Fantastic news! National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) has today announced the acquisition of Weird & Wonderful Hotels!

The series will air in April 2010 on NGCI’s Nat Geo Adventure channel, which is available in more than 40 countries around the world including: Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, Israel, Africa and the Middle East.

Each episode showcases the world’s most unique and peculiar lodging experiences, and uncovers the inspiration behind these one-of-a-kind destinations. Accommodations range from the delightfully rustic to the outright bizarre!

“Weird and Wonderful Hotels is full of quirky charm as it offers an exclusive tour of the world’s most unusual spots to rest your head along with luxurious retreats and eco-friendly lodges. The series is a natural fit for the Nat Geo Adventure audience,” said Carlyn Staudt, Senior Vice President of Global Acquisitions for National Geographic Channel.

Weird & Wonderful Hotels is the first television series by UK media company Sleepydog Ltd and has been made in conjunction with Chief Productions.

With season one of Weird & Wonderful Hotels now complete, we couldn’t wait to share this sneak preview of the show with you!

We’ll be posting full details of where and when you’ll be able to watch the full series in the near future, so watch this space!

Viva Las Vegas! Weird & Wonderful Hotels it’s heading to Sin City to attend NATPE, a three day annual conference which attracts TV execs from more than 70 countries worldwide.

The event runs from 25-27 January 2010, and is being held at the palatial Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.

Our distributor, The Fremantle Corporation will be there to promote Weird & Wonderful Hotels, so be sure to visit them in Suite 6914 at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay to grab a copy of our latest promotional brochure and pilot DVD.

For more information about NATPE and details of how you can attend, visit www.natpemarket.com.

It’s officially crunch time! The team at Chief Productions are working round the clock to put the finishing touches to season one of Weird & Wonderful Hotels. The latest addition to our ever-expanding family is Walter Lewis, who’ll be lending his vocal talents to deliver the show’s signature voice-over.

Walter’s a veritable renaissance man in the entertainment world, having acted in Hollywood blockbusters, TV comedy, Shakespearean stage plays and much more! Of course, we’re desperate to see a demonstration of his more unusual talents, which include animal handling and ballroom dancing! Get that man a sequined jumpsuit and an unruly Labrador pronto!

Weird & Wonderful Hotels is making its way to Cannes – but there’ll be no out-of-the-ordinary accommodation on this visit! We’re excited to be attending MIPCOM, the world’s biggest trade event in the entertainment industry.

MIPCOM runs from October 5-9 2009, and is where movers and shakers from the world’s media get together to buy, sell and finance many of the shows we see on TV (no doubt over a glass of bubbly or two!).

Our distributor, The Fremantle Corporation will be setting up camp in the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès at booth R 35.14. So if you’re attending, be sure to swing by and grab a Weird & Wonderful Hotels brochure and pilot DVD.

For more information about MIPCOM and details of how you can attend, visit www.mipcom.com.

While our exhausted film crew get some much needed R&R, the production baton is passed to our team of skilled editors who are starting to piece together the first 13 episodes of Weird & Wonderful Hotels. With hundreds of hours of globe-trotting footage to get through, there could be a few late nights ahead – someone get this chap a double espresso!

Looks like the weeks of travelling have finally started to take their toll! The crew’s last pit stop on this leg of their journey is at the Carti Homestay in Panama’s Kuna Yala region. Having enjoyed the local culture and traditions, the team look more than ready to return home for a well deserved rest and a nice cup of tea.

Who’d have thought it? You travel all the way to the Panamanian rain forest and it rains! Fortunately there’s no expense spared on Weird & Wonderful Hotels, and the production team remembered to pack their state-of-the-art, waterproof camera protector – aka a plastic sheet! With disaster averted, the crew were able to get some great (albeit slightly damp) footage of Canopy Tower Eco Lodge.

We’re starting to wonder if the Weird & Wonderful crew have been on the road a little too long? Whilst visiting Karrels’ Double K Ranch, the team seem to be enjoying a game of ‘pin the tail on the girl’! Perhaps it was the donkey’s day-off, but we’re thinking the giant X sign is a bit of a giveaway!

Retro themed hotels are always popular with the Weird & Wonderful production team. We’re not sure if this is due to their appreciation for classic design or if they’re just getting over the hill? Either way, there’s no denying that Airstream trailers are still very cool and The Shady Dell has eleven of the beauties to stay in!