Colin and Justin transform Canadian hotel in new TV project

Scottish interior designers Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan will return to TV screens with a project that sees them transform a run-down hotel in rural Canada into a luxury boutique destination.

Colin And Justin’s Great Canadian Escape will follow the couple as they become first-time hoteliers, after buying a tired hotel in a small town in Nova Scotia with the hope of overhauling the dated building.

The couple are no strangers to reality TV, having previously presented a variety of home renovation and interior design shows since the early noughties, including Channel 5’s How Not To Decorate and Colin And Justin’s Cabin Pressure, which aired in Canada.

For their new project, they are tasked with transforming the 21-room hotel, including a restaurant and beach house, which they hope will be open to guests at the beginning of the summer.

The duo, both originally from Glasgow, have been together since 1986 and split their time between the UK and Canada.

The four-part series will not only charter the pair’s risky venture and their attempts to renovate the hotel, but will also document their personal journey as they settle into a rural Canadian community.

The show will see McAllister and Ryan trying to get the local town on board and hiring local tradespeople and suppliers, from lumber merchants to blacksmiths and hotel staff.

Viewers will also get an insight into what life is like living in remote Canada.

McAllister and Ryan said: “We’re super-excited to be returning to Channel 5 with this series that follows our Canadian hotel adventure. It started in the early part of the pandemic when we felt locked out from our regular lives in Glasgow, London and Toronto.

“When we stumbled across an exciting hotel for sale in Cape Breton, in need of major updating but with so much potential, we emptied our bank account and ploughed our pension into the purchase. What we quickly learned is that there’s no such thing as a bargain.

“Have we made the wrong decision, and can our relationship weather the storm? As hoteliers with no experience whatsoever, some might say we’re in over our heads… our toughest challenge ever, but we can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Colin And Justin’s Great Canadian Escape will air on Channel 5 later this year.