Business is blooming

The White Lotus made Four Seasons Koh Samui a tourist sensation. Now, visitors come for BTS gossip and stay for the frills

- VIR SANGHVI

I have known Jasjit Singh Assi (JJ) for nearly two decades, from his early days as part of the opening team at the Four Seasons Mumbai, to his years through various international Four Seasons properties, to his current avatar as General Manager of the Four Seasons on the Thai island of Koh Samui.

I have written about the Samui hotel before, so I won't go over that ground again, except to say that I have often called it one of the world’s best resorts. The first time I went, there was speculation that the next season of The White Lotus would be shot there. If you have missed The White Lotus, it is Mike White’s wildly popular American TV show (HBO in America; JioHotstar in India), which is a huge critical success.

What intrigues me is how much power it has to transform the fortunes of a destination. The first season, set in a Four Seasons in Hawaii turned the hotel into a global rage. The second, shot at the Four Seasons in Taormina, turned that part of Sicily into a craze.

I asked JJ about the rumours that Mike White had been staying at the resort and would shoot the third season there. JJ would not comment, which I took as confirmation. After all, if it wasn’t being shot there, he would just have denied it.

Then, the Hollywood writers’ strike happened and shooting was delayed. By then, it was clear that when the shoot did begin, the location would be Thailand; the Tourism Authority of Thailand said as much.