The White Lotus is one of the most-watched series of the past couple of years, and so far, there have been two seasons. For those of us into travel, the show is especially cool, as both seasons have been filmed at Four Seasons resorts (which have been rebranded as “The White Lotus” in the show).
We know that there will be a third season of The White Lotus, and back in March 2023, we learned of the country in which the show will be filmed. I now have a guess as to exactly which property is likely to host the show, and when it will be filmed (though it’s purely speculation, and I could be wrong)…
In this post:
The White Lotus Season 3 will be filmed in Thailand
For some context, the first season of The White Lotus was filmed at the Four Seasons Maui (in Hawaii), while the second season of The White Lotus was filmed at the Four Seasons Taormina (in Sicily). For a long time there have been rumors that the third season would be filmed in Asia, though there weren’t details beyond that.
Several months back, Variety reported that the third season of The White Lotus will be filmed in Thailand, and it’s expected that the partnership with Four Seasons will continue. Unfortunately, we’re still quite a ways off from the third season being released, as so far casting details and a release date haven’t yet been announced.
While the first season was focused on money, and the second season was focused on relationships and sex, it’s expected that the third season will focus on religion and spirituality.
Which Four Seasons will host The White Lotus Season 3?
Four Seasons has four properties in Thailand:
- The Four Seasons Bangkok
- The Four Seasons Chiang Mai
- The Four Seasons Golden Triangle Tented Camp
- The Four Seasons Koh Samui
So, which of those four properties will host the third season? While nothing has been announced, ever since we learned that a Four Seasons in Thailand would be home to the show, I assumed it would be the Koh Samui property.
I think it’s a given that it won’t be filmed at the Four Seasons Bangkok or Four Seasons Golden Triangle:
- The Four Seasons Bangkok is a city hotel, and that doesn’t really fit the vibe of the show
- The Four Seasons Golden Triangle is pretty secluded and has only 16 tented villas, so it wouldn’t be large enough to host the entire production team
Which hotel will it be, between the Four Seasons Chiang Mai and Four Seasons Koh Samui? While there’s no reason it couldn’t be the Four Seasons Chiang Mai, the Four Seasons Koh Samui seems more likely to me.
Mike White, the producer of The White Lotus, seems to like islands and the ocean, and they’ve been a consistent theme in both of the first two seasons. Koh Samui perfectly fits the bill, while Chiang Mai isn’t an island, and isn’t near the ocean.
I now have a further reason to believe that the show will be filmed at the Four Seasons Koh Samui. Over the past few months, I’ve been keeping an eye on the availability calendars at virtually all luxury properties in Thailand (even beyond Four Seasons, in case something fell through).
After all, it usually takes a couple of months for the show to film, and that requires shutting down the resort for that period of time (and not accepting reservations). Up until recently, I hadn’t seen any significant periods of time where any property in Thailand showed availability blocked off, aside from brief periods around Christmas and the New Year.
That has finally changed. The Four Seasons Koh Samui has now blocked off all availability from February 5 through March 26, 2024.
Now, of course I can’t guarantee that this is for The White Lotus to be filmed, though I think everything points in that direction:
- February and March is a busy time or year in Thailand, so if the hotel were closing for a renovation or some updates, that wouldn’t be the time of year where that’s done
- While February and March are busy times of the year, it’s not otherwise normal for the hotel to be sold out this far in advance for weeks on end; as a point of comparison, the Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui is currently available every single day in February and March, and until recently, the Four Seasons was available every day over those months
- While hotels sometimes have buyouts for weddings, corporate retreats, etc., they almost never span nearly two months
- While The White Lotus has historically filmed at properties in the off season or when they’re otherwise empty, that’s really not practical in Thailand, where it can rain almost every day in the rainy season; that would significantly complicate filming logistics
So I’m not making any promises, but I feel pretty confident that The White Lotus will be filmed at the Four Seasons Koh Samui in early 2024. You heard it here first. 😉
Bottom line
Earlier this year we learned that The White Lotus Season 3 will be filmed in Thailand. Given the partnership with Four Seasons, that narrowed down the potential locations. I was always convinced the show would be filmed at the Four Seasons Koh Samui, given the show’s consistent island and ocean theme.
