Stella Patsou
- Apr 10, 2020
- 6 min read

12 Movies and Series about Tourism for quarantine!

+3 Bonus Movies for (quarantinian) Fun

by Nikol Louzi, Portal Account Administrator | Workathlon

This period spent at home is an opportunity for personal growth and goal setting. There are various online seminars to attend and gain new knowledge and skills, but you now also have the time to engage in more creative things such as painting and do-it-yourself activities. However, we all sometimes need moments of relaxation, which we may not have had before the COVID-19 reality. Time to take advantage of it!

So, prepare some popcorn or any other delicacy you want, and let’s relax by watching movies and series about tourism. The special feature of my movie suggestions is that they also indirectly contribute to professional development! How amazing?

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Summary: This movie follows Gustave H – a concierge – and Zero Moustafa -a bellboy – through the fictional Grand Budapest Hotel. Set between the first and second World Wars, watch as the hotel staff deal with the changing times, the theft of a famous painting, and even murder.

What you can learn: Not all of the movie takes place in the hotel, but the parts that do show you how many different people get into a hotel work well. Gustave is also an example of how not to behave as a concierge; he might be well loved and very good at his job, but it is probably not a good idea to spend the night with all your guests!

Hotel (1967)

Summary: The St. Gregory hotel in New Orleans is struggling to stay open, while a thief has been stealing guest items and the guests have their own dramas to deal with. It is up to the manager to pull the hotel back together or the doors will close for good.

What you can learn: If you want to see what real hospitality can look like, this movie is perfect. It is also an interesting look into how a hotel works, and the people and effort that it takes to keep everything running smoothly.

Dunston Checks In (1996)

Summary: The Majestic Hotel is a luxurious 5-star establishment, and its Manager, Robert Grant, is devoted to keeping his guests happy. However, his sons (Kyle and Brian) are quite the opposite – troublesome and mischievous. Robert discovers that a sixth star could be awarded to the Majestic if an undercover guest of the Hotel gets impressed by their services. But then Lord Rutledge and his well-trained monkey, Dunston, check into the hotel.

What you can learn: An alternative way of how a hotel operation…with a monkey guest.

Four Rooms (1995)

Summary: A new bellhop is left alone in a hotel on New Year’s Eve. It should be just a normal night, but the poor bellhop ends up having to deal with witches, terrible children and a guy who wants him to do something absolutely ridiculous. Yep, it is just a regular night at the hotel!

What you can learn: Watch Tim Roth’s character deal with crazy situations and still somehow keep calm. Listen to how his language changes from the beginning of the night to the end, as well as how he speaks to the different guests as their requests get sillier and sillier.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

Summary: A group of older British people who just retired decide to visit India and the amazing-sounding Marigold Hotel. When they get there, though, the hotel is not as amazing as it sounded, but the hotel itself and its surroundings slowly teach them to love their lives.

What you can learn: The staff at the Marigold Hotel is basically just a young man and his mother, but the man’s treatment of and language towards the guests is usually spot-on.

Hotel Babylon (TV show, 2006 – 2009)

Summary: The staff of the five-star Hotel Babylon in London, all have their own goals, troubles, and histories. The show takes you through their adventures as they do everything they can for the guests while dealing with their own lives.

What you can learn: This TV show has a little bit of everything. See how to be an excellent host, how staff talk to each other and the guests, and how to avoid breaking the rules (something that the staff here do not mind doing once in a while)!

Fawlty Towers (TV series 1975 – 1979)

Summary: Hotel manager Basil Fawlty dislikes “that annoying section of the general public who insist on staying at hotels”. He is probably not the best person to run a hotel, then! Aided by his wife and Spanish waiter, Fawlty Towers remains a functioning hotel…somehow.

What you can learn: “Fawlty Towers” is like a “how-to” guides on how not to act as a hotel employee. John Cleese’s character is mean, grumpy and does not treat his guests well. For everything that you see here…do the opposite!