Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby

Giles and Monica visit Mashpi Lodge in the Ecuadorian rainforest which features a gondola cable car to transport guests through the forest canopy. The pair learn how eco-tourism is saving endangered species.

Giles and Monica visit and go to work in the luxury hotel in Marrakesh, which was built by royal decree to showcase the region. Monica learns how to pleat the curtains while Giles dons the uniform of a butler.

Giles and Monicas final stop-off takes them 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle into Swedish Lapland. Giles joins the artists who craft the rooms from huge blocks of ice while Monica meets the hotels 82-year-old reindeer-meat supplier.

In the second episode, Giles and Monica travel to the Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar in Oman. It is the highest five-star hotel in the Middle East and a resort seeking to blend local tradition with modern tastes. Built to resemble an ancient Omani fort, and situated 2,000 metres above sea level on the rim of a dramatic canyon, the hotel has recently made the most of its location by constructing a jaw-dropping via ferrata and zip-wire rope course along the cliff edge. Led by the hotels mountain guru Maher, Giles and Monica undertake a test-run of the stunning adventure course before it opens to guests, facing 30-metre drops and Giless prolific fear of heights.

Monica and Giles hop across to Ireland to scale the imposing and ancient ramparts of Ashford Castle. Founded 800 years ago & set in 350 acres, it later became the family home of the Guinness family. With the help of hotel historian, Fintan, Giles discovers that the castle has had a rollercoaster journey through the centuries, sporadically reaching moments of real jeopardy, only to be saved by a turn of events or new owners. As recently as 2011, the hotel went into receivership but was bought in the nick of time and, after undergoing a £50 million restoration, has the ambition to be the best hotel in the world.

Giles Coren and Monica Galetti travel to South America to work in Vira Vira, a hacienda hotel that overlooks an active volcano near Pucon, the adventure capital of Chile. Giles and Monica prepare a meal for guests, go trekking through the Chilean forests on horseback and hear how the chef has an abundance of Chilean produce for his recipes. Last in the series.

Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit the Scottish Highlands to work at The Torridon, Britains most northerly five star hotel. Its need to balance a luxury stay with being self-sufficient has Monica collecting sea-weed for the kitchen and helping to herd Highland Cattle. Meanwhile, Giles learns to change toilet seats and joins the staff in their afternoon off for a swim in the beautiful but freezing cold loch.

Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit Jade Mountain, a hand-built hotel in St Lucia where each room has no outer wall and so is open to the ocean view - as well as having its own private infinity pool. Giles finds that room service here is tougher than it seems, and Monica dives for lionfish, which they both serve to guests visiting especially to have their wedding on the beach.

Monica Galetti and Giles Coren stay in the city they live in to work at the Shangri-La Hotel, in Britains highest hotel. Their expectations of a standard business guest experience are blown away by discovering a hotel that makes guests personal moments special. From bath butlers to marriage proposals, the hotel is a resort for celebrations in the clouds.

Monica and Giles travel to Madeira, famous for its year-round springlike weather, to work in one of Europes leading hotels: Reid’s Palace.

Monica and Giles travel to Copenhagen to work at Nimb Hotel in Tivoli Gardens, where looking after guests means riding rollercoasters and booking avant-garde restaurants.

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Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder travel by seaplane to a paradise island in the Indian Ocean. Joali Maldives offers guests a luxury experience despite its remote location, but just how does the Maldivian resort manage it? Rob discovers there are 300 workers hidden in the centre of the island, while Monica uncovers how food is supplied to the island chefs. They realise that delivering paradise is like a giant theatre production.

Monica and Rob travel to the highlands of central Sri Lanka to learn about Ceylon Tea Trails - a series of colonial era bungalows that have been renovated and revisioned by a local family of tea entrepreneurs. Monica works with the tea pickers and learns the importance of the industry to the country, while Rob tracks leopards in the surrounding plantations. The highlands are a rugged landscape, but as Rob and Monica discover, with dedication and detail, guests can still get a luxury experience.

Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder visit Italy to go behind the scenes of Borgo Egnazia - a hotel modelled on Puglia’s historical local villages. They work with the local staff to find out how you deliver a genuine version of Italy within a carefully designed replica. Monica makes focaccia for the cherry festival with chef Rocco, while Rob meets the decoration team who work hard to deliver an experience that blends reality with theatre.

Monica and Rob discover what it takes to run Hotel Hubertus - a family-run resort which offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains thanks to its panoramic aspect.

Rob and Monica make the journey to Turkey to work at a hotel built into a network of caves, where modern luxury meets ancient history and every room comes with its own surprises.

Rob and Monica work in one of Europe’s last remaining family-owned grande dame hotels – boasting a deep history and celebrity clientele list right in the heart of the Eternal City.

Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work at high altitude, 3000 meters above sea-level at a hidden gem of a hotel with Buddhist connections in the remote kingdom of Bhutan.

Rob Rinder and Monica Galetti work in sub-zero conditions in Lapland as they collect firewood, cook reindeer stew and take cold water plunges at a hotel owned by a Sami family.