15 Reasons to Reserve a Room at the ‘Grand Hotel’

Grand Hotel is the perfect summer show. It heats up the screen and makes you thirsty for more of its juicy content. Summer is over, but many of us still long for sun-kissed soirees. Let’s turn fall into summer with this fantastic show.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch Grand Hotel, a reimagined version of the original Spanish language Gran Hotel, there is still time to savor it. 

We are huge fans of the series and hope it continues on for another salacious season. To help you make the right choice to join us in our love of the best show of the summer, we’ve created a list for you. Here are fifteen spoiler-free reasons to reserve a room for Grand Hotel on your screen. 

1. Latinx Talent

Grand Hotel is brimming with Latinx talent. This is incredibly important because Latinx talent is drastically underrepresented on TV right now. Not only does the sleek show feature many Latinx characters, it includes a delightful diversity of representations. Some characters have accents, some do not. Some have light skin and eyes, some have dark skin and eyes.

Importantly, none of the characters fall into the tired “cholo” stereotype. The Mendozas are wealthy and sometimes quite elitist. Mateo, who is involved in some shady business, is never portrayed as being in a gang. Even El Rey is shown as ridiculous, not a thug.

Latinx women are not called “spicy,” or anything food-related, even if they are assertive or sarcastic as people. They just have distinctive and developed personalities. How refreshing!

The Latinx talent is not just in front of the camera! Eva Longoria directs and executive produces on the series.

At a time where many of us are starved for Latinx representation, Grand Hotel sates our hunger. 

2. Veteran Stars

Grand Hotel is a new TV show, but many on the cast are anything but new to the small screen. Roselyn Sánchez, who plays Gigi Mendoza on the hot summer series, cut her teeth on the soap As The World Turns in 1996 and has been working consistently ever since. 

Likewise, Demián Bichir who plays Gigi’s husband Santiago Mendoza is an accomplished actor with a myriad of accolades under his belt. He is an Oscar-nominated actor, only the second Mexican to be nominated for the Best Actor award. He has appeared on popular Mexican television shows and films, including the record-breaking film Sexo!

These two stars are joined by other acting vets on Grand Hotel, most notably Wendy Raquel Robinson and Katey Sagal. Robinson and Sagal bring their wide range of comedic and dramatic experiences from shows like The Steve Harvey Show, Married with Children, and Sons of Anarchy.

These veteran actors utilize their expertise to make each scene grounded and rich. Even when the plot is ridiculous and soapy, the overly dramatic content we crave from our summer shows, the performances allow us to remain tethered to the characters. 

The scenes feel intimate, even as they include murder or shocking pregnancy reveals.  

It is a gift that we get to see these wildly talented actors on a weekly basis. Even just one person with this level of talent and experience on the show could carry it. Grand Hotel has SEVERAL and as a result, the entire show’s quality is elevated to a very high level. 

3. Father & Son, Mother & Daughter

On Grand Hotel, there are several parental relationships. All of these are well done. The father-son and mother-daughter relationships between Santiago and Javi, and Gigi and Yoli are exceptional.

The conflicts aren’t just your typical generational gap issues. There are intriguing and complex factors to the pain and healing between the pairs. The complexity is relatable. Real-life relationships with parents are never simple. 

Grand Hotel uses vulnerable conversations between Yoli and Gigi as well as Javi and Santiago to give us what we don’t typically get in real-life: resolution. 

This element was not present in the original Spanish series. Its inclusion on ABC’s Grand Hotel is another reason to watch the stellar series.

4. Bryan Craig

Javier Mendoza is the party-loving playboy son of hotel owner Santiago Mendoza. The character could be as simple as that, and the show would still be great.

As played by Bryan Craig ,though, Javi becomes so much more than a sarcastic set of abs. Craig creates chemistry and connection with the audience in all of his scenes, no matter how brief or how silly.

The actor’s talent helps the show maintain intensity and emotional resonance when the plot threatens to be overwhelming. Basically, he keeps the giggles, the butterflies and the hair raising tingles going. 

Craig is an excellent example of how daytime soaps prepare actors to be masterful and consistent dramatic performers. Before playing Javi Mendoza, Craig spent five years as Morgan Corinthos on General Hospital. His stellar work there shows on Grand Hotel as he can be fun, charming, sexy, mournful, and mysterious, without ever being ridiculous. 

