Few TV shows have moved high-end tourism like The White Lotus. Each season turns its filming locations into instantly booked bucket-list stops, and the upcoming fourth season — set on the French Riviera around the Cannes Film Festival — looks set to do the same. But some luxury travel advisers think the show's Midas touch may be wearing thin.
Season four breaks the franchise's format. Instead of a single isolated resort, the story unfolds across a week of festival chaos, following two rival film crews with competing entries in Cannes. One stays at the fictional White Lotus Cannes, played by the Hôtel Martinez on the Croisette; the other holes up at White Lotus du Cap, brought to life by Airelles Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez. Filming also spans Monaco and Paris. Executive producer David Bernad says the season explores "the life of an artist" and how fame warps identity — a far cry from the sun-soaked leisure of Hawaii or Thailand.
Travel insiders see a paradox. "It inspires travel through dilemma — showing horrible people frequently doing horrible things, and yet it makes people want to go," says Jonathan Alder of Jonathan's Travels. Jaclyn Sienna India, CEO of Sienna Charles, is blunter: she says the show fuels a "celebritization of travel" that turns storied hotels into social-media backdrops, and she wouldn't send clients to either property once it airs.
There's also a reality gap waiting for fans. Cannes outside May is a conference city, not a red-carpet playground — its big hotels cater largely to trade shows. And while the show will pit its two hotels against each other as neighbours, the Château de la Messardière actually sits about three hours by car from Cannes. Expect some TV geography to glue them together on screen.
Not everyone is pessimistic. Stacy Fischer-Rosenthal of Fischer Travel thinks Airelles — a small, seven-property French brand — could be the season's biggest winner, with far more to gain from the spotlight than a global chain. She also notes that ultra-luxury pricing, with peak summer rates often above €3,000 a night, is a natural filter that keeps mass tourism out regardless of exposure. Meanwhile, advisers like India point to calmer alternatives such as Nice and the Hôtel du Couvent, and Saint-Tropez itself is about to get a new player with Oetker Collection's first property in town.
Why it matters for travellers: set-jetting here means separating the show's cinematic Riviera from the real one. If White Lotus season four sends you south, consider whether you want festival glamour (book Cannes for May), Saint-Tropez excess, or the quieter Côte d'Azur the cameras will skip entirely. And if a specific hotel is on your list, book early and budget accordingly — television exposure tends to send rates up, not down.
Story via Robb Report Travel