Hotel: Season 1

"Hotel" is full of 1980's elegance, charm, drama & fun. It ran for five seasons, from 1983 through 1988. It's really entertaining to see the multiple guest stars, ranging from Connie Stevens to Englebert Humperdink and Markie Post to Liberace...the casting was diverse, colorful and is now a great trip down T.V, film and music memory lane. But the continuity and the thing that makes the St. Gregory feel like home are the employees there. The first season gives just a hint of the attraction between General Manager Peter McDermott and his assistant Christine Francis. Peter is played by James Brolin, who should have the words - They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore - added to his name. That's one good looking man. Christine is played by the gorgeous Connie Sellecca. They're pretty, the hotel is pretty, the clothes are pretty; throw in a dash of big hair and you have an Aaron Spelling Cocktail.There are a variety of stories. Some are serious, such as the story about abuse within a family (featuring Robert Reed), and another story with Scatman Crothers about racism. Some are romantic, a Cinderella type story with Emma Samms. There is the dramatic where Christine Francis is being stalked; the glamorous, an episode that focuses on a model & a runway show (expect lots of good clothes in that one). Expect some funny moments also, some are intentional, but the unintentional are my favorites. I wish I had counted how many times Peter McDermott came to blows with someone (and at least once in the middle of the elegant hotel lobby). He's also involved with a new woman each week - an ex-wife, an ex-girlfriend, someone he meets at a party... Between all of that and the fist fights, I don't know how he has time to run the hotel. Another funny moment is when Heather Locklear(looking like a peach & America's 1980's sweetheart), as a beauty contestant, is rehearsing for her talent portion. It's an unintentionally goofy dance that made me simultaneously laugh, miss leg warmers & think Heather Locklear can do anything and still look adorable. Ah...the 80's...I miss them.It's ridiculous that they haven't released more of the Hotel seasons. This is a great show, and I want the rest!

This DVD, by CBS Home Entertainment, is top quality (cost $22 & change). I avoided buying the cheaper offerings with the bad reviews. The "Hotel" TV series is just as I remember it from long ago - top shelf acting (James Brolin, Anne Baxter, Connie Sellecca), well known guest stars, and uplifting stories that turn out well in the end. These episodes can put a smile on your face, they did mine.

