Coming to the ‘Resort Rescue’

They’re “rescue” shows, and you can’t swing a struggling business owner these days without hitting one.

In addition to “Bar Rescue,” led by Las Vegan Jon Taffer, and “Gym Rescue” with Randy Couture, we’ve seen the likes of “Tattoo Rescue,” “Church Rescue,” “Buddy’s Bakery Rescue” and “Dance Moms: Abby’s Studio Rescue.”

Into that mix, which also includes the similar “Hotel Hell” and “Hotel Impossible,” comes “Resort Rescue” (10 p.m. Tuesday, Travel Channel), hosted by Las Vegan Shane Green.

“I think the difference is that we almost exclusively focus on personal transformation,” he says of his series, “which is really at the heart of customer service.”

Whereas other shows offer everything from fresh coats of paint to full-blown renovations, Green and his team set up hidden cameras. Then he sits down with the owners to see what issues, ranging from simple inefficiencies to strained interpersonal relationships, are really plaguing their hotels as well as the connected bars and restaurants.

And, unlike certain other hosts, he does it all without letting the situation devolve into a screaming match. “You don’t need to yell to get a point across if you’re a good communicator,” he stresses.

Green, 43, is the founder and president of the global consulting and training group SGE International. After spending eight years working for Ritz-Carlton, the New Zealand native came to Las Vegas eight years ago for a project and never left. Locals can experience his work first-hand, as he helped establish and implement the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ “culture,” basically that unmistakable vibe that sets the resort apart from others on the Strip.

He had some public speaking experience, but zero on-camera work, when “Resort Rescue” producers asked him a year ago if he’d consider talking with them about the job. “From the moment I said, ‘Sure, why not?,’ I think a month later we were shooting a pilot,” Green recalls.

Since then, he’s helped the overwhelmed owners of 13 resorts get their properties — and, often, their lives — back on track.

“I think the stakes have never been higher in the hospitality or customer service business,” he says of the need for rescue shows. “You’ve got customers expecting more. You’ve got their ability and their empowerment that, if something goes wrong, they can go online, writing reviews that can pretty much ruin a hotel’s reputation. You put all that together, and that’s a challenge for an experienced hotelier, let alone someone who has no experience and, in some cases, no passion.”

While he began “Resort Rescue” focusing on the hotels, Green says he ended up building relationships with the owners, something he thinks will translate to viewers as well.

“We came across this great cast of characters and families that are just so endearing, mostly because they’re real,” he says.

“That still makes me glow and really proud of what this show is. So many different owners with so many different backgrounds and stories that people can relate to and are likable came out of 13 episodes. I’m not sure if that will always happen. I think I got really lucky in my first season.”

Reality roundup: Speaking of “Bar Rescue,” its fourth season premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday on Spike TV. Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl dines at Martorano’s in the Rio and Nobu and Serendipity 3 at Caesars Palace for “Robert Earl’s Be My Guest” (9 a.m. Monday, Cooking Channel). And GSN’s “Skin Wars,” the body-painting competition produced and judged by Las Vegan Robin Slonina, has been renewed for a second season.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.