It’s not TV. It’s HBO. And it’s proven to be a windfall for one luxury hotel company.
Earlier this year, visits to Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui’s website skyrocketed 596% compared to the same time a year ago, with availability checks up 767%. The same levels of growth were seen at other Four Seasons properties in that country.
The reason evident: The launch of the third season of the hit HBO series “The White Lotus,” which was filmed at the Thailand resort. Contemporaneously, there, too, was significant uptick in demand for Four Seasons properties in Maui and Taormina in Sicily, where the first two seasons of the show were shot.
Four Seasons’ collaboration with HBO is an unusually high-profile partnership, but lodging companies are also eager to partner with or sponsor brands or sports and entertainment events not necessarily associated with blockbuster cable hit shows.
While searches and bookings may be the goal, there are myriad reasons to associate a hotel brand with an unrelated one. Joelle Park, chief marketing officer for BWH Hotels, said that partnering with non-hospitality brands “allows us to extend our reach, drive brand awareness and create more meaningful experiences for guests in between stays.” These types of partnerships, she said, “help us stay culturally relevant, reaching new customer segments and connecting Best Western with other trusted brands.”
Oral Muir, VP of partnerships, experiences and distribution at Hilton, said that partnering with like-minded brands outside of hospitality “allows Hilton to offer guests more curated and diverse experiences that match their evolving preferences.“ These collaborations, he said, “help us build credibility in new areas and provide additional perks and benefits, making the overall travel experience even better.”
For example, for the past 20 years, Hilton and McLaren Racing have partnered to provide “a home away from home” for the McLaren F1 team. This partnership, said Muir, not only supports the team, but also extends exclusive access to Hilton Honors members, bringing them closer to the races, events and communities they are passionate about.
Paul Proctor, SVP of loyalty & partnerships at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said the company “believes travel is about more than just a place to stay, it’s about experiencing the world in ways that excite, inspire and connect people to what they love most.”
IHG partners with the United States Tennis Association and Major League Soccer in the U.S., the Men’s & Women’s Guinness Six Nations Championship in the U.K., and this year’s Rugby Australia’s Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour. The company offers members exclusive perks, like VIP tickets, meet-and-greets with their favorite athletes and more, all through the IHG One Rewards Access platform, where loyalty members can redeem their points for bespoke experiences.
For music fans, IHG works with some of the world’s biggest music festivals to further strengthen the brand’s global presence, including MDLBEAST’s XP Music Futures, Soundstorm and Balad Beast in the U.A.E., where loyalty members can access behind-the-scenes areas and prime viewing spots to watch top artists perform.
Through all these partnerships, said Proctor, IHG “strives to create unforgettable experiences for guests, leaving a lasting impression and inspiring future travel with IHG, while also increasing value for our owners and driving business back to our hotels.”
Mandy Gill, managing vice president, brand & marketing U.S. and Canada at Marriott International, said the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program is “a gateway to unlock unforgettable journeys that connect travelers to the people, places and passions they love, anywhere in the world and by partnering with brands outside of hospitality, consumers can gain access to both every day and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
Both travel and sports have the unique ability to bring people together through shared experiences, according to Gill. Current Marriott sports partners include the NFL, NCAA, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation. These partnerships, said Gill, “provide fans unforgettable experiences and unparalleled access to their favorite teams and allow them to engage with the community of fans during the biggest sporting events throughout the world.”
As the official hotel partner of NCAA and March Madness, this year Marriott launched a new campaign, Points for Points, that rewarded sports fans for every point scored during the 2025 Men’s and Women’s March Madness tournaments. Through this sweepstakes, the company saw more than 166,000 registrations from current and newly enrolled Marriott Bonvoy members.
In the music realm, Marriott Bonvoy was a touring sponsor of Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour in select cities, offering fans the opportunity to attend a show with tickets to over 30 performances. To amplify the sponsorship, the program launched eight sweepstakes, resulting in millions of entries and a chance for members to win premium seats to select shows worldwide.
At Four Seasons, the arrangement with “The White Lotus” includes exclusive premiere screenings, themed poolside cabanas and pop-up bars and special events at properties worldwide. “For many Four Seasons guests, especially our pop-culture enthusiasts and travel trendsetters, ‘The White Lotus’ serves as the perfect travel inspiration,” said Marc Speichert, chief commercial officer at Four Seasons. “After showcasing Maui and then Taormina, we’re excited to celebrate Koh Samui in the third season of this beloved show.”
All About Alignment
The key for hoteliers is to ensure that partners reflect positively on their brands. As BWH’s Park said, “Brand alignment is everything.” Before entering any partnership, BWH assesses the potential partner’s customer base, values and reputation to ensure alignment with its own. “We treat every partnership like a brand extension, so misalignment isn’t an option,” she said, adding that, conversely, the brands they work with are “just as selective with us.”
Hilton ensures alignment with partner brands, said Muir, through a thorough vetting process, focusing on shared values, quality standards and reputation. “We do not take it lightly,” he said. “Travelers trust our recommendations, and by partnering with brands, we’re extending our trust and ensuring they offer the same elevated experiences that our guests expect from Hilton.”
IHG is always on the lookout for dynamic partnerships that connect next-gen travelers with their interests. “We want to meet Gen Z and Millennial audiences where they are traveling and deliver top-notch hospitality both on-property and outside of our hotels,” Proctor said.
Financially Speaking
Though hospitality brand spokespeople are not always eager to discuss how these relationships work financially, that may be because they differ so widely depending on circumstances. “There’s no one-size-fits-all model,” said Park.
Some partnerships are purely collaborative, said Park, with each brand bringing its own assets to the table (product, space, audience) in a quid pro quo fashion. Others, she said, involve financial compensation, especially when there’s a larger activation, media spend or co-branded effort involved. The structure really depends on the goals, the scale and the mutual benefits. “What’s essential,” said Park, “is that both brands feel there’s shared value and clear ROI.”
Similarly, added IHG’s Proctor, “We want our partnerships to help introduce our brand to more people, enhance the guest experience with added value and deliver strong results for our hotel owners.”
In a recent example, ahead of Six Nations Rugby’s England vs. Scotland match in London, fans and guests at a nearby Holiday Inn were surprised with an intimate performance of the national anthems by singer-songwriters Pixie Lott and Tom Walker.
Measuring Results
Whether they invest money or not, companies need to receive something out of these relationships. “Our goals vary by partnership,” said Park. “Sometimes it’s about brand awareness and visibility; other times it’s about customer engagement or driving direct revenue.” BWH Hotels, she said, “aims to quantify the impact of all of our partnerships, whether through more traditional media metrics like impressions or additional measurement like brand lift studies and brand health trackers.”
Hilton leverages exclusive access through partnerships to enhance its loyalty offerings. For example, in 2024, more than four million Hilton Honors points were redeemed for the McLaren Ultimate package for Las Vegas, available on the Hilton Honors Experiences platform. This package, offered through the partnership with the McLaren F1 team, saw the highest redemption in Hilton Honors Experiences’ history.
A survey from Four Seasons’ internal tracking also shows the positive impact of “The White Lotus” affiliation: Eighty-eight percent of Millennials who watch the show and know Four Seasons view the brand positively, and 71% are eager to visit the featured properties.
According to a Four Seasons statement, “Our guest base has grown in terms of Millennials and Gen Zs since 2019, with 57% of the guest base made up of these younger generations.”
Story contributed by Harvey Chipkin.
