Netflix orders new 1900s hotel drama series ‘Winter Palace’

A glamorous new Netflix period drama has been announced.

Based on true events, Winter Palace is described as “a cross between Downton Abbey and The White Lotus,” so this has our interest piqued already!

The “eight-episode period extravaganza” will follow a British aristocrat and Swiss hotelier who introduce the concept of winter tourism in the Alps in the early twentieth century.

It’ll be shot with English and French dialogue, although we expect viewers will have the option to watch a dubbed version entirely in their own language, as they did with Netflix’s multi-lingual period drama 1899.

1899 was sadly cancelled after one season by Netflix earlier this year, after the mind-bending series from the producers of Dark failed to hook viewers’ attention.

Funnily enough Winter Palace also begins its story in the year 1899, when we first meet ambitious hotelier André Morel who has a dream of transforming his establishment into a five-star luxury palace that can stay open for the whole winter season.

When Morel convinces wealthy aristocrat Lord Fairfax to join his project, the pair find themselves battling with demanding clientele, rebellious staff and hostile weather conditions as they strive to bring their vision to life.

The show certainly sounds like a much more accessible and viewer-friendly story to follow than the gloomy time-travel shenanigans of 1899!

Winter Palace is Netflix’s first co-production with Swiss network RTS.

“Having just secured the perfect shooting locations, we are excited about the breathtaking landscapes and extraordinary places that viewers will get to discover,” producer Jean-Marc Fröhle told Variety.

When’s the release date?

Winter Palace is set to premiere in late 2024 in Switzerland on RTS1 and streaming on Play Suisse, before arriving around the world on Netflix.

The complete Downton Abbey collection is available on DVD on Amazon.