This show is addictive, and I used it all the time in my AP Spanish class, and they loved it! Normally I wouldn’t use a show that was based in the 1900’s, but I knew that my students would respond to it, and they did! But the mystery aspect really grabbed the student’s attention.
Set in a fictional Spanish town called Cantaloa in 1905, the luxurious Grand Hotel receives a visitor: Julio Olmedo, a working-class man to visit his sister, Cristina, who works as a maid there and recently promoted to floor manager. Upon his arrival, he’s informed that his sister was fired about a month ago, which Julio does not believe. He takes up a job as a waiter to figure out what happened to his sister, but is distracted by the incandescent Alicia Alarcón, daughter of the deceased owner of the hotel. As they strike up a friendship, Alicia helps Julio find out what happened to his sister. During this time, they fall in love, but due to the social class divide, they cannot be together.
This show has elements of love, relationships, mystery, and deceit. It’s funny and witty at times and has quite a few actors from other well-known Spanish shows, such as Cable Girls, El internado and Velvet, to name a few.
It used to be on Netflix but it’s now on Pantaya, a streaming service that is available in the US. It’s perfect for high school students and beyond.
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