Brockenhurst hotel Cottage Lodge to appear on Channel 4 show Four in a Bed

THE owners of a Brockenhurst eco hotel will star in the popular TV show Four in a Bed tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.

As the proud proprietors of the 16-bed Cottage Lodge Hotel on Sway Road, Maurizio Redaelli and Francesca Mannone, say their experience of filming the show was both “nerve-wracking” and “wonderful”.

Screened on Channel 4 on weekday evenings at 6pm, Four in a Bed challenges owners of small hotels and B&Bs to host other hospitality owners and organise special activities to show off their business and local area.

In tomorrow’s edition of the show, Maurizio and Francesca welcome fellow B&B owners to the New Forest. The show, which was filmed in May 2023, will see the contestants enjoy a trip to Exbury Gardens as well as learning more about Cottage Lodge’s eco-credentials.

Maurizio said: “We absolutely love the New Forest so when we were challenged to organise an activity, our first idea was to go out cycling on the many New Forest routes.

“However, getting permission to film from Forestry England was complicated so we decided that a trip to Exbury would be wonderful.”

“The staff at Exbury were really accommodating and helpful, and the gardens were absolutely spectacular so we had a really lovely time.”

In fact, two of the competing couples enjoyed their visit to the New Forest so much they have since returned to stay at Cottage Lodge as paying guests.

“Appearing on the show was a great learning curve for us,” said Maurizio. “It was nerve-wracking to have other hospitality owners critiquing us – but we really found the other participants were wonderful and we all got on very well.”

“The film crew were also amazing – we were all together for about a fortnight so we became good friends. There was lots of laughing and hugging at the end.”

“We have a WhatsApp group together so we have been messaging a lot this week as the episodes are shown every night.”

Throughout the week Maurizio and Francesca can be seen staying with fellow contestants from across the south of England, visiting boutique hotels, pubs, retreats and restaurants with rooms in Milton Keynes, the Cotswolds and Kent.

Maurizio said: “We were very keen to showcase our hotel and it was a good promotional opportunity for us – but it was also lovely to spend time visiting other hospitality venues to see how they do things.”

The pair have been at the helm at Cottage Lodge since 2019, but Maurizio fell in love with the village many years before when he was deputy general manager at Carey’s Manor from 2003 to 2005.

He said: “It had always been my dream to run my own hotel. I left Carey’s Manor to work in Paris but even there I was always thinking about the New Forest.

“The national park is so special, a place you can connect with nature, and there is the charm of having animals all around and we find people extremely nice and welcoming. It is a very unique place.”

“You also have the sea close by. Francesca is from a seaside town in Sicily, so for her the sea is important.”

“For myself, growing up in Lake Como I also have a big connection with water.”

After leaving Italy he honed his craft at the Geneva Hotel Management School in Switzerland before studying at highly regarded Cornell College in the US.

At 34 he became general manager of a prestigious hotel in Brussels before going back to Paris again where they spent almost 10 years before moving to London. Francesca and Maurizio met while both working in Brussels. She worked in different luxury hotels as events manager.

Making the hotel as eco-friendly has been a big priority for the pair who choose local producers and New Forest Marque products wherever possible.

Maurizio said: “We pride ourselves on our eco-friendly initiatives to improve our carbon footprint and on our friendly and efficient team.”

“Our aim is to enhance our wonderful hotel whilst taking steps to improve the eco footprint of everything that we do and transform it to an eco-friendly hotel in every angle we can. We have a dream to turn it into the first 100% sustainable hotel in the whole New Forest.”

The Four in a Bed Cottage Lodge episode will be on Channel 4 on Wednesday 29th May at 6pm. It will also be available to watch on the Channel 4 app.