Crank up the A/C! This summer, the only thing steamier than the heat outside is the drama on ABC’s new show Grand Hotel (premieres Monday June 17th at 10|9c on ABC). Executive produced by Eva Longoria, Grand Hotel is set at the last family-owned hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, where scandal, glamour, mystery, and forbidden romance are all part of daily business. Honestly, we're so here for it.
On the outside, the Riviera Grand appears as the picture of Miami luxury. It’s run by the debonair Santiago Mendoza (Demián Bichir), his glamorous second wife Gigi (Roselyn Sanchez), and their children: Santiago’s business savvy daughter Alicia (Denyse Tontz) and playboy son Javi (Bryan Craig), and Gigi’s twins Carolina (Feliz Ramirez) and Yoli (Justina Adorno). Employees Mateo (Shalim Ortiz) and Mrs. P (Wendy Raquel Robinson) run a tight ship, keeping the sexy staff in line.
But appearances can be deceiving, as is the case with this Miami hot spot. Business isn’t what it once was, and Santiago has gone deep into debt trying to keep the hotel afloat. And his big, happy blended family? It’s neither happy nor blended — complete with evil step sisters, sibling rivalry, and contentious business deals. Oh! Plus, a young, beautiful line cook, Sky (Arielle Kebbel) disappeared under mysterious circumstances during a recent hurricane — a disaster that seems to have been swept under the rug.
Read on for all the reasons Grand Hotel is just as hot as a summer romance, if not hotter. Grand Hotel premieres Monday June 17th at 10|9c on ABC after The Bachelorette.
1
Grand Hotel Is A Fun, Weekly Getaway — And Might Turn Mondays Into The Best Day Of The Week
Who wouldn't want to take a weekly trip to Miami Beach to bask in drama and romance?
Grand Hotel has both in spades, and we can't wait for the show to spice up our Mondays. There's tall, dark, and handsome Javi, who has slept with so many hotel guests even he can't remember them all. This insatiable appetite could get him in trouble . . . in more ways than one.
Then there's mysterious and sexy new hire Danny (Lincoln Younes), who is taken with Alicia from the moment he sees her, even if she is — as his co-worker Jason (Chris Warren Jr.) says — "off limits." Those limits are tested when the two have a late-night heart-to-heart in the hotel pool, and sparks fly. Alicia claims that she can't start a relationship with a hotel staffer, but we're rooting for her to break the rules . . . even if the romance may not be as perfect as it seems.
2
It's A Beautiful Show Full Of Beautiful People
If a glamorous hotel full of beautiful people sounds like a recipe for forbidden romance to you, you’d be right. Sleeping with guests, flirting with employees, betraying the ones you love . . . it’s all just another hot evening at the Riviera Grand. Somebody open a window in here, already.
Don't be surprised if you immediately start choosing sides . . . and shipping dangerous couples.
3
It Just Might Fill The Hole ABC's Revenge Left
A young woman fighting for her family's legacy in a wealthy beach town? Backroom dealings and betrayals? Sounds like another ABC show we knew and loved . . . and we've been hungry for another steamy drama ever since.
There's enough drama in the family alone: To put things lightly, Alicia and Javi don’t quite trust their stepmother, Gigi. After all, she was best friends with their mother, and honestly, what kind of person marries their best friend's husband right after she dies? So basically, you can see why they might see her as a fairy tale evil stepmother type. The fact that she arranged to sell the hotel to her daughter's fiancé's family is even more suspicious. I'm not saying she's a gold digger, but...
And you thought Gigi’s side of the family was all "kumbaya", you are mistaken. Carolina is “the pretty twin,” while Yoli is seen, as hotel guest and rapper El Rey puts it, as la gordita (the chubby one). But when someone takes an interest in Yoli over Carolina for once, the “pretty twin” plays dirty in a way that results in some high-stakes business drama, and exactly one ruined wedding.
4
It Has An Amazing And Talented Cast
From Oscar-nominated actors (Demián Bichir, who plays Santiago), to TV drama veterans (Roselyn Sanchez, Eva Longoria, Arielle Kebbel), to newer faces you'll be psyched to discover, this cast is packed with talent. So if you find the double-crossing and affairs so believable you start daydreaming about them throughout the week . . . blame the cast, not us!
5
There Are Plenty Of Secrets And Twists To Keep You Coming Back For More
Just how twisty is this show? Let us count the ways...
While Alicia has been away getting her M.B.A. from the Ivy League preparing to run the hotel, Santiago, unbeknownst to her, has gotten them deep into debt trying to save the business. As it happens, her father isn’t in debt to a bank, but rather to someone — or someones — who appear to be much more dangerous. As Alicia asks in a panic, "Who do we owe??"
The downstairs intrigue is just as compelling as what's going on upstairs. Seemingly naive hotel maid Ingrid (Anne Winters) is carrying a fellow staffer's child, as well as some other secrets. Then we have a hotel manager who supposedly reports to Santiago . . . but seems to have a power over him, too. Then there's the question of what happened to Sky, the gorgeous line cook who disappears at the top of the pilot.
One thing's for sure... We're checking in for all the juicy mystery.
This article is sponsored by Grand Hotel, premiering Monday June 17th at 10|9c on ABC after The Bachelorette.
