SPECIAL REPORT
Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui in Thailand was the location shoot for the third season of the HBO series“ The White Lotus.”
A Beautiful Friendship
WHY LODGING COMPANIES GO BIG ON BRAND PARTNERSHIPS.
Contributed by HARVEY CHIPKIN
It’ s not TV. It’ s HBO. And it’ s proven to be a windfall for one luxury hotel company.
Earlier this year, visits to Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui’ s website skyrocketed 596 % compared to the same time a year ago, with availability checks up 767 %. The same levels of growth were seen at other Four Seasons properties in that country.
The reason evident: The launch of the third season of the hit HBO series“ The White Lotus,” which was filmed at the
Thailand resort. Contemporaneously, there, too, was significant uptick in demand for Four Seasons properties in Maui and Taormina in Sicily, where the first two seasons of the show were shot.
Four Seasons’ collaboration with HBO is an unusually high-profile partnership, but lodging companies are also eager to partner with or sponsor brands or sports and entertainment events not necessarily associated with blockbuster cable hit shows.
While searches and bookings may be the goal, there are myriad reasons to associate a hotel brand with an unrelated one. Joelle Park, chief marketing officer for BWH Hotels, said that partnering with nonhospitality brands“ allows us to extend our reach, drive brand awareness and create more meaningful experiences for guests in between stays.” These types of partnerships, she said,“ help us stay culturally relevant, reaching new customer segments and connecting Best Western with other trusted brands.”
12 hotelsmag. com July / August 2025