin Oriental for three years in my twenties. I found the region overcrowded, dirty and polluted."
Despite her damning take, Alex conceded that the destination would have been better suited to the more wealthy, adding: "It's a fun place to visit if you're really rich, but not if you're not."
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With a population of 7.5 million fitting into just 430 square miles, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the world, trailing just Macau, Monaco and Singapore.
After originally starting a wholesale bakery business with her then boyfriend in the late 90s, she made the decision to pursue a career in hotel management.
Starting out at her mother Olga Polizzi's Hotel Endsleigh in Milton Abbot, Devon, it was in 2021 that the mother and daughter would join forces and open The Star in Alfriston, in East Sussex.
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However, Alex is possibly best-known for her broadcasting career and more specifically hosting The Hotel Inspector on Channel 5, taking over from Ruth Watson in 2008.
With her stock continuing to rise during her time on the show, she has also been seen on various other shows including BBC's Alex Polizzi: The Fixer, Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial as well as Alex Polizzi's Secret Italy and Alex Polizzi: My Hotel Nightmare on Channel 5.
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Alex is also the niece of Sir Rocco Forte, one of, if not the most notorious name in the industry.
Starting his hotel empire with his sister Olga Polizzi, in 1996, Sir Rocco owns and operates an impressive 14 luxury hotels across Europe. The company currently has two locations in the UK, Brown's Hotel, London and The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.
The Hotel Inspector is set to return to our screens tomorrow evening (Thursday, August 7) at 8pm on Channel 5.