The relationship between Ireland and hotels is rather peculiar. For some city-dwelling trendsetters, hotels represent a blight on society, yet they are the first to express displeasure when their international friends can’t secure affordable accommodation during their visit. In contradiction to this, “At Your Service” (Sunday, 7.30pm, RTÉ One), a show where sibling hoteliers, Francis and John Brennan, travel the nation issuing frank counsel to hospitality industry novices, has had considerable success. The fanfare around hotels is a complex mix of distaste and adoration.
The concept of “At Your Service” isn’t especially novel – it’s comparable to Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, with the only real difference being the focus on problematic bedding instead of clueless trainee chefs. That being said, Francis and John effectively utilise their charismatic stage presence to captivate audiences.
Despite their proficiency at running their own hotel in Kenmare, County Kerry, there’s debate over whether “At Your Service” needs some freshening up as it embarks on a new series. In this season, the Brennans pay a visit to Tralee to assist the O’Carroll family – parents Norma and Tony along with their adult sons Anthony, Thomas, and Paul – as they commence operations of a city centre hotel. Their plan includes a 26-bedroom boutique hotel with some of the lower ground space allocated for retail.
While this business design could enhance their profit margin, there are concerns about the possible negative impact on the hotel’s overall ambiance due to the confined reception area. The Brennans also express apprehension about the family’s poorly developed hospitality skills. Francis states plainly, “They’ve never even served a cup of coffee, let alone managed a hotel.”
At a pivotal gathering, Francis and John offer the O’Carrolls a choice of three paths. The initial option is a “no frills credit card hotel” where guests have the convenience of an app check-in. The second strategy could see them fully embracing the boutique experience. Alternatively, they could hand over all operations to a management firm to relieve the stress.
The O’Connells express their indecisiveness, triggering the Brennans’ concern about an overflow of decision-makers causing detriment to the enterprise. There’s an acknowledgment of this tension amongst the family members. However, this friction is never evidenced on screen.
It is implicit that nobody wishes to observe exploitation for entertainment reasons, but the first episode arguably lacks the on-screen capture of the reported intense disagreements among the Carrolls. The identity of the family members advocating to scrap the ground floor commercial space plans, and those favouring continuity, remains ambiguous. There’s an evident over-guarding of intentions.
The episode draws to a close with a frantic rush to prepare the hotel bar, but once more, a tangible lack of tension is evident – there’s no sense of risk or substantial stakes. The essential element of dramatic intrigue is strikingly absent, without it, At Your Service appears merely as an instructive guide on hotel start-up.
Francis and John, bubbling with congeniality, have secured a place in viewer’s hearts, finding themselves nestled somewhere between Daniel O’Donnell and famous architect Dermot Bannon. It isn’t their failing that they have come back with an episode lacking any sparkle. It’s the responsibility of the producers to ignite that essential excitement, with anticipation building for a resurgence of that essential buzz as the series progresses.