notforsale

Guess what? The reason that film crew was in Astoria is because the COMMODORE HOTEL is one of the competitors in an episode of a new TV show for the TRAVEL CHANNEL, “HOTEL SHOWDOWN.” The hotel is pictured, courtesy of Caruanainc.com

The hour-long reality show/competition pits four hotels a week against each other to see who gets the highest ratings for a $25,000 prize. To date, 13-episodes have been green-lit by the channel.

So who rates the hotels and decides who wins the prize? Therein lies the twist in the show’s premise. Representatives from each of the competing hotels spend the night at each other’s properties — with a camera crew — award points for every little detail of their stay and discuss each hotel’s strengths and weaknesses,

The Commodore was picked when the show was scouting boutique hotels in the region, co-manager JEROME STEEGMANS told the Ear, and mentioned that the crew also did a series of interviews with PAUL CARUANA, one of the owners of the hotel.

So how did the filming go? “It was fun, but a little stressful, for sure,” Jerome observed. “Even if we don’t win, it will be great exposure for us.”

No word yet on when the episode will air. The Ear will keep you posted.

— Elleda Wilson