Alex Polizzi, star of Channel 5's The Hotel Inspector, returns for the show's 21st series. The documentary, which first aired in 2005, sees the celebrated hotelier visit struggling British hotels to offer advice. Polizzi joined in 2008, taking over from Ruth Watson, and has since featured in 19 series plus spin-offs.
The latest episode, airing on Thursday, March 12, sees Polizzi visit The Swan in Monks Eleigh, Suffolk. Owners Steven and Julie are struggling to keep their pub dream alive after being forced to close the kitchen, leaving them without a food offering.
Born in Poplar, London on August 28, 1971, Polizzi is 54. Hospitality runs in her family: her grandfather was Scottish hotelier Lord Forte, founder of the Forte Group (including Travelodge). Her mother, Olga, is an interior designer and former Westminster councillor; her father, Count Alessandro Polizzi, was of Italian nobility and died in a car accident in 1980.
In 1997, Polizzi and her then-boyfriend Marcus Miller started Millers Bespoke Bakery, supplying Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and Fortnum & Mason. She later managed a hotel in Devon before renovating The Star in Alfriston, East Sussex, in 2021 with her mother. Besides The Hotel Inspector, she has presented BBC Two's Alex Polizzi: The Fixer and other shows.
Last year, Polizzi's net worth was estimated between £8 million and £10 million. In a recent episode, she revealed running a hotel contributed to the end of her marriage to Marcus, whom she married in 2007 after a 12-year engagement. They have two teenagers, Olga and Rocco.
