User:JuneGloom07/Hotel

__NOINDEX__ <!-- "Hotel Death Trap" (also known as "Hotel Horror") is a group of five episodes of the Australian soap opera Neighbours, broadcast between 4 and 8 April 2016 on Eleven. The episodes focused on an explosion at Lassiters Hotel, which led to the departure of three characters; Josh Willis (Harley Bonner), Doug Willis (Terence Donovan), and Kyle Canning (Chris Milligan), the returns of Sarah Beaumont (Nicola Charles) and Georgia Brooks (Saskia Hampele), and the introductions of Jack Callahan (Andrew Morley) and Ned Willis (Ben Hall). The episodes also sparked a whodunit mystery storyline, as Erinsborough residents tried to figure out who was responsible for the explosion.

The episodes were directed by Laurence Wilson and Scott Major, and produced by Jason Herbison. The first was written by Sarah Mayberry, the second by Margaret Wilson, the third by Sarah Walker, the fourth by Sam Meikle, and the fifth by Emma J. Steele. The scenes was filmed over two weeks in early December 2015, just before the cast and crew went on their annual production break.

Production
The storyline was first teased in December 2015 by actor Alan Fletcher (who plays Karl Kennedy). He revealed that the cast and crew had just filmed "a massive story", which left him in tears. The following month, Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy reported that Neighbours would be airing a storyline centred around an explosion at Lassiter's Hotel during 2016. The storyline was leaked by visitors to the sets as part of the official Neighbours tour. They were told that the Lassiter's sets were undergoing a refurbishment following a bomb explosion. A spokesperson initially declined to comment on the storyline rumours.

Of the storyline, the show's executive producer Jason Herbison stated, "'Hotel Death Trap' week might well be the biggest week of Neighbours ever. Kicking off with an explosion at Lassiters Hotel, every episode sees brand new stories unfold, including shock returns, mysterious strangers, twists and turns aplenty and jeopardy for all our beloved characters. Tragically, by the time the dust settles, the death count will be up to three. Who won't make it out alive?"

An Inside Soap columnist reported that two "mystery men" would enter the boiler room of the hotel, setting off the chain of events that leave many of the guests fighting for their lives. The columnist added that viewers should expect one of the "most moving death scenes since Harold Bishop lost his beloved wife, Madge".

Filming
The episodes were shot in early December 2015, shortly before the cast and crew went on their annual production break. The scenes took around two weeks to film. Matt Wilson, who plays Aaron Brennan, commented that it was hard work and said the cast and crew were "absolutely exhausted" by the end of it. Stunt doubles, air cannons and fake windows, which exploded outwards, were used during the explosion scenes. A fake fire engine was added to the set during the aftermath. -->

Promotion and broadcast
In the UK, Channel 5 aired the first part as an hour-long episode at 10pm due to its "darker and harrowing" tone. This marked the second time the soap had aired during prime time in the UK, following the "Neighbours: The Explosion" storyline in 2013. It also marked the first time that the British broadcast was ahead of Australia. The episode featured modern chart music, and was titled "Neighbours: Who Dies?"

Ratings
The first episode broadcast on 4 April was seen by 787,000 and 609,000 viewers during its two airings on Channel 5. In Australia, it was seen by 188,000 viewers, which was an increase of 27,000 viewers from the previous episode. The prime time episode achieved an overnight figure of 1.05 million viewers in the UK, earning 6.5% share of the audience and rating higher than shows airing on Channel 4 and BBC Two across the hour.

Critical response
The storyline received mixed reviews from critics. Claire Crick of All About Soap quipped "you know it's going to be a huge deal when TV bosses have even scheduled a show for 10pm tonight". Of the first victim's death, Crick opined "there won't be a dry eye in the house!" A writer for Inside Soap chose the first episode as one of their six picks of the day. They said, "Prepare to gasp in shock and shed a few tears at today's Neighbours, as Lassiters explodes, leaving lives in mortal peril." A Herts and Essex Observer journalist also chose the episode as one of their TV highlights, saying "It's all kicking off in Erinsborough this week! Over the years viewers have witnessed some extraordinary (and, occasionally, unbelievable moments) during the long-running soap, but those in the know claim that this may top the lot – we're certainly not used to the usually family friendly programme requiring a post-watershed slot." Clare Rigden for the Herald Sun gave the hour long episode three out of five stars and called it "a big one". She said there were "some great performances", particularly from Elmaloglou, adding "Don't get us wrong, this is soap, and it's all a bit overblown and ridiculous. But it's soap done well. And that's why fans of this iconic show aren't going to want to miss a moment of this episode. Tissues at the ready."

Tim Burrows of The Guardian branded the storyline "a week-long misery fest". Burrows bemoaned the decision to blow up the hotel to increase ratings, stating "surely there are better ways to revive Neighbours than fall back on the comforting embrace of an exploding boiler – something that updates and refreshes, while attracts new viewers." The Sydney Morning Herald's Melinda Houston was not a fan of the storyline, giving it two and a half stars out of five. She questioned whether Australian buildings even had boiler rooms anymore, before writing, "Erinsborough is certainly a district disproportionately beset by disasters but it must be said this series is at its least effective when it abandons its homely principles and goes large." The Daily Mirror's Natalie Corner called the plot "an intense week of tragedy".

Ethan Sills of The Spinoff observed that the serial "loves a good explosion" and joked "it may not be very realistic – I'm sure there are streets in war zones that have seen less destruction than Ramsay Street – but it often makes for entertaining television." Sills believed that the Citizen of the Year event was foreshadowing for the explosion, writing "there's never an event in Erinsborough that doesn't end in death, fire or an exposed affair." He bemoaned the graphics used to depict the explosion, asking why the show could not afford some "pyrotechnics" instead of a "hazy mix of Hunger Games-level shaky cam and giant animated dust clouds". Sills thought the Josh and Daniel situation was "poorly explained", and while he found Josh's goodbye scenes to be emotional, he felt "the sheer absence of logic around his demise" ruined the moment. He found "Ghost Doug" ruined the emotional scene between the recently reunited Brad and Ned, whose introduction he dubbed "clunky". He also noted Paul's actions to cover his tracks, saying he was "basically begging to be arrested". Sills was pleased to see the serial spend more than a couple of episodes on the storyline, but felt the final product "left a lot to be desired." He concluded "The scenes based around the explosion and its effect was Neighbours at its dramatic, if illogical best, but you can't help wishing they'd committed to their concept just a bit more."

Viewers in the UK criticised the volume of the Adele track "When We Were Young" that played as Josh spoke to Amber and Matilda before he died. However, some viewers thought that the song added to the emotion of the moment.

"Hotel Death Trap" earned a nomination for Best Storyline at the 2016 Digital Spy Reader Awards; it received 4% of the vote and placed fifth.