Gordon Ramsay and Mary Portas to lead team of celebrities for Channel 4 hotel series
Gordon Ramsay and Mary Portas will turn hoteliers for a new Channel 4 series aimed at raising cash for industry charity Springboard.
Hotel GB will air in October with a stellar line-up of celebrities, including Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer, taking key roles in the management of the property that will be staffed by unemployed people looking for an opportunity to break into hospitality.
Ramsay and Portas will be co-general managers in charge of the restaurant, bar and gym, and rooms, reception and spa respectively.
Property gurus Allsopp and Spencer have come on board as concierge and maitre d', and they are joined by Gok Wan, who will run the bar, and expert cleaner Kim Woodburn as head of housekeeping.
Embarrassing Bodies presenter Dr Christian Jessen is in charge of the gym, Katie Piper, the charity campaigner who had acid thrown in her face in 2008, is running the spa, and former Dragon's Den star Hilary Devey is managing the hotel shop.
The celebrities will recruit unemployed people to the hotel in a bid to find them full-time jobs by the end of the week.
The Springboard charity, which helps young, unemployed and disadvantaged people improve their prospects for economic well-being, has been named as one of the beneficiaries of the project, alongside the Prince's Trust.
Commenting on Hotel GB, Ramsay said: "We are all putting ourselves on the line to help kick-start careers for young people in the service industry.
"The real excitement will come when members of the public book a room or visit the spa and restaurant and pay for the services if they think they are up to scratch."
By Janie Manzoori-Stamford
E-mail your comments to Janie Manzoori-Stamford here.
Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next job here with Catererandhotelkeeper.com jobs
