Four Seasons Gets a Marketing Boost From The White Lotus

HBO’s hit show The White Lotus has booked incredible engagement for Four Seasons — the luxury hotel chain where the show is filmed. Now that Four Seasons is an official partner of the show, the relationship is only deepening.

The Big Picture: The crossover between entertainment and experiences has reached a fever pitch. While most IP-driven IRL events cater to the average fan, the surging popularity of stays at the expensive hotel chain shows that high-net-worth individuals also want to get in on the fandom.

Behind the Scenes: With The White Lotus, Four Seasons is getting the most premium advertising with Season 3.

• Even before becoming an official partner, the Four Seasons in Hawaii and Sicily had their website visits and room inquiries increase by triple digits, and occupancy rates in their biggest rooms increased by 7%.
• In conjunction with the Thailand-set season, the chain is hosting viewings at its five hotels and has even launched White Lotus-themed pop-up bars.
• At its Westlake Village, CA location, the hotel is turning into a “wellness weekend” getaway inspired by the show.
• The company is also offering a 20-day White Lotus private jet excursion that stops at each of the hotels featured in the show — taking very literally what WSJ calls the growing “set-jetting” trend.

Finale: Ironically, the Four Seasons in Hawaii became the backdrop for The White Lotus’ first season simply because it was the only luxury hotel that would let showrunner Mike White and HBO shoot there during COVID — they figured it was better to rent out the hotel to the production than let it sit empty during the pandemic. They made that decision without even reading any of the scripts, which is a big risk.

But the bet paid off. Now, expect travelers to keep a close eye on Season 4’s setting in order to book a stay at the location before demand (and prices) shoot up.