‘The White Lotus’ Takes Over Cannes, and Even the Rich Can’t Get Rooms

*The HBO hit is filming in the home of the world’s biggest film festival, underscoring television’s growing power over culture and tourism.*

*Benoit Berthelot for Bloomberg News*

With a white Art Deco facade, the Hôtel Martinez is a Cannes landmark, and a beating heart of the world’s most prestigious annual film festival. Its private beach, calm terrace, rooftop and suites host some of the biggest stars and parties, including this year’s jury dinner, which was attended by actor Demi Moore and director Chloé Zhao, among others. It costs at least €2,500 ($2,900) to spend a night here during the 12-day-long event, but as little as €800 the week after. During the festival, temporary barriers stop a horde of fans and paparazzi from entering.

Inside, most guests seem blissfully unaware that another circus is coming to town: hit HBO series *The White Lotus*. For the upcoming season, the Hôtel Martinez will be transformed into *The White Lotus Cannes*. Displaying the sort of discretion that defines his profession, the Martinez’s concierge sidesteps questions about the production, insisting for now that there is “no filming in sight.” He quickly changes the topic, with a touch of sass in his voice: “Do you have any errands we can take care of?”

It was this kind of quintessential encounter with the French hospitality industry that inspired the *White Lotus* team to pick Cannes as a location. Producer David Bernad said that while at a restaurant, he and show creator Mike White had “a really specific experience with a waiter and the maître d’, and it was the stereotype” that convinced them to cancel location scouting elsewhere.

[Read the full dispatch here.](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-22/cannes-2026-hbo-s-white-lotus-filming-preps-france-for-tourism-boost?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3OTQ3MTkxMiwiZXhwIjoxNzgwMDc2NzEyLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJURkZCQTJLSVAzSzYwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJEMzU0MUJFQjhBQUY0QkUwQkFBOUQzNkI3QjlCRjI4OCJ9.OrRqKWG4f9NWBGmkTGEnSaQd3R-gcso8sbXJApGwTGQ)