I now feel pretty strongly that the show will be filmed at the Four Seasons Koh Samui in early 2024, given that availability at the property has been blocked off for roughly two months. I’m excited, though I guess we’ll have to wait until late 2024 to actually watch the show!
Do you think The White Lotus Season 3 will be filmed at the Four Seasons Koh Samui?
they're filming at the Four Seasons and you can see them regularly visiting a little restaurant called WannGram at Bang Po village down the hill off the Four Seasons...
Staff friend at 4 Seasons Koh Samui have confirmed the hotel will be used for filming in February / March 2024 and customers who have booked are being accommodated elsewhere.
We stayed a little over a month ago and it seems likely Koh Samui will be the location. They’re renovating the beach restaurant along with many of the higher end units. Lots of small renovations being done as well across the entire resort. We asked if the white lotus was going to be filled to a few people and they gave smiling answers, so I think it’s likely. Fingers crossed we get to relive our honeymoon destination on TV!
Great work! My wife and I stayed at the FS Koh Samui for a week in 2019. Cool to see they film it there (if that’s where it ends up being).
Great sleuthing Lucky!
My spouse saw Mike White on her flight from LAX-HKG two weeks ago. Was he en route to confirming the location? Perhaps!
Goddamn the Four Season Chiang Mai and Golden Triangle look amazing! Pls review them
What happens to the existing reservations during that period? Obviously cancelled, but rebooked into a another FS? Some other compensation?
Seems somewhat poor from a customer experience perspective.
Season 1 was alright but Christopher multisanti screwed up this series.
We stayed here last year just as Thailand was emerging from COVID,I hope that they have done a lot of work on the property to bring it back to its former standard, we were later told we shouldn’t have come as the country wasn’t really open.
well, is production team confident that both strikes will be over soon or before 2024? I wonder if Mike White wrote anything yet, or he had to stop as part of the strike. Good catch on hotel availability though.
Too bad they killed off Jennifer Coolidge’s character, or I’ll be planning a visit to fanboy!
Thanks for the spoiler, dick.
The last episode of season two was broadcast/made available on December 11th. I think it's been long enough to reasonably assume that those who were interested already watched it.
No, you are a dick, not everybody watches it right when the season is available. Not familiar with how streaming works?
you're a baby. Like Mr Not-A-Dick said, the no-spoiler window is 1-2 months at most.
If you're worried about spoilers, you should not read articles about the series. Easy.
(also - would hate to spoil the Titanic experience for you, but beware, there are spoilers EVERYWHERE)
I guess you're not a diehard Lotus fan then Mantis?
Seems like an eternity since it was available.
JC has appeared at a awards ceremony or two for her great peformance in season 2.
Miss that too?
I know, I hope she makes an appearance to haunt Greg.
You sure she is dead? You don't really see who is in the van in the end.
There’s rumors (truckload of salt!) that she’s NOT dead.
Dont see why they killed her off, way better if they didnt, or just give the option of either brining her back or getting Portia back as a guest, maybe she demands a payoff since she knew the plan.
@Never In Doubt - unlocked skill: underwater breathing. Tanya did lines of Gillyweed too.
Can’t wait to take Instagramers and influencers away from beautiful Taormina. That place became a zoo after the series was filmed there. Hopefully they will all focus on Thailand next.
Taormina has been a zoo for years. With that said, the series definitely didn't help. FS initially put an insane minimum spend requirement in for non-guests at the bar, but it did nothing to stop the crowds. They had to bad non-guests from the property altogether. Just crazy...
Don’t disagree but it was a zoo of tourists visiting Taormina because Taormina is absolutely stunning. Now, it is a zoo of tourists visiting Taormina because they need to post on Instagram.
I encourage you to correct 2023 to 2024, in the one pivotal place it appears. Search the page if you don't see it. Good sleuthing, and I agree! Gah, how much must they pay FS for being able to do this? Also, late 2024 is so long to have to wait for a new season! :-(
First Hand Sleuthing! I salute you!
“The White Lotus is one of the most-watched series of the past couple of years”
It’s a popular show, but “most watched” is crazy hyperbole.