10 June 2026
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Let’s get one thing straight. Any hotel from the fictional White Lotus hotel group would never make our hotel selection. For one thing, its staff have a bad habit of scamming guests, and its guests have an even worse habit of dying.
But we know that Mike White, series creator, loves to incorporate his own life experiences — however unrecognizable they become in the course of the tale — into his show, and I have to assume he spent at least some time at Saint-Tropez’s Château de la Messardière, confirmed as one of Season 4’s filming locations for the new iteration of the series in 2027.
As a hotel Inspector, I’m eager to share what I know about this wonderfully well-curated, perfectly located and simply gorgeous — completely uncontroversial — Two-Key hotel, and how I see Mr. White transforming its excellent spaces and features into something... entertainingly heinous.
1.) The Main Character: A Twisted Pastry Chef
La Table de la Messardière hosts among the most well-known and impressive buffets in Saint-Tropez. Not only is there a large selection of starters and a seafood counter, there’s a spectacular selection of desserts by one of the world’s most famous pastry chefs: Chef Cédric Grolet. Chef Grolet, who you’ll find is often referred to as “the internet’s most famous pastry chef,” has been at the hotel restaurant for several years now, an exceedingly rare fact in the world of chef/hotel collaborations.By all accounts, Mr. Grolet is a normal, kind, well-adjusted 40-year-old.
But. A young, internet-famous, world-renowned French pastry chef with an entrenched relationship with hotel management? How could Mr. White resist twisting such a character?
My prediction: A pastry-wielding Machiavelli rampaging across the resort in full-white attire. The mystery of his death hangs over the season, the ultimate culprit revealed in the final episode: a poisoned trompe-l’œil pastry.
2.) Plot Lines: Oh, the Children
Of all the château’s magnificent spaces — and this is truly a fairy-tale castle of a hotel — the Kids Club ranks toward the top. In its own private villa completely independent from the main hotel, this is essentially a luxury playground. Treehouses sprawl through the backyard next to a small farm with animals, while the villa itself is a mansion on a manageably wild estate with its own pool.My prediction: A small band of children living the good life will dominate the B-story, turning the Kids Club into their little fortress of misadventure in the manner of Lord of the Flies in miniature. By the end of the season, they’ve grown, they’ve learned, they’ve lit a treehouse on fire.
3.) A Running Gag: A Four-Wheel-Fueled Feud
Since the hotel is outside the center of Saint-Tropez on its own quieter estate, guests hitch rides from staff in the house Rolls-Royce or Mini Moke. If you don’t know about Mini Mokes, they’re fun, spunky, almost-doll sized cars. I love them. But in a series that makes its bones off toxic masculinity?My prediction: A running feud between two macho brothers to book the Rolls Royce every morning, with the loser riding, ashamed, in the little Mini Moke into town, humiliated in front of prospective paramours.
4.) Local Color: City Schemers
When guests head into the city from Château de la Messardière, whether in the Rolls or the Moke, they’re dropped off at a private, dedicated lounge right at the entrance to the city. As an Airelles space, it’s practical and classy, with staff, refreshments and snacks.My prediction: In the hands of The White Lotus, I see this space as something of a beachhead for sketchy employees and their local associates to hatch schemes and exchange cash for contraband. In the lounge, a late-night transaction is facilitated by corrupt local authorities.
As they drive away, a glimpse of a vial in the backseat — the poison for the dessert? Or am I getting too far ahead of myself?
5.) An Off-Site Adventure
The hotel group, Airelles, who run Château de la Messardière may grant Mr. White access to another, more discreet property nearby: Château d’Estoublon. Not a hotel and not available for overnight guests (although it’s open to all for lunch and dinner service), it’s a venue often booked for weddings, set on a 300-hectare (740-acre) estate filled with grape vineyards and olive trees.My prediction: A girls’ wine-tasting trip here goes wrong — with our heroines so confused and lost that they’re forced to pick olives for subsistence as they fight their way back to society.
Top Image: Filming the latest season of The White Lotus in Saint-Tropez. © Courtesy of HBO
