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ABC’s ‘Grand Hotel’ puts the sizzle in summer
By Kyla Brewer
TV Media
W
ith its stunning hotels,
sizzling-hot beaches and
even hotter nightlife, Miami is a
haven for people looking for a
taste of the high life. Yet, life in
Miami isn’t all fun in the sun, and
a new series set in a posh hotel
explores the dark side of the sun-
shine state.
Academy Award nominee
Demián Bichir (“A Better Life,”
2011) stars as Santiago Men-
doza, the owner of Miami Beach’s
last family-run hotel, in “Grand
Hotel,” airing Monday, July 22,
on ABC. Inspired by the popular
Spanish TV series “Gran Hotel,”
the drama offers viewers a mod-
ern take on the classic upstairs-
downstairs story as it follows the
lives of the Mendozas and their
wealthy guests, along with those
of their loyal working-class staff.
The original Spanish series was
a period drama, but ABC has up-
dated the American version of the
show and set the action in multi-
cultural Miami, an area brimming
with Latin American culture.
While the gorgeous hotel
provides a luxurious setting for
the series, it was quickly revealed
in the June 17 pilot that the Men-
doza’s business was in trouble.
The family has been plagued by
escalating debt and scandals, not
to mention explosive secrets.
A welcome respite from a
summer schedule laden with
reality TV shows, “Grand Hotel”
is a prime-time soap for today’s
discerning TV fans, rife with a
mysterious disappearance, an
unexpected pregnancy and
maybe even murder. Eva Longoria
(“Desperate Housewives”) —
who executive produces, directs
and appears in the series — has
promised that the new show will
deliver plenty of summertime
drama.
“’Grand Hotel’ is going to have
a lot of twists and turns — big
twists, big turns, big surprises —
almost every episode,” Longoria
said in an official ABC Q&A video.
2 | Screentime
“What will keep people coming
back is falling in love with the
journeys of each of these charac-
ters and really caring about their
arcs and where they’re going, and
then also discovering who they
were. Some of them will have a
past that catches up to them.”
Longoria guest stars as Beatriz
Mendoza, Santiago’s first wife
and the original owner of the
hotel, who appears in a series
of flashbacks. Her family had
owned the Riviera Grand Hotel
for generations, and the business
was passed down to her husband
after she died. According to of-
ficial records, Beatriz died of a
heart attack, but “Grand Hotel”
plot twists soon cast doubt on
that conclusion.
In addition to Bichir, the main
cast includes a bevy of beautiful,
talented performers. Roselyn San-
chez (“Without a Trace”) plays
Santiago’s second wife, Gigi, who
also happened to have been Bea-
triz’s best friend. She butts heads
with Alicia (Denyse Tontz, “The
Fosters”), Beatriz and Santiago’s
adult daughter, who recently
returned to the hotel after gradu-
ating with an MBA from Cornell.
Alicia’s brother, Javi (Bryan Craig,
“General Hospital”), is the hotel’s
resident playboy. In Gigi’s camp
are her twin daughters: the self-
obsessed Carolina (Feliz Ramirez,
“Bull”) and the decidedly more
awkward Yoli (Justina Adorno,
“Seven Seconds”).
Hotel manager Mateo (Shalim
Ortiz, “Heroes”) bridges the gap
between the affluent “upstairs”
characters and the staff members.
While he serves as Santiago’s
right-hand man, he also secretly
works for the hotel’s creditors.
Helen Parker (Wendy Raquel
Robinson, “The Steve Harvey
Show”), known as “Mrs. P” to
her colleagues, is the hotel’s no-
nonsense head of staff.
As for the “downstairs” crew,
the dutiful hotel staff is portrayed
by a diverse group of up-and-
coming actors. Mrs. P’s son, Jason
(Chris Warren, “High School Mu-
sical,” 2006), works at the hotel
July 17, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
Denyse Tontz as seen in “Grand Hotel”
The show also boasts an im-
as a waiter. He befriends Riviera
pressive roster of recurring actors,
newbie Danny (Lincoln Younes,
including Jencarlos Canela (“Tele-
“Home and Away”). What Jason
novela”) as rapper El Rey, Adrian
doesn’t know is that Danny has
Pasdar (“Heroes”) as Felix, Katey
been secretly investigating the
Sagal (“Sons of Anarchy”) as Te-
disappearance of his sister, Sky
resa, and Freddie Stroma (“Time
(Arielle Kebbel, “The Vampire
After Time”) as Oliver.
Diaries”), one of the hotel’s line
In true prime-time soap opera
cooks who went missing after a
style, “Grand Hotel” features
heated run-in with Gigi. Mean-
plenty of romance, notably a
while, pregnant hotel house-
forbidden dalliance between
keeper Ingrid (Anne Winters, “13
Danny and Alicia, which blos-
Reasons Why”) lies about her
soms despite Mrs. P’s warnings
unborn child’s paternity.
to Danny that the hotel owner’s
family members are off limits.
Meanwhile, an affair between El
Rey and another character causes
friction in the Mendoza family,
and a scandal threatens to derail
an employee’s career.
Critical response to the series
has been mixed so far. In a June
review, Variety’s Caroline Framke
called “Grand Hotel” an “easy,
breezy summer watch.” Early
ratings reports have been modest
for a summer series. The first two
episodes of the show’s inaugural
season pulled in more than three
million live viewers per night,
though those numbers are ex-
pected to rise when DVR viewers
are taken into account.
For fans of prime-time soap
operas like “Dynasty” and
Longoria’s former prime-time
hit “Desperate Housewives,”
her new series may be worth a
look. Check out a new episode of
“Grand Hotel,” airing Monday,
July 22, on ABC.