Mike White, the creator of the HBO series The White Lotus, was in Thailand searching for the perfect place to film the show’s third season. His journey had led him to Koh Samui and into the open-air lobby of the Four Seasons Resort, overlooking lush mountains, glimmering ocean and US$9,000 (RM40,530)-a-night villas.
The hotel’s general manager, Jasjit Singh Assi, was ready with his pitch. But it didn’t take much to persuade White.
