Retro : The E! Suite : CABLE ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK RESERVES ‘HOTEL’ FOR WEEKDAYS

“Hotel,” a glitzy guilty pleasure of the ‘80s, is open again for business. Cable’s E! Entertainment TV recently added repeats of the glossy Aaron Spelling show to its weekday lineup.

The series, sort of a landlubber’s “The Love Boat,” aired on ABC from 1983 to 1988 and served up frothy romantic, dramatic or comedic stories every week. Each episode featured several guest stars, from familiar TV actors such as Morgan Fairchild, Shirley Jones, Liberace and Arte Johnson to movie stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and the then new faces of River Phoenix, Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Emma Samms and Heather Locklear.

“Hotel,” which also was known as “Arthur Hailey’s Hotel,” was loosely based on Hailey’s best-selling novel of the same name. Rod Taylor starred in the entertaining 1967 film adaptation.

The series was set at the St. Gregory, a plush, opulent hotel in San Francisco that was modeled after that city’s landmark Fairmont.

“Hotel” starred Oscar-winning actress Anne Baxter as Victoria Cabot, the wealthy aristocrat who oversaw the operations of the St. Gregory on behalf of her sister-in-law, Laura Trent. The role of Trent was played in the premiere episode by the legendary Bette Davis.

After illness prevented Davis from continuing on the series, Trent embarked on a long trip and never returned. James Brolin played Peter McDermott, the bearded general manager, and Connie Sellecca was his assistant (and later main squeeze), the beautiful Christine Francis. Shea Farrell played the hotel’s handsome public relations director, Mark Danning, and Nathan Cook was the ex-con turned security director, Billy Griffin.

Shari Belafonte also starred as information director Julie Gillette. Michael Spound and Heidi Bohay rounded out the cast as young marrieds Dave and Megan Kendall, who worked as a bellhop and desk clerk, respectively. Spound and Bohay later married in real-life.

The 1985-86 season saw many plot changes in the series after Baxter died of a stroke during the middle of the year. Her character also died, leaving her interest in the hotel to McDermott. The Cabots who owned the other half interest in the hotel--Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Dina Merrill and Ralph Bellamy--soon arrived at the St. Gregory. Eventually, McDermott bought them out.

For its first three seasons, “Hotel” ranked among the top 20 series. But the ratings dropped in the 1987-88 season and “Hotel” closed its doors on Aug. 6, 1988.

“Hotel” airs weekdays at 1 and 5 p.m. on E!