‘White Lotus' Craze Bolsters Thai Island's April Hotel Bookings
Thailand saw a surge in hotel bookings by international visitors for the Songkran holiday in April, with the island of Koh Samui - filming location of the hit series White Lotus - recording a 65% increase from a year ago, according to the government.
Koh Samui, located in southern province of Surat Thani, tops the hotel booking list for foreign tourists planning to check in between April 10 and 17, Deputy Spokesman Anukool Pruksanusak said in a statement, citing data from technology solutions firm SiteMinder.
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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Boston Globe
Dear Mike White, look no further. This is where you should film the next season of ‘White Lotus.'
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The living room area of a tent at the Mahali Mzuri safari camp. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff Advertisement The Sir Richard Branson Mahali Mzuri Virgin Mega Safari Camp features a swimming pool, a bar, and a dining room, where a chef prepares multi-course, restaurant-quality meals for an eclectic mix of guests. Between the unbridled opulence of it all and the mix of guests, I immediately knew that this stylishly-appointed camp is where season four of HBO's 'The White Lotus' should be filmed. Listen carefully, Mike White. I broke my pledge of not working on vacation to tell you that your show needs a safari season, and Sir Richard Branson's quaint camp is the obvious setting. You don't even need to give me creative credit, but I certainly wouldn't refuse it. Advertisement The dining area at the Mahali Mzuri safari camp in Kenya. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff The The mix of guests at Mahali Mzuri during my stay could easily translate to the small screen. I was traveling with a group of seven gay men from Boston (a.k.a. the drama). There was a honeymooning second-marriage couple from South Carolina (cue the Parker Posey accent), a large family from Hawaii celebrating a non-descript and unspoken milestone (suspicious), a solo traveler enjoying her birthday (sad), and a pair of young couples from Southeast Asia who had a wardrobe better suited for Coachella than Kenya. The script writes itself. Heck, I'm happy to help, for a small fee, of course. The pool area at Mahali Mzuri safari camp overlooks a valley where guests can watch animals such as giraffes, elephants, hippos, and baboons stroll through. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff I'll give you an anecdote for free, and you can decide if it works for 'White Lotus Kenya.' My friends and I visited a traditional Maasai village near the camp to see how the locals live, except this village had more handicrafts for sale than residents. Now, picture a group of gay men sitting inside a traditional mud hut listening to a local describe how the huts are constructed. Before he could finish, an elderly woman from the tribe had a question for us: 'Where are your wives?' Advertisement Did I mention that homosexuality is illegal in Kenya? This is comedy gold, Mike White. It's not just the culture that works for 'White Lotus.' There's also room for danger. A month before our arrival, a lion killed a 14-year-old girl at a camp in Kenya, and while we were on a safari, a lion killed a man in Namibia when he stepped out of his tent in the night to use the toilet. On our twice-daily safari rides through the conservancies, we frequently saw lions gnawing on freshly killed prey. Think of the possibilities of killing off a character by mauling. A pair of giraffes keeps watch for predators at the Maasai Mazari National Reserve in Kenya. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff The beautiful locations are part of the 'White Lotus' television-as-travel brochure appeal, and the 580-square-mile Maasai Mara National Reserve, where Sir Richard Branson's Mahali Mzuri Virgin Mega Safari Camp is located, is breathtaking. Each evening, the sunset was like a painting, and the sheer amount of wildlife was impressive. Throughout the trip, our group stayed at three different camps. They were all notable in their own way, but even the wildlife around Mahali Mzuri seemed more extravagant. Were they on Branson's payroll? Are you picking up what I'm putting down here, Mike? I think we've got a hit on our hands. Two of the 12 tents at the luxury Mahali Mzuri safari camp. The tents are stretched over steel supports. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff You can even draw upon our wacky experiences of occasional power outages, an actual spear being used as a 'Do not disturb' sign, and a policy that allows guests to step behind the bar and mix their own drinks if there's no bartender in sight. Those three elements alone can serve as a story arc. Advertisement It may sound surprising that I knew so little about Mahali Mzuri before I arrived, but since my job involves planning travel, I was happy to leave the planning to others for my vacation. I just showed up with a duffle bag of what I thought were appropriate safari clothes and prepared to rough it. Little did I know I'd wind up in such glamorous surroundings. That's my pitch, Mike. I know you're looking at setting the new season Even if you don't use my idea — and you'd be crazy not to — I won't hold it against you. I'll always have the memories of the luxury, the lions, and the local woman asking a large group of gay men why we left our wives at home. Staff prepare the restaurant for diners at the Mahali Mzuri safari camp in Kenya. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff An outdoor table is set for an evening dinner party at the opulent Mahali Mzuri safari camp. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff Christopher Muther can be reached at
Business of Fashion
09-06-2025
- Business of Fashion
Opinion: A Luxury Travel Bubble Is Swelling
