As Carrie Coons character is checking out her accommodations at the White Lotus for the first time, she opens the large French doors with gusto, steps onto a deck, and looks out over a breathtaking view. Her room sits on a hillside that sweeps down to a stretch of beach, and from there the land, dotted with structures that seem to be swimming among the resplendent palm trees, sweeps back uphill again. This creates a sort of private alcove nestled next to the expansive turquoise water of the Gulf of Thailand, an establishing shot that viewers of The White Lotus season three (airing now on Max) will recognize. When Laurie (Coon) looks to her left, her jaw drops. Mere feet from where she stands, monkeys hang from the trees, staring back at her.I was recently invited to visit the hotel that served as the main filming location for the much-anticipated show. Upon my arrival at the Four Seasons Koh Samui, one of the first things I learned is that you wont actually spot any wild monkeys on this island off the east coast of southern Thailand. Their lurking presence is merely another bit of world-building from show creator Mike White, a device to suggest, perhaps, that the guests of his fictional resort are being watched. There are, however, statues of monkeys around every corner, including near the front door, pool, and balcony at residence nine, a 12,572-square-foot multi-building dwelling where Ilike Laurie and her longtime (definitely not old) friends, TV star Jaclyn Lemon (Michelle Monaghan) and Austin-based housewife Kate (Leslie Bibb)stayed during my visit. These figures were added by Bill Bensley, the Bangkok-based architect and landscape architect who designed the property, which opened in 2007.The private infinity pool at residence nine.Courtesy of Four SeasonsMaybe the monkey decoration helped sell White on the Four Season Koh Samui as he scoured Thailand for the perfect setting for the third season of his black comedy anthology, which, as always, explores the rub between the resort employees and locals and the wealthy tourists who descend upon them. Ultimately though, the resort was perfect as the main backdrop for the production because it is a place built to cater to clientele from the absolute upper echelons, just like the characters in the show. (Other locations in Thailand supplemented productionthe spa scenes were filmed at Anantara Mai Khao Phuket; the lobby, security station, and boutique at Anantara Bophut Koh Samui; a bar at Anantara Lawana Koh Samui; a restaurant at Rosewood Phuketand interior sets were also recreated on a Bangkok soundstage.)Mike is the creative director and decides the location based on the script and what he has as a plot. I asked him why he selected our resort, and he said, Im trying to depict a script in which you have these ultrahigh-net-worth individuals who are traveling in the ultraluxury environment, recalls the hotels general manager, JJ Assi.Walton Goggins in a scene filmed by the pool.Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBOThe property is home to 60 one-bedroom villas and 15 private residences, which are not merely hotel rooms but mansions. Five of these are residences that often sit empty when their owners arent using them, and the other ten are rented out by the hotel. The entire resort is connected by a series of steep, winding paths on which the staff shuttles guests around via golf carts, referred to here as buggies. Residence nine sits at the end of one of the pathsa cul de sac, if you will. When we pulled up, we were greeted by Jah, a butler assigned just to the guests of residence nine for the duration of our stay. She gave us her number on WhatsApp and said to text her anytime we needed anything. Her bedroom, I learned, is located below the main living space, out of sight of the guests. I did not once touch a room key during my stayI simply popped in and out of the residence, always greeted by Jah upon my return home. She always seemed to be available to make a coffee, order us food, or arrange a ride to the gym or spa, and each time I returned to my bedroom, things had been tidied.Assi tells me that the particular residences used for filming (residence number three appears as the Ratliff family villa) were selected after an extensive scouting process. They opened up all 10 residences that we have available, and they came in at sunrise, they came in at sunset, they came in at nighttime. Ben Kutchins, the main cinematographer, took shots to see from a lighting and cinematographic perspective what gives you the best angle.A bedroom at the Four Seasons Koh Samui, which resembles the one I stayed in.Courtesy of Four SeasonsThe layout of residence nine also factored into its selection. For example, in episode one, the ladies sit around sipping wine and complimenting each other on their youthful appearances in the main living area, a glass box of a room from which a decorative wooden archway leads out to the private infinity pool. Later, when Laurie goes to bed, her room looks down upon them, allowing her to see that her friends are still up talking without her. My suite was located directly below Lauries and had a king-size bed facing French doors opening onto the deck, a bathroom with a tub that reminded me of the egg Lady Gaga once arrived in at the Grammys, an indoor-outdoor shower, and a little sitting area with a draped ceiling and a low table surrounded by turquoise floor cushions. One entire wall was made up of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over that spectacular view. The abundance of palm trees surrounding the place (Bensley built the resort without cutting down even one of the 856 on site) made everything feel like a secluded treehouseif your treehouse costs anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 per night, depending on the season.The only thing seemingly missing in residence nine is a gorgeous kitchen. Instead there is a simple room with a refrigerator, really more of an oversized pantry. Thats because the type of guests staying here arent cooking for themselvesbut they arent necessarily eating all of their meals at the hotel restaurants either. Residence nine has a full-fledged kitchen downstairs that guests dont see. So some of these guests come with their own private chefs, and they love it. Otherwise, we have a chef-in-residence program. During your time, all the meals will be freshly cooked for you in the residence, says Assi.The furniture in the residence was changed for filming.Courtesy of HBOProduction designer Cristina Onori dressed the property to be a bit more textured in the show, with rich wood paneling that pops on camera and an overall decor scheme that perhaps looks more stereotypically Thai than the more modern decor of the Four Seasons. But even with the differences in decor, I still truly felt like I was plunged into the show during my stay. I recognized bits and pieces around every corner of the resort, from the breakfast restaurant to a traditional Thai spirit house.Parker Posey and the rest of the Ratliffe family at breakfast.Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBOThis immersive White Lotus experience is something the Four Seasons is fully leaning into and banking on to be a business driver in the coming months. The White Lotus logo remains on the wall by the main pool as a potential photo-op, and Four Seasons properties around the world are offering White Lotus themed cocktails or afternoon tea packages. Around the season three premiere, the Four Seasons Koh Samui website experienced 596% more visitors compared to the year before. Even the properties where seasons one and two were filmed, the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea and San Domenico Palace hotel in Taormina (also a Four Seasons property), respectively, are currently seeing another bump in interest with the release of season three. It doesnt matter that the show is, at its core, a murder mystery that skewers and satires the wealthy, and touches upon the uncomfortable reality of economic inequality by telling the stories of the staff members alongside the guests. If youre one of the lucky few who can afford to access a hotel nestled in impossibly beautiful surroundings, with top-notch service and luxurious amenities, you probably dont care.The view from the main lobby at the resort.Courtesy of Four SeasonsWe are doing better than last year. We can see the bookings are coming up at a much faster pace, says Assi. Guests are telling us, When we come, we want to know all about White Lotus and the locations where it was shot and we want to take pictures. And they are asking about the White Lotus residence, he explains. Im also seeing a change that as more and more private jet people are coming in and booking the private residence, travel agents are asking us to create personalized itineraries in advance. We added four more people to our concierge team to handle this, because now its become very personalized. Amenities have to be personalized.Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola in a scene by the pool, where the White Lotus branding still remains post-filming.Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBOIn a bit of a life-imitates-art twist, it isnt just the hotels appearance on TV that is a draw. The show took over the entire resort for filming, and the cast stayed on the premises. All of the Four Seasons employees I chatted with reminisced fondly about having their workplace full of Hollywood stars, with one remarking that seeing Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, and company lined up on chaise lounges by the pool made it feel very much like the show was actually happeningthough everyone seemed to agree that the cast and crew were lovely, very friendly people, unlike their perpetually out-of-touch characters.