Since Instant Hotel returned to Netflix for its second season on Friday, June 28th, there were some noticeable differences fans of the show spotted.
First the number of episodes being halved to six, then the prize money being upped to a whopping $100,000. But there was one unavoidable change since series 1: the host.
Although Juliet Ashworth returned as one of the show’s judges, Luke Jacobz did not.
Instead, British television presenter and personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen took his place.
Here is everything you need to know about Laurence from age, career and how he’s ended up working in Australia!
Meet Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen…
Laurence is a 54-year-old television presenter, radio host and interior designer.
He is a self-professed “homestyle consultant”, which makes him a perfect fit for the presenting duties on Instant Hotel!
After graduating from Camberwell College of Art in 1986 with a Fine Arts degree, he pursued his love for design. He set up his own design consultancy just three years later.
Laurence is married to Jackie Bowen and the couple have two daughters Cecile (23) and Hermoine (21). They currently live in a Grade II listed manor house in Siddington, Gloucestershire.
Laurence’s involvement in the TV world
He got his start in TV working on the BBC series Changing Rooms.
This ’90s DIY home improvement show was a hit and ran from 1996 to 2004. It later had spinoffs in the US, Australia and New Zealand.
The 54-year-old has also starred in the ITV reality series Popstar to Operastar, and he more recently was on Celebrity Painting Challenge 2019!
Laurence’s move to Australia
In 2017, Laurence was offered the chance to join House Rules as a judge, a reality TV series on Australia’s Seven Network.
The show sees six couples compete for the highest scores by renovating each other’s homes.
It was in its fifth season by the time Laurence joined.
And, clearly, he made an impact on the network. Seven Network is the channel that produces and broadcasts Instant Hotel before it airs on Netflix.
WATCH INSTANT HOTEL SEASON 2 ON NETFLIX NOW.