Sayak Basu
‘Grand Hotel’ is a TV series that centers around the many events and people in and around the eponymous hotel. The owner of the hotel is Santiago Mendoza. He lives within the premises along with his second wife and his children. They live quite a happy and comfortable life. The story also depicts the lives of the hotel’s staff, the dynamics between the owners, the staff, and the guests. The hotel, despite its seemingly peaceful appearance, harbors some dark secrets, which get revealed as the story unfolds. ‘Grand Hotel’ is an adaptation of the Spanish series of the same name. Eva Longoria is one of the executive producers of the series. If you enjoyed watching the show and are looking for more titles that explore similar ideas and themes, then we’ve got you covered. Here’s the list of best shows similar to ‘Grand Hotel’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these series like ‘Grand Hotel’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
8. The Duchess Of Duke Street (1976-1977)
‘The Duchess Of Duke Street’ is a British TV series created by John Hawkesworth. The story centers around a character called Louisa Leyton. Louisa is a great cook, and begins her career working in an English nobleman, Lord Henry Norton’s house. Norton’s nephew falls for her and wants to marry Louisa. But she rejects his proposal as she wants to focus on becoming London’s best chef. As Louisa starts building her reputation as a chef, she comes in contact with Edward, the Prince of Wales, and has an affair with him after the heir-apparent to the throne of England falls in love with her cooking.
Louisa, however, ends up marrying Augustus ‘Gus’ Trotter, who till now was working as Lord Norton’s head butler. With her huge success as a chef, Louisa manages to buy a hotel and gives her husband the management duties, only to later find out that he has been using the hotel’s resources to throw lavish parties for his friends. The story of this series is based on one such woman chef, Rosa Lewis. She was the owner of the Cavendish Hotel in London. Lewis was popularly known as ‘The Queen Of Cooks’.
7. Upstairs Downstairs (1971-1975; 2010-2012)
‘Upstairs Downstairs’ first started airing in 1971 as a London Weekend Television production. The series centers around the servants (the ones referred to as the ‘downstairs’) and the owners of the house (the ‘upstairs’). Many of the important moments which rocked the western world during the last century find their places in this show. Events like the Edwardian period in England, the Roaring Twenties, the Wall Street crash are mentioned in the series. After running successfully for 5 seasons with 68 episodes, ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ found itself being renewed by BBC Wales and Masterpiece. The new show picked up the story from where it left in 1975. ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ received numerous awards throughout its run, including the Primetime Emmy and the Golden Globe Awards.
6. Velvet (2014-2016)
Created by Ramón Campos and Gema R. María, ‘Velvet’ is a Spanish TV series which ran for four seasons with 55 episodes in total. It tells the story of Alberto Márquez and Ana Rivera. While Alberto is the heir to a huge fashion empire, probably the biggest in Spain during the 1950s, Ana is simply a seamstress in the company. However, this does not prevent the two from falling in love with each other. However, when two people from such vastly different social backgrounds fall in love, things do not generally pan out smoothly for either party. This is what exactly happens in this series as we follow the lead pair’s love story as they navigate through the glitz and glamor of the Spanish fashion world.
5. Chef! (1993-1996)
‘Grand Hotel’ is a show about a hotel, its owners, employees, and guests. In a similar vein, the story of ‘Chef!’ centers around a restaurant, its head chef, and the employees working under him. ‘Chef!’ is a BBC sitcom which stars Lenny Henry as the titular chef. Henry’s character is called Gareth Blackstock. Blackstock is a chef who is dedicated to his profession. He always ensures that the quality of food served in his restaurant, Le Château Anglais, is the finest. Blackstock’s hard work pays off when his restaurant is awarded two Michelin stars. Blackstock and his wife manage the restaurant which they had bought when it was almost collapsing due to financial constraints. The show also focuses on the Blackstocks’ lives beyond the restaurant and the English countryside where they live. Their interpersonal relationships are also explored in the show. ‘Chef!’ was critically acclaimed by all the reviewers because of its engaging comedy, production values, and performances.
4. Bleak House (2005)
‘Bleak House’ is among the most famous works of the legendary British novelist Charles Dickens. The series centers around a legal case named ‘Jarndyce v Jarndyce’ regarding the ownership of the eponymous house. ‘Grand Hotel’ is a show about the rich and stunning lives of hotel owners, and ‘Bleak House’ serves as a stark contrast to its aesthetics. ‘Bleak House’ is set in Victorian England, with a moody, dark atmosphere pervading throughout the series. John Jarndyce is the beneficiary of the house, who has brought in Esther Summerson to take care of two other possible heirs – cousins Ada Clare and Richard Carstone. There is another heir to the property, Lady Dedlock, the wife of Sir Leicester. As they grow up, despite being cousins, Ada and Richard start developing romantic feelings for each other. John falls for Esther, but nothing comes out of it. We follow the lives of these characters while in the background, the legal case keeps moving on and on.
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3. Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
The story of ‘Downton Abbey‘ is set in the post-Edwardian era in England. The series centers around the many members of the Crawley family and their Yorkshire estate, Downton Abbey. Through the story of this family, the makers paint a portrait of the larger socio-political life of England during that time. We get to witness the effects of WWI, sinking of the Titanic, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and many other important events on the different members of the family. The series received unanimously positive critical acclaim and even won numerous awards throughout its run. Despite the numerous praises, controversy still followed. The show was criticized by certain sectors for being anti-Irish and anti-Catholic.
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2. The Forsyte Saga (2002)
Inspired by the eponymous trilogy written by eminent English writer John Galsworthy, this show is an eight-part miniseries. It follows the lives of people belonging to three different generations of the Forsyte family. The series begins with the birthday celebrations of Winifred Forsyte. There, we find out that her cousin Jolyon is not in attendance, and that he is at home. Joylon had some sort of an affair going on with his daughter’s governess, and this creates some tensions within his family. As the story keeps unfolding, the personal and interpersonal relationships among the family members give birth to a lot of drama and tension, and that becomes the crux of the series. ‘The Forsyte Saga’ received unanimous critical acclaim.
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1. Fawlty Towers (1975-1979)
Considered by many to be one of the greatest TV shows of all time, ‘Fawlty Towers’ is the masterful creation of comedy legend John Cleese, one of the members of Monty Python, and his wife Connie Booth. Fawlty Towers is the name of a hotel owned by Basil Fawlty (Cleese himself). Along with his wife Sybil (Prunella Scales), waitress-cum-assistant Polly Sherman (Booth), and waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs), Basil runs this hotel. The plot of the show revolves around the various comedic incidents that keep happening in their hotel. In the world of sitcoms, there is hardly another series that is as influential as this one.
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