What Happened to The Vidella… After The Hotel Inspector? (Blackpool, UK)

What happened after The Hotel Inspector?

The Vidella Hotel in Blackpool featured in series 10, episode 2 of The Hotel Inspector (Channel 5), which aired 2014-02-13. According to Wikipedia's episode list, the hotel was run by two long-time friends, Neil and John, whose jokes on guests included bangers hidden in wardrobes and a pound coin glued to the reception floor. TVmaze's episode guide adds fake insects at breakfast to the list of pranks. Neither listing describes an outcome from presenter Alex Polizzi's visit.

In February 2017 the Blackpool Gazette (published 2017-02-27, updated 2017-03-01) reported that the hotel on Dickson Road had been renamed the Viagra Hotel by a landlord named Neil Marshall. The Gazette listed the previous owners as John Downer and Neil Williams, who had appeared with Alex Polizzi when the hotel was the Vidella. It reported that Blackpool council officials called the new name inappropriate for a family resort, and it quoted Marshall as saying the Vidella "had a bad name." The Gazette also reported that Marshall described the property as a budget hotel and said it needed to stand out. The Caterer, in an article dated 2017-02-28 by Katherine Price, reported that the hotel had 29 bedrooms and that Marshall said the old name had drawn guests expecting a more upscale location.

A Google Maps location search for the Vidella returned The Villa Hotel on Withnell Road, which is on a different street from the Dickson Road address in the 2017 coverage, so it has not been matched to this entry. No source dated after 2017 was found showing who runs the building now or under what name.

The Blackpool Gazette reported on 31 March 2017 that landlord Neil Marshall, who had renamed the former Vidella Hotel on Dickson Road the Viagra Hotel earlier that year, had changed the name again to Niagra following complaints and a letter from Blackpool Council. The Gazette said on 21 April 2017 that Marshall planned to come up with another name. In an article dated 9 June 2017, the Gazette reported that the Niagra Hotel was shut, with signs citing a major leak, and that signs at the hotel said it was under new management.