Also, he is almost uncomfortably attractive. We can’t think of a much better reason to tune in to Grand Hotel than getting to watch Bryan Craig!

We can think of more reasons, though, at least eleven more in fact!

5. Fashion Forward

Grand Hotel is set in colorful, steamy Miami. The costume design on the show lives up to the high bar set by the fantastically fashionable city.  It isn’t afraid of curves or color. No, it is bold, fresh, fanciful, and purposeful.

Not only is the fashion visually stunning, but it also moves the characters forward. That’s the kind of fashion-forward programming we love!

The women, in particular, are styled in a way that is aesthetically stunning and provides character development. Alicia’s development on the series can be tracked by how her clothing changes. We certainly get an idea of her personality and ethical sensibility by her clothing. 

Gigi is a complex and cunning character. Her style is likewise sophisticated, intriguing and, well, complicated.

She wears colors and shapes that few people come wear and not look like they were playing dress-up. Gigi’s fashions on the show provide subtle symbolism and foreshadowing. It is brilliant. 

Carolina is perhaps the best-dressed character on the series. She looks impeccable all the time. It makes sense that only a character who is singularly obsessed with their appearance would have the time to pull off her looks. 

Another great reason to book it to your couch and watch Grand Hotel is to see (and online shop for) the delicious wardrobe choices. 

6. The Grownups 

 

Grownups are sometimes given short shrift on sleek dramas. Even if they are fan favorites, the adults on shows like Riverdale and The 100 are sometimes put on the backburner in favor of the young adults. 

Grand Hotel wisely provides equal, and sometimes more, emphasis and development on the grownups. Yes, all the characters on the show are adults. But, it is clear who the grownups are. 

Their relationships, sex appeal, and emotional struggles are taken seriously. The show devotes time, legitimate amounts of time, to explore all these aspects of the grownups’ lives and the show as a whole is much better off because of it. 

The cast is large and the talent is great, down to characters we only meet a couple of times. It was a choice for the show to slow down and not skip getting to know the grownups. 

We live in an ageist world where we’re told we’re only worth watching if we’re young. Grand Hotel cancels this ageism by allowing its older characters to have the full range of development and appeal typically reserved for younger characters. 

We even get to see one grownup get stoned and put on an impromptu singing performance! Well done, Grand Hotel for giving us yet another reason to tune in. 

7. Ships that Sail

There are many fantastic ships on Grand Hotel and, hallelujah, there is not a slow burn insight.

There is a time and place for a good slow burn ship, but a hot summer series like Grand Hotel isn’t one of them! Now, just because we get some sailing, doesn’t mean it is smooth.

Angst, romance, sexy times, and longing looks abound on the season. And, the end of the season doesn’t spell out a happy ending for all of the couples. There is much more to explore between the paramours on Grand Hotel and we hope for a second shippy season. 

Viewers who are fans of Julio and Alicia on Gran Hotel will not be disappointed by the fresh take on the story. There are recognizable elements from the lispy Spanish ship, but Danny and Alicia have their own unique vibe and story. It is less a reboot of a ship than it is an entirely new ship to root for and love.

Don’t be surprised if you have more than one OTP. We have no less than four top ten ship contenders from the first season alone. Our hearts (and other parts) thank you, Grand Hotel. 

8. Matriarchy

There are women and men on Grand Hotel who are bosses in one way or another. But, the real power is vested in the ladies. 

The chance to see the powerful matriarchies on Grand Hotel is a fantastic reason to watch. Importantly, the way the women get their power is not to “use their womanly ways,” i.e. bank on their bodies. 

Instead, they use their cunning, the relationships they’ve built, their business savvy, and other traits distinctive to each leading lady to get what they need. The result is a feminist lens that is never forceful or overwrought. It’s actually rather tender. 

Our favorite feature of the matriarchies is that they aren’t in competition with each other. There are several scenes where we see women leaders supporting the leadership and power of other women, even when the underlying relationship isn’t one hundred percent amicable. 

You don’t want to miss this boss show, featuring women in charge. 

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