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Memo To Reality TV Producers: Shows About Hotels Just Don't Work

April 23, 2008 at 5:23 PM | by juliana | 2 Comments

The just-ended first (and final, we hope) season of The Real Housewives of New York City was the latest reality TV show to feature a hotelier and/or a behind-the-scenes look at a hotel.

But if you look at some of the other reality shows about hotels and how they work or who's running them you will see a not-so-startling pattern: reality shows featuring hoteliers and hotels suck.

That may be a harsh statement but let us now present the evidence: Casino, Party @ the Palms With Jenny McCarthy, Inn Love, Welcome to the Parker and Real Housewives of New York City.

Keep on reading for more of the hard evidence.

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Welcome to the Parker :: It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 4200 E Palm Canyon Dr [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264
August 31, 2007 at 11:52 AM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

It's all over! Our short trip into the world of the Parker Palm Springs ended with last night's sixth and final installment of Welcome to the Parker. We never thought we'd be saying this, but we're sort of bummed.

Some final thoughts after the jump.

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Welcome to the Parker :: There's No Shame in Chocolate Cake

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 200 E. Palm Canyon Drive [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92664
August 24, 2007 at 2:15 PM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

[Ed. Note: Here to review the fourth episode of Welcome to the Parker is our very own Jenna, who is currently enrolled in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Enjoy.]

Last night's Welcome to the Parker was, well, kinda entertaining. It was less infuriating for some reason and the urge to slam it seems to have left us temporarily.

Why? The best explanation is probably the fact that most of this particular episode had very little to do with running the hotel itself, really, and because for once, we actually were impressed by something.

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A Not So High-End Travel Agent?

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 4200 E. Palm Canyon Drive [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264
August 20, 2007 at 12:51 PM | by juliana | 3 Comments

We did a little digging today because we had noticed some of the recent comments on the Welcome to the Parker episode reviews about the guest appearance of Jill Johnson a "high-end travel agent" who could send literally millions of dollars of business to the Parker Palm Springs with a favorable review. Or so says the hotel's manager.

Either way, the show made it seem like Jill Johnson worked for a posh travel agency with extremely wealthy clients--both corporate and leisure. The good news is that unlike the food critic in the premiere episode, Jill Johnson actually exists and works for a travel agency called TravelTrust, a corporate travel management company, where she is the senior VP. You can read her bio here.

But the bad news is when we plugged in Palm Springs into the TravelTrust's hotel database for a Labor Day weekend getaway, the first few choices that popped up weren't exactly high-end selections. They were The Ramada Palm Springs, the Vagabond Inn Palm Springs, and a Best Western.

To be fair, the Hotel Zoso and the Viceroy Palms Springs also popped up. Also, this was just a quick search on TravelTrust's website. Maybe if you contact them directly and set up a corporate account, they will have more posh offerings.

As for the Parker, well it pops up but it was sold out for the weekend we wanted. Interestingly enough, TravelTrust still has it listed under an older name Le Parker Meridien Palm Springs. There's not much else there on the description except it calls the hotel a place "where luxury is fun." Also someone posted a bad review of the place last November. Not surprising of course. But this hotel needs a jolt of good press immediately. When is this show over?

Related Stories:
· Welcome to the Parker :: Smart Hiring Practices Exemplified [HotelChatter]

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Welcome to the Parker :: The Parker Sort of Gets in Bed with the Pleasure Chest

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 200 E. Palm Canyon Drive [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92664
August 17, 2007 at 9:10 AM | by Jenna | 2 Comments

[Ed. Note: Here to review the fourth episode of Welcome to the Parker is our very own Jenna, who is currently enrolled in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Enjoy.]

In episode four of Welcome to the Parker, some reps from the Pleasure Chest checked in to propose a similar promotion at the Parker Palm Springs to the one we covered over at Manhattan's Bryant Park Hotel. We were surprised and delighted to be able to witness something that actually may have really happened (rather than the fake food critics and annoyingly over-the-top personalities we've seen so far).

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Welcome to the Parker :: Smart Hiring Practices Exemplified

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 200 E. Palm Canyon Dr. [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92664
August 10, 2007 at 9:14 AM | by Jenna | 4 Comments

[Ed. Note: Here to review the third episode of Welcome to the Parker is our very own Jenna, who is currently enrolled in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Enjoy.]

In our rundowns of the first two episodes of Welcome to the Parker, Bravo's new "reality" show promising to give us a behind the scenes look at the Parker Palm Springs, we discussed what exactly we thought is wrong with the Parker staff. Are they incompetent? Are they just actors? Is it just heavily edited for dramatic purposes?

In last night's edition of W to the P, all our questions are answered within the first ten minutes when Thomas, the Parker's General Manager, flat out says something along the lines of, "we hire people based on their personalities; the technical skills come later."