When you go on vacation, do you ever treat yourself to an upgraded airline seat? Or book the (admittedly cheapest) room at a five-star hotel? Maybe splurge on a spa day or celebratory Michelin-starred meal? If any of this sounds familiar, you may be what the travel industry calls an 'aspirational' luxury traveler. And much to the industry's potential dismay, you're also inflating an economic bubble that may be about to burst. According to McKinsey, the aspirational set, defined as those with between $100,000 and $1 million in net worth, now accounts for 35 percent of the global luxury travel market. In 2023, they spent $84 billion on high-end vacations, a figure expected to grow to $107 billion by 2028. That purchasing power has helped turn luxury travel from a glamorous niche into a major profit centre, sparking a race among airlines, hotels, cruise lines, tour companies and the rest to cater to and capture this market segment. But what happens when economic uncertainty suddenly brings aspirations back down to earth? Consider the reasons why so many people with money — but not true $10,000-a-night-suite money — started spending so much on fancy getaways. One is the boom that kicked off with post-Covid 'revenge travel' and was going strong until recently; even as prices climbed, Americans have increased their travel spending every year since the 2020 bust, according to the US Travel Association. There's also a demographic element: Millennials, the generation that popularised the idea of investing on experiences over things, are entering their peak spending years. Perhaps less considered is a cultural shift that's normalised the idea that all travel should be luxurious. You see it in pop culture (who wouldn't check into the White Lotus, body count or no?) but nowhere is the luxury obsession more pronounced than on social media. The travel industry has discovered the marketing power of influencers, gifting them private jet outings and luxe villas that they then flaunt all over our timelines, sending an unmissable message that anyone bunking at a meh chain hotel or stuck in the back half of the plane is a loser. It's gotten to the point that there was even a movement on TikTok to 'normalise' flying coach. ADVERTISEMENT As the luxury category has swelled to encompass both the uber-rich and aspirational splurgers, travel companies have been quick to invest. Post-pandemic, the pipeline of new luxury and upscale lodging has been expanding at a faster rate than that of more affordable hotels. At the very tip-top of that range, the number of hotels charging an average daily rate of $1,000 or more has more than tripled since 2019. Even Airbnb is looking to go upscale — in May it debuted a new service that lets users book a personal trainer, masseuse or chef for in-rental pampering. Meanwhile, US airlines, including United and Delta, have been increasing the share of planes given over to 'premium' seating. Some have also introduced a class of service that falls between business and economy plus (i.e., extra-legroom coach seats). The cheapie airlines, too, have had their heads turned by the appeal of luxury options: Southwest has adopted extra legroom seats, while JetBlue and Frontier are planning to add first class. But wider seats, posher rooms and even the odd hot stone massage may not be enough to woo travelers spooked by a potential downturn and America's increasing hostility to the rest of the world. To hear the industry tell it, the falloff in the sector's latest earnings is little to worry about. In March, Delta cut its profit and revenue forecast but later reported that, 'We are not yet seeing any cracks in premium.' For its part, United said it would trim domestic routes due to weak demand — even as it noted that new premium cabin bookings were up over last year. It's not crazy to think the ultra-rich may keep booking even if, as many are expecting, the economy slows, inflation returns and the stock market falls into a funk. (Though the recent cratering of luxury retail suggests that's not a sure thing.) Unlike the multi-millionaire crowd, though, aspirational luxury travelers aren't in a position to ignore the status of their bank and 401(k) accounts. Many of them might understandably choose to trade-down to (for shame!) economy class seats or the kind of hotel that offers a free breakfast buffet. The industry has never been particularly good about thinking beyond the moment. When Covid hit, the airlines hacked schedules to the bone — only to be caught off guard when demand came roaring back, and then to find themselves cutting prices last year when they couldn't fill all the new flights. Meanwhile, the development process for hotels can take years; by the time a new property opens its doors, the environment that inspired its construction is long gone (the glut of supply that came online during the 2008 recession is probably the most painful such example). This would be a smart time for travel companies to take a look back at that checkered history and reconsider just how big they want to bet on luxury carrying them through what could be a bumpy couple of years. For vacationers, a slowing economy could be a reminder that, while creature comforts are wonderful, at its heart, travel is more about people and places than perks. And the companies that find ways to deliver value and keep those experiences accessible are likely to be the ones that come out ahead. By Kristen Bellstrom ADVERTISEMENT Learn more: What Happens When the Travel Boom Ends? Discounted airfare and lower hotel occupancies in recent months signal weakening demand in the vacation economy. For brands that thrived on 'revenge travel,' this means pivoting to more versatile products and offering cheaper options.
Bloomberg
05-06-2025
- Bloomberg
White Lotus Buzz Can't Reverse Thailand's Tourism Decline
Thailand's tourism outlook in such doldrums that even the so-called The White Lotus effect — a temporary boost in Western visitors inspired by the latest Koh Samui—set season of HBO 's hit show — hasn't been enough to offset a slump in arrivals from neighboring countries. Foreign arrivals to Thailand dropped for the fourth straight month in May, slipping 14% to 2.6 million, government data show. That's the country's longest streak of declines since 2021, when the Covid pandemic closed international borders.
