7 Reasons Why You Need To Start Watching “Hotel Majestic” Now!

I have found a new addiction! I have been hearing a lot about this show and gotten a lot of messages to see it so I finally did! I will admit that the first few episodes were not dazzling but they also did not stagger. My advise is to give it three episodes at the least before you throw in the towel.

Hotel Majestic focuses on the Emeni family as they fight one another and the outside world to protect a hotel that has been in their family for decades. The Hotel, which is situated in a beautiful and flawless riverside community in Nigeria, has been in the family since the late 1800’s and is currently run by two great- great grandchildren of the original owner.

Hotel Majestic boasts a stellar cast which includes renowned industry names like Sadiq Daba, Gloria Young, Tina Mba, Oge Okoye, Bukky Ajayi and Anne Njemanze. The telenovella also features Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) nominee Ivie Okujaye in the lead role as Alero.

Now here’s 7 reasons why we believe you should be watching this show too (in no specific order):

1. Real people doing real things – except for when they kill each other. The appeal of “Hotel Majestic” is in the reality of the characters. Here the females are not regressive, the characters are not overly zealous, characters actually have real depth, these characters can be good and bad without losing touch. It is in the occasional pidgin that is spoken, in the sets that are actually created to depict what they are supposed to depict, it is in the actors who are believable in the characters they are playing.

Hotel Majestic is appealing on a whole new level. It is not whitewashed, it is easy to follow and the characters are easy to love.

2. Most of the faces you don’t recognize are the true talents of the show. How often do we get to say that in nollywood? We’ve become such a celebrity immersed society that sometimes we can’t lift our heads up to realize that some of these people no sabi act true true.

This show has great names from Gloria Anozie Young to Sadiq Dabba in the legend department and even Ivie Okujaye in the young’uns department. Yet, the initial appeal of this show is in characters like Aunty Marv and Timi Emeni. The known-names do well in this show but they do well in collaboration with every other talented actor in the frame, not in spite of them. This is definitely a welcome change.

Of course, the acting is not flawless 24/7. Initially, all three of the siblings were a bit questionable as regards performance but they either got stronger as the story progressed or the strength of the story overshadows it.

3. The actual storyline is actually entertaining. I know you don’t understand why this is even a point but after seeing shows built up simply by celebrity power or the amount of money spent making it, this is a significant point. If hotel majestic was stripped of any financial backing it might have right now, stripped of all the celebrities within the show, stripped of the African Magic platform, it would still be an entertaining show.

So kudos to the writers! Kudos to the writers for not only making real characters that have depth, but also for giving them a story that (so far) is entertaining to watch. You know that feeling when you watch a show and you really don’t care about Group B’s storyline and you just want them to get to Group A again? That moment has not come for me yet in my Hotel Majestic journey.

4. If you pause, you notice that the director get skill small. I lie! No be small o, the director know wetin e dey do. The show is directed by Victor Sanchez Aghahowa (think #howsheleftmybrother), Tope Oshin Ogun (think “Journey to Self“) and Patience Oghre Imobhio (think “Forever Within Us“). There is definitely something about the perspective from which the show is shown that you know that whoever is behind the camera definitely has some skills. It is in the little things and the little details not forgotten, the camera motions and the fact that you can forget about the camera and forget that it is a show for the duration of the 22 minutes it lasts.

5. Everybody is talking about it! The person responsible for promoting this show is *bleep* *bleep[ing]* *bleep[idy]* (I actually didn’t have any curse words to insert there, I just wanted the effect), but that’s fine! It is fine because the viewers are taking the mantle over themselves.

Since the show started airing in January, it has accumulated increased viewership like a rolling tumbleweed. It is one of the few Nigerian shows that actually causes a stir on social media when it is on. Even those in the diaspora are not missing out on the fun (and you can find out why in the next point). If you don’t believe me, search the hashtag #HotelMajestic on twitter.

The series truly shows that good stories, good performances and good production are their own PR. It reinforces the idea that one cannot hide light in the dark no matter how little the light is.

6. It is on TV and available online! *shots* *shots* Win! Win! For once, the diaspora audience is not left out. We can love the people that those at home are loving with an equal amount of enthusiasm. The plus side too is that it is free for the first week after which it is $8/month for online viewers at africamagicgo.dstv.com. Otherwise, it airs on weekdays at 8pm Nigerian time on Africa Magic Showcase (Dstv channel 151).

7. …because Maja! Alright now this one is strictly for the ladies. In the first few episodes you might not understand, I mean who is this one with hair that he cannot comb and shirts that are too small, riding in in an okada while living off his almost-fiance’s rich father? But wait, Maja will grow on you all the way through the pool scene with Ivie into the many other scenes to come (now if Maja becomes bad in future episodes, bare in mind that I’ve only seen so many episodes). The character of Maja is played by Kingsley Nwachukwu.

Now of course the show is not perfection but it is a really good substitute while we wait for perfection to arrive! Let us know what you think about the show if you watch it!