Based on Arthur Hailey's popular novel and the 1967 film of the same name, ABC's "Hotel" (from super-producer Aaron Spelling and Douglas S. Cramer) was basically a land-based Love Boat set at San Francisco's opulent St. Gregory Hotel (utilizing exterior shots and modeled interiors of real life Fairmont Hotel San Francisco) featuring a combo of guest stars along with a regular cast in intertwined stories of primetime soap love, lust and drama (and occasional comedy).Starring as the St. Gregory Hotel staff was ever-dapper James Brolin (Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Marcus Welby, M.D.) as Peter McDermott, the manager; gorgeous Connie Sellecca (The Greatest American Hero) as Christine Francis, the assistant manager and eventual love interest for Peter; Shea Farrell as Mark Danning, director of guest relations; Nathan Cook as Billy Griffin, ex-con turned chief of security; Michael Spound and Heidi Bohay as newlyweds Dave and Megan Kendall, a bellhop and desk clerk respectively (who themselves would marry in 1988); plus lovely Shari Belafonte (daughter of Harry Belafonte) as Julie Gillette, manager of hotel information. Look for legendary screen star Bette Davis in her first TV series role (pilot only) as St. Gregory owner Laura Trent who, due to illness, was replaced thereafter by her All About Eve co-star Anne Baxter who took over as her sister-in-law, Victoria Cabot.A well-made primetime soap done in proven Love Boat style, Hotel was one of the early hits of the 1983-1984 season. It probably didn't hurt that for 4 of its 5 seasons the show originally ran after Dynasty on Wednesday nights at 10p. From the excellent cast to the elegant, atmospheric decor of the St. Gregory itself, Hotel oozed with style and class. This is exemplified in the show's regal opening theme by late great composer Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther, Newhart, Remington Steele). Available [at last] on DVD for the first time, Hotel - The First Season is a 6-disc, Full Frame (1.33:1) video, English mono audio set featuring all 22 regular Season One episodes plus the two-hour pilot movie. The set also hosts the following guest stars:Melissa Sue Anderson, Scott Baio, Adrienne Barbeau, Michael Bell, Lloyd Bochner, Danielle Brisebois, Morgan Brittany, Diana Canova, Gary Collins, Lydia Cornell, Cathy Lee Crosby, Mary Crosby, Scatman Crothers, John Davidson, Phyllis Davis, Elinor Donahue, Michael Dorn, Ron Ely, Morgan Fairchild, Jose Ferrer, Eva Gabor, Albert Hague, Richard Hatch, Pamela Hensley, Jon-Erik Hexum, Robert Hooks, Ken Howard, Barnard Hughes, Englebert Humperdinck, Arte Johnson, Shirley Jones, Louis Jourdan, Steve Kanaly, Stacy Keach, Sr., Sally Kellerman, Ken Kercheval, Lorenzo Lamas, Martin Landau, George Lazenby, Kay Lenz, Liberace, Jeremy Licht, Heather Locklear, Bill Macy, Peter Marshall, Dina Merrill, Vera Miles, Erin Moran, Phil Morris, Tracy Nelson, Donald O'Connor, Alan Oppenheimer, Donna Pescow, Michelle Phillips, Robert Pine, Don Porter, Markie Post, Dack Rambo, Lynn Redgrave, Robert Reed, Pernell Roberts, Emma Samms, Ted Shackleford, Jan Smithers, Tori Spelling, Robert Stack, Connie Stevens, McLean Stevenson, Parker Stevenson, Vic Tayback, Charlene Tilton, Dick Van Patten, Robert Vaughn, Carlene Watkins, Larry Wilcox, Steven Williams, Shelley Winters, Jane Wyatt and more.Episodes include:Pilot (8/21/1982)1. Blackout (9/21/1983)2. Choices (10/5/1983)3. Charades (10/19/1983)4. Secrets (10/26/1983)5. Relative Losses (11/2/1983)6. Flashback (11/9/1983)7. Confrontations (11/16/1983)8. Faith, Hope, & Charity (11/23/1983)9. Deceptions (11/30/1983)10. The Offer (12/7/1983)11. Christmas (12/21/1983)12. Designs (12/28/1983)13. Reflections (1/4/1984)14. Tomorrows (1/11/1984)15. Passages (1/18/1984)16. Mistaken Identities (2/1/1984)17. Wedding (2/22/1984)18. Memories (2/29/1984)19. Encores (3/7/1984)20. Prisms (3/14/1984)21. Trials (5/2/1984)22. Lifelines (5/9/1984)

I enjoy every bit of the series with drama,comedy and the detail of colors, design of the hotel in season 1 is great. I felt like I'm a guest. I enjoyed seeing actors, actresses and different story plots that goes with the theme of the story and the guests. I'm looking forward to Season 2 to come out. I enjoyed watching this show in the late 80s. I'm finally glad it's on dvd. I'll watch again and again. It's better than the stuff on tv now. The dvds plays great, the color is excellent and I really like the music theme, there are quite alot of music/theme from Henry Mancini that I also like alot. Great guest stars showing up in each segment. How suite to see it excellent vacation anytime at home!Thank you,Ann Hjelmeland

It was great to see these movies it brought back great memories. Thank you very much

I purchased this DVD set mainly for the pilot episode but have enjoyed all of the episodes on this DVD set. The picture and color are crisp and clear, just like watching them again when they first aired back in the 80s. If you enjoyed the series when it was a prime time hit, you'll love having this season set as part of your DVD collection.

Alles Super gewesen

Enjoyed watching the series I really enjoyed it from when I watched it years ago on tv

Great show - fun to see all the actors soooo young!!

I remember hotel from over 30 years ago and sometimes a nostalgic trip down memory lane can lead to dissapointment but not with Hotel, ok it may appear a tad dated but hey its the 80's and i love it. This show is entertaining from start to finish something virtually unheard of in todays wasteland of talentless talent shows and unreal reality rubbish. Its typical Aaron Spelling: glitzy,glamorous,camp and too many guest stars to mention (sadly a lot of them no longer with us). Also like the fact that the dutch import discs have the Hotel logo on unlike the region 1 set which are plain. Get it and enjoy.

Ich bin so froh,mir die Staffel gekauft zu haben.Das ist so eine schöne Serie.Durfte in meiner Sammlung nicht fehlen.Die anderen Staffeln hab ich mir auch schon gesichert.:-).Kann ich nur empfehlen!!