Springboard to benefit from Ramsay and Portas Channel 4 hotel TV show

Hotel GB, as it will be known, will hit screens on 1 October with Ramsay and Portas in charge of running the Bermondsey Square hotel in London alongside some other popular Channel 4 stars such as Gok Wan, Kirstie Allsop, Phil Spencer and Kim Woodburn, who will use their expertise to manage areas such as food and beverage, reception and housekeeping. 

As revealed by BigHospitality earlier this year , the idea of the show, produced by Optomen, is to offer a training ground within a fully working hotel for unemployed people looking for a break into the hospitality industry. 

During one week, paying guests will arrive at the hotel expecting a high level of service from the Channel 4 stars and trainees. 

Beneficiaries

Trainees will be mentored and managed by the Channel 4 stars with the aim of making the hotel as much profit as possible for the two charities destined to benefit - Springboard, which finds young disadvantaged and unemployed find work in the hospitality industry, and The Princes Trust.

Springboard chief executive Anne Pierce said the charity was thrilled to have been chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the programme.

"We will be using the funds to run specialist programmes to help young people - especially those facing multiple barriers to work - into life changing careers in Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism.

"Hotel GB is committed to raising awareness to the plight of unemployed young people and trying to do something positive. Our programmes will provide an on-going way to make a real impact after Hotel GB has ended. We urge others in the industry to get involved and work with us to maximise the benefit of the TV show and leave a lasting legacy."

It is also hoped that trainees will find themselves full-time employment by the end of the show and as well as having to run the hotel in a professional manner, two teams of employees, headed up by Ramsay and Portas, will compete to make the most money during the week. 

Ramsay said: "With Mary Portas heading up the girls team and me heading up the boys team, Hotel GB is a challenge like no other. We are all putting ourselves on the line to help kick-start careers for young people in the service industry. We, with our team of experts, are going to take over a hotel and turn it into a training ground for unemployed youth desperate for a break."

Hotel GB: Who's in charge

• Gordon Ramsay - co-general manager (in charge of the restaurant, bar and gym)
• Mary Portas - co-general manager (in charge of rooms, reception and spa)
• Gok Wan - bar and events manager
• Dr Christian Jessen - manager of health and well-being, gym
• Phil Spencer - maitre d'
• Katie Piper - spa and salon manager
• Kirstie Allsop - concierge
• Kim Woodburn - head of housekeeping
• Hilary Devey - manager of the hotel shop