In the English seaside town of Torquay, on the stretch of Devon coast sometimes called "The British Riviera," the Monty Python gang once visited a local hotel called Gleneagles (not to be confused with the upscale Scottish resort of the same name). The then-manager, Donald Sinclair, was reportedly so rude to the comedians and other guests that John Cleese was inspired to build a TV show, Fawlty Towers, around the Sinclair-esque character of Basil Fawlty, an inept and perennially stressed-out hotel manager who hides the body of a visitor who died in his room and offends German guests by talking about the war.
Despite only running for 12 episodes in the 1970s, Fawlty Towers has remained a beloved show in the U.K. and beyond, inspiring several remakes and spinoffs. Gleneagles, unfortunately, has not had the same enduring success. The hotel fell on hard times and switched ownership several times, with its final manager the Best Western group. Over the years, the decor was updated and a pool added, but the online reviews were mixed. Now, the Gleneagles is due for demolition. It will be replaced with an apartment building for retirees due to open in 2017. A representative for the new building told the Torquay Herald Express, "Like its former guests, we're sure new owners of the apartments will appreciate the development's brilliant location and perhaps have a laugh at its quirky history." After all, what's a more appropriate for a famously mismanaged hotel than being mismanaged to the end? Basil Fawlty would probably find the whole thing hilarious. Or at least Sybil might.
