Travel & Living explores localised reality content with new show

Discovery Travel & Living has launched a new reality series, 'Hotel by the Bay', which is a look at the real life drama that takes place behind the scenes at a luxury  hotel. The show will go on air from 26 October. While Travel & Living has a number of travel and food shows that are shot and produced in India, in the reality genre, this is a first.  

The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai was chosen as the setting for the reality show. Shot over a year and a half, the show will be aired in a series of 10 episodes of half an hour each. Commenting on the show, Rahul Johri (pictured), SVP and general manager – India, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, "Hotel by the Bay juxtaposes two contrasting worlds that co-exist in a hotel – that of the guests and the employees. Discovery Travel & Living has covered Indian lifestyles and its various manifestations in the past – marriage, travel, cuisine and fashion. This time we are focusing on the back-stage drama that routinely takes places in one of the most frequented and recognized lifestyle destinations – luxury hotels."

Shot in the actual working environment of the hotel, the cameras follow the key characters in real time as they go about addressing their daily challenges. The episodes will be punctuated with anecdotes and experiences of the hotel's customers and members of the senior management.

Speaking about the alliance of the Taj and Discovery Travel & Living, Karambir Singh Kang, general manager, The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower said, "When Discovery Travel & Living approached us to give the world a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes. We looked at it as a chance to show what really makes this hotel a great hotel."

When asked about the channel's decision to shoot the entire series in an Indian hotel instead of one located abroad, Johri said, "We do shoot a lot of shows in India as well, like Manish Arora's show, Vir Sanghvi's too, as also shows like Dream Hotels. Hence, I'd say we focus on lifestyle from all over the world and not from a particular place."