Inside the new White Lotus season 4 hotel – as show axes Four Seasons
Inside the new White Lotus hotel in St Tropez
It is common for travel journalists to be gifted a bottle of champagne or a box of chocolates when they check into a room.
But when I checked into my room at Les Airelles Courchevel, I found a feather-lined ski coat, woolly hat, neck warmer, socks, and two tables full of expensive fizz, food and other local gifts laid out for me. The haul took over two whole dining tables.
In my thirteen-year-long career of reviewing hotels, I have never been gifted even a quarter as much as I had been at Airelles Courchevel, which has a reputation as one of the most exclusive and expensive hotels in the world.
The fancy French hotel group is about to garner a different reputation entirely, now that another one of their properties is reportedly the new major filming location for The White Lotus’ fourth season. The satirical show, which follows a series of guests staying at a luxury hotel, has so far only filmed at Four Seasons properties. The first season in Hawaii, the second in Sicily and the third in Thailand. Morning Wire has approached show reps to confirm the news but has not yet heard back.
New White Lotus filming location in St Tropez is on another level
The French hotel group Airelles is on another level entirely. Four Seasons properties are incredibly luxurious, but appeal to the type of New Money guests who like to let you know they have money, and that they’re going to spend it. The hotels attract an ostentatious crowd who appreciate the brand’s international footprint, in particular how no matter where you go in the world, there is likely to be a Four Seasons property with a similar look and feel to the brand’s other locations. When we reviewed the Thailand hotel, we called the property “almost impossibly beautiful. Guests high on dopamine and the scent of orchids remain in a dreamlike state for an average stay of four days; most never leave the resort despite the bounty of Koh Samui sitting on their doorstep. Even for people predisposed to beautiful places, the view raises the hairs on your arms.”
By contrast, Airelles has only six properties, which attract a more quiet luxury crowd. The properties are smaller, too. Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière where the new series of the White Lotus is being filmed has only 86 rooms, compared to Sicily’s 111 and 380 in Hawaii.
Inside the new White Lotus hotel
At Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière, rooms are set within a forest near the ocean, and in that sense the property’s discretion is not dissimilar to the Four Seasons Koh Samui property featured in the third season of The White Lotus. There are three pools, a private beach club, a spa, and French, Italian, Mediterranean and Asian restaurants. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and baker Cedric Grolet have comprised menus for the hotel, which boasts views towards Saint-Tropez, Provence and the French Riviera. The property opened as a private palace in 1904 and was converted into an Airelles hotel in 2021.
The hotel is positioned on a hilltop overlooking the town of St Tropez, which was historically bohemian, home to the late film star Brigitte Bardot, and the location where many of the classic French films were shot in the middle of the last century. These days St Tropez has become less arty and more retail focused, with dozens of luxury fashion outlets serving the influx of yachts, which pay over £2,000 per night to moor in the centre of town.
No matter how lovely they are, there is a sense of uniformity about Four Seasons hotels. Granted I was there as a journalist, but my experience of Airelles was the most personalised guest experience I’ve ever received at a hotel anywhere in the world. Beyonce, David and Victoria Beckham and Kate and Wills are some of the celebs to have checked into Airelles hotels, the sorts of people who are used to be treated incredibly well.
What does this mean for White Lotus creator Adam White? Fans and the travel industry will expect even more precision-tooled characters that truly represent the top 0.01 per cent. Airelles guests aren’t any old fairly rich blow-ins, they’re the owners of the world’s most elite companies, and the private families with the highest wealth in the world. They’re used to the very “finest French hospitality,” as the brand boasts in its marketing material. More than ever, viewers will expect some seriously fascinating characters. A final note: given this property is fairly similar culturally to Sicily (both being European palatial-style properties) White will have to work extra hard to bring freshness and keep the show feeling interesting, especially we’re now in season 4. Can he pull it off? I can’t wait to check back in.
How to visit yourself
Rooms at the Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière start from around £1,084 per night. Go to airelles.com.