Gran Hotel (TV series)

The events take place in 1906–1907 in Spain, near a town called Cantaloa. The working-class Julio Olmedo arrives at the luxurious Grand Hotel to visit his sister Cristina, who works there as a maid. Julio is told by a waiter that Cristina was fired for theft a month before, a story Julio does not buy. The unlikely story leads Julio to take a job at the hotel so he can investigate his sister's disappearance. He soon finds an ally in Alicia Alarcón, one of the daughters of the hotel's owner Doña Teresa, who also has suspicions surrounding events occurring at the hotel. Together, Julio and Alicia work to uncover the secrets of the Gran Hotel. Season 1 Julio Olmedo arrives at the Gran Hotel to look for his sister Cristina. When he learns that she has been fired for theft and that no one has any idea of her whereabouts, he joins the hotel staff as a waiter. He is assisted by Andrés, the son of the head housekeeper. Julio joins the waiters and poses as a guest during a dinner in order to meet a woman called “Lady.” Andrés had told Julio that Cristina was fired because she stole Lady’s jewels, a story Julio does not believe. He brings it up casually while talking to Lady, who seems utterly oblivious to any jewels being stolen. This confuses Julio. At the same time, he meets Alicia Alarcón, who is engaged to Diego Murquia, the hotel manager. Julio and Alicia share a cigarette and have a brief conversation. The Alarcón family owns the hotel and lives in it. The head of the household is Doña Teresa, the wife of the late Carlos Alarcón. She and Carlos had three children: Sofía, Alicia, and Javier. Sofía is the oldest; she is married to Marqués Alfredo, who aims to become manager of the hotel, and she is pregnant. Tension grows within the family when Sofía learns that Alicia is engaged to Diego, indirectly revealing that Alfredo will no longer be able to become manager. Throughout the first episodes, tension between Alfredo and Sofía increases, leading Alfredo to consider leaving the hotel because he does not feel respected in Cantaloa. However, just as he is leaving, Sofía falls down the stairs. The doctor reveals that her uterus is damaged and she will be unable to have children. He also reports that she lost her baby. Doña Teresa arrives and convinces Sofía that Alfredo will leave her now that she has “lost her value” as a wife. So they come up with a plan: Sofía will continue pretending to be pregnant, and Doña Teresa blackmails the doctor into telling everyone that Sofía only injured her hip while she secretly prepares to find a baby. Javier Alarcón is the middle child and the most problematic of the siblings. He brings a prostitute to the party Julio attends, much to his mother’s dismay. If there is anything Doña Teresa cares about more than her family, it seems to be her appearance in society. Teresa sends Diego to the bar to tell the owners that they will no longer give Javier any money. Javier is almost thrown out and beaten when Julio comes to his rescue. Julio defeats the men and takes Javier home. He had been following Javier because he believed Javier might be connected to Cristina’s disappearance. Throughout the season, Julio and Javier develop an almost friendly relationship, though they mainly use each other for their own benefit. The prostitute Javier brought is later murdered with a golden knife, prompting Detective Ayala to enter Cantaloa. The knife is traced back to the Gran Hotel, bringing Ayala closer into the story. Around the same time, the bar owners come searching for Javier and demand that he bring Julio to fight for betting purposes, as they believe Julio is an excellent fighter. Javier refuses, but they threaten to tell Ayala that Javier was the last person to see the prostitute alive. Fearing that his mother will finally disown him, he goes to find Julio—who is in the dining hall—and demands he fight at the bar. Julio refuses, saying he has moved beyond that life. Javier then begins firing maids and waiters one by one. When Andrés enters the room and Javier looks at him, Julio realizes what Javier is about to do. Before Andrés can be fired, Julio agrees to fight again. A few other important events occur in between. Alicia searches for Julio after the party, but she cannot find him in any hotel records. He claimed to be a cousin of Señor Molins, but no one seems to know him. Alicia finds a photograph that includes Julio and shows it to someone at the registry, who identifies him as Julio Espinosa, a waiter. Alicia confronts Julio, who tries to maintain his disguise as Julio Molins, but Alicia calls him out. Julio explains that he is at the hotel only to search for his sister. He presents the evidence he has gathered so far: Cristina’s bloody garment and the discovery that her firing was fabricated. He suspects she was murdered, and Alicia decides to help him. Meanwhile, tensions rise between Diego, Alicia, Julio, and a waiter who has been threatening Diego with a note demanding money or he will reveal what happened to Cristina. Alicia discovers who he is. He holds her hostage with a knife while speaking to Julio, but before he can reveal anything, Diego shoots him from a distance. Because this death is considered an act of protection, Ayala does not convict Diego. The scene ends with Julio and Alicia confirming Diego’s innocence based on the waiter’s last words. Yet there is more to Diego than meets the eye. Diego had been in a romantic relationship with Belén, a maid at the hotel. She is promoted to floor manager after Cristina “leaves.” Belén has been sleeping with Diego, and she reveals to him that she is pregnant with his child. She warns him that if he does not want his future wife to find out, he needs to provide for them. Diego laughs it off, and the conversation ends with Diego attempting to dismiss Belén from the hotel, claiming that guests have complained about her. He is nearly successful, but as Belén is leaving, she encounters Andrés. Andrés is in love with Belén and does not want her to leave. He tells his mother, Ángela, the head housekeeper, that Belén’s child is his. Although Ángela dislikes Belén, she wants to protect her son, so she asks Doña Teresa to allow Belén to stay because she is pregnant with Andrés’s child. Doña Teresa agrees, and Belén remains at the hotel. Later, Teresa speaks with Belén and they make an arrangement: Belén will give up her child once it is born in exchange for money. Andrés is unaware of any of this and does not know who the real father is. Diego is surprised and angered to see Belén still at the hotel, but he can do nothing. Meanwhile, Andrés prepares to raise the baby as his own and plans to marry Belén, while Ángela does everything she can to make Belén’s life miserable and get rid of her once she realizes the truth—that Belén is manipulating Andrés, who is simply in love with her. At the end of the season, Alicia marries Diego despite being in love with Julio. Season 2 After Andrés is injured while changing the lightbulbs in the Gran Hotel's dining room, Julio decides to stay at the hotel because he suspects that his friend's accident might be a murder attempt. When Alicia returns from her honeymoon, Julio must regain her trust so that she'll help him in this new investigation. They discover more secrets related to the hotel's late owner, Carlos Alarcón, that could spell the end of the Gran Hotel. Season 3 This season follows the same investigations as the previous season, but this time Alicia, Julio, and Andrés have the help of Detective Ayala, his assistant Hernando, and Alicia's best friend the lawyer Maite. They also discover new secrets about Diego Murquía involving an identity document and a new enemy who sets off an explosion in the Gran Hotel. == Cast ==