TRAVEL CHANNEL EXPANDS "HOTEL IMPOSSIBLE" FRANCHISE TO INCLUDE TWO NEW SHOWS: "HOTEL IMPOSSIBLE: FIVE STAR SECRETS" AND "HOTEL IMPOSSIBLE: SHOWDOWN"

"HOTEL IMPOSSIBLE" SEASON SIX TO PREMIERE ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 AT 9:00 P.M. ET/PT

Host and hotel fixer Anthony Melchiorri

CHEVY CHASE, MD (July 20, 2015) - Hotel fixer Anthony Melchiorri is here to help and he won't sleep until every hotel room (in the world) is perfect! After coming off the most successful season yet of the popular hotel transformation series, Travel Channel is expanding the "Hotel Impossible" brand to include two new shows, "Hotel Impossible: Five Stars Secrets" and "Hotel Impossible: Showdown," both slated to premiere in the coming months. Along with these two new additions to the schedule, "Hotel Impossible" returns for a sixth season on Tuesday, September 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, with13 hour-long episodes featuring all-new locations and an all-new team of designers.

"The hotel business is far from easy, and these three shows provide Travel Channel viewers a glimpse into the dramatic, high-stakes hotel game. They trust the no-nonsense direct approach that Anthony Melchiorri delivers every week, and more insight from Anthony - from struggling properties to the most luxurious hotels and resorts - is helping create an audience of real hotel experts," says Ross Babbit, senior vice president, programming and development, Travel Channel. "Expanding the 'Hotel Impossible' franchise makes perfect sense for our brand, the travel industry and our fans."

"Hotel Impossible: Five Star Secrets" is in production for eight half-hour episodes that follow Anthony Melchiorri as he explores and reveals the secrets of famous five-star properties around the world. Viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at what makes each hotel exceptional, from the actual property to the people working there. At the end of each episode, Melchiorri chooses his "Five Star Favorite," an employee that impressed him the most, and surprises them with a $5,000 cash tip. By finding the hidden secrets behind each hotel operation, Melchiorri guides viewers through what makes a hotel truly deluxe, and how each earns and maintains its highly regarded five-star status.

In "Hotel Impossible: Showdown," Melchiorri pits amazing hotels, inns and B&Bs against each other in a "winner takes all" competition series. During the eight hour-long episodes, four hoteliers compete for a $25,000 prize; each hoping their property has the best hospitality, amenities, accommodations and overall guest experience. They spend a night at each competitor's hotel and use their personal expertise to rate their stay with both praise and criticism. Melchiorri hosts the "showdown" and gives viewers an inside look at some of the most unique properties across the country, all while seeing how each hotel stacks up against the rest.

Season Six of "Hotel Impossible" puts a special focus on the owner's transformation; hospitality is not just about the place, it's about the people. New designers Stacey Cohen, Danielle Colding, Anitra Mecadon and Anne Rue work their magic on the hotel's physical transformation, while Anthony Melchiorri takes care of the rest. Melchiorri gives the owners not just a physical property overhaul, he also repairs relationships, gives much-needed, yet sometimes harsh, advice and works his hardest to create a brand new perspective for people who really need it.

In the season premiere, airing September 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, Melchiorri really challenges himself and his team. Traveling in a tricked-out RV, they hit the road to help three struggling hotels in Arizona on the longest surviving stretch of Route 66. These once-thriving businesses fell on hard times after a new interstate highway was constructed parallel to the old one. Melchiorri's goal is to give each property owner the tools they need to stay relevant and help keep Route 66 alive. Along this iconic highway, he finds a struggling "luxury" inn, a former bordello on the National Registry of Historic Places and his first-ever camping and trailer park.

Additional locations featured this season include Cedar City, Utah; Frankfort, Ky.; Galena, Ill.; Gatlinburg, Tenn.; Hershey, Pa.; Houston; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Nashua, N.H.; Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Orlando, Fla.; Panama; Virginia Beach, Va.; Panama and more.

"Hotel Impossible" is produced by Atlas Media Corp. for Travel Channel. For Atlas, the executive producer is Bruce David Klein, and the co-executive producers are Lorri Leighton, Kelly McKiernan Linder and Anthony Melchiorri. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Brian Leonard.

VISIT TRAVELCHANNEL.COM FOR MORE ON "HOTEL IMPOSSIBLE"

Go to the "Hotel Impossible" show page on TravelChannel.com for additional show-related content, including video tips, before and after photos and more. Check out Travel Channel on Facebook and follow @TravelChannel and #HotelImpossible on Twitter for more exclusive content and updates. Follow host Anthony Melchiorri on Twitter: @AnthonyHotels.

TRAVEL CHANNEL is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it's around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world's leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, Md., and New York, N.Y. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.