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How the Parker Palm Springs Celebrated the First 'Welcome to the Parker' Episode

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 4200 E Palm Canyon Dr [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264
August 6, 2007 at 5:51 PM | by juliana | 0 Comments

An LA Times reporter recently timed her stay to coincide with the premiere episode of Welcome to the Parker, the new Bravo TV reality show taking place at the Parker Palm Springs.

Valli Herman writes of the hotel's very own screening party:

The hotel cooked up a concession stand menu, tossed fat pillows on the ballroom floor and invited local media, dignitaries, eccentrics and hotel guests for a Parker-style family movie night. Watching two episodes with the city's mayor cheering ("Publicity!") and the hotel's general manager wincing ("Foul-ups!"), it's clear why Bravo sought this location.

Actually it's still not clear but we get that the Parker is a quirky kind of hotel and Herman seemed to like that. She also thought the staff was trying very hard to please it guests, even though some mistakes were made. All this confirms that the place is probably better in real life than it's portrayed on TV. However, it looks like the No Dogs Allowed rule made it into the hotel policy as Herman saw none on the premises.

All in all, Herman gave the place three stars or "very good." But we think that's being nice considering the $41 bouillabaise she ordered at the Mr. Parker restaurant left her stinking like garlic for two days. Ewww....

Related Stories:
· The Parker Palm Springs, designed by Jonathan Adler [LAT]
· Welcome to the Parker:: The Five-Star Fun Continues [HotelChatter]

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Welcome to the Parker :: The Five-Star Fun Continues

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 200 E. Palm Canyon Drive [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92664
August 3, 2007 at 2:31 AM | by Jenna | 6 Comments

[Ed. Note: Here to review the second episode of Welcome to the Parker is our very own Jenna, who is currently enrolled in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Enjoy.]

After the season premiere of Welcome to the Parker, Bravo's new reality show that goes behind the scenes of the Parker Palm Springs, we were left wondering whether or not the staff featured on the show were at all capable of running a legitimate business. After episode two, we wonder no more.

A rundown and review after the jump.

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Welcome to the Parker :: Season Premiere

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 4200 E. Palm Canyon Drive [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92664
July 27, 2007 at 1:33 PM | by Jenna | 4 Comments

[Ed. Note: Here to review the first episode of Welcome to the Parker is our very own Jenna, who is currently enrolled in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Enjoy.]

Welcome to the Parker about the Parker Palm Springs Hotel debuted last night and we were parked squarely on our couches ready to love it.

But after two rounds of watching the first episode of Bravo's newest reality show, an "uncensored" look at what goes on behind the scenes at the five-star hotel, well... we're not sure what we think. The review we promised after the jump.

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'Welcome to the Parker' Premieres Tonight; First Review Calls it a Snoozefest

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 4200 E Palm Canyon Dr [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264
July 26, 2007 at 2:21 PM | by juliana | 1 Comment

We are very excited to watch the first episode of the Welcome to the Parker reality show despite the fact that the NY Daily News called it "boring on every level" and gave it only a one-star.

As we wrote the other week, the show follows the staff at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel, from the perfection-obsessed manager (that's Samir, above)to the tempermental cook to a punk-rock styled room-service waiter. In the first episode the hotel welcomes guests in town for the "Pong Springs" ping pong tournament, as well as a pushy food critic.

David Hinckley of the NY Daily News writes:

The big drama turns out to be gracefully convincing the team it can't set up its tables on the lawn of the Gene Autry House because they would ruin the grass.

The staff is unmemorable, the ping-pong team is cartoonish and the whole thing plays a little like someone decided to remake "Upstairs, Downstairs" with Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell.

The closest "The Parker" comes to delivering an actual celebrity is a brief scene in which the manager directs the staff to create a larger fruit bowl for Woody Allen.

But we never see Woody Allen, only his fruit bowl, and that's a shame.

Indeed you can watch this last bit on the preview for the show posted on the BravoTV site. It also looks like Bravo previewed an extended clip last night as the message boards are already gabbing about the truthiness of this show.

All we have to say is that it's reality TV which mean its only about 5 percent reality and 95 percent underpaid TV writers. Look what happened with Tori and Dean and Man vs. Wild.

Nevertheless, we'll have our full report on the premiere tomorrow.

Related Stories:
· Hotel show is boring on every level [NY Daily News]
· New Reality Show About Parker Palm Springs Hotel Set to Debut July 26th on Bravo [HotelChatter]

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New Reality Show About Parker Palm Springs Hotel Set to Debut July 26th on Bravo

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 4200 E Palm Canyon Dr [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92264
July 13, 2007 at 12:47 PM | by juliana | 1 Comment

We love Bravo. Thanks to them, we have spent countless hours watching episodes of Queer Eye, Project Runway and Top Chef. Starting July 26th, we'll have another Bravo show to add to our Tivo recording queue---Welcome to the Parker. This "docu-series" takes place at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel and follows the "exhausting lives and complicated relationships between the top-notch hotel staff and their exacting and sometimes very particular guests." We love it already! This show was made for us!

And unlike Tori and Dean: Inn Love, this is a REAL hotel with REAL guests, not fake ones.

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