The short answer: the most famous screen hotel of the moment is the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, the original White Lotus resort, followed by its Sicilian and Thai successors. Beyond it, Park Hyatt Tokyo (Lost in Translation), the Plaza (Home Alone 2) and the Beverly Wilshire (Pretty Woman) are the hotels viewers most want to stay in. Every one below is real, verified and open to book.
By the Hotels for Kings Editorial Team · Last updated: June 15, 2026
We may earn a commission when you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This collection is editorial — we never accept payment for placement. Every screen association below is verified against the production's reporting or the hotel's own record; where filming used only exteriors or stand-ins, we say so.
The hotels at a glance
How we verified this
"Made famous by" is doing real work here, so we set a bar. Each hotel had to be (1) a genuine filming location or the unambiguous on-screen setting, confirmed by the production's own reporting or the hotel's documented history, and (2) open and bookable in 2026. We flag the common myth, that a whole film was shot inside a hotel when often only the exterior was, with interiors built on a soundstage (the Pretty Woman penthouse is the classic example). Ordered roughly by how strongly the screen association now drives travel, led by the three current White Lotus resorts.
The eight
1
Wailea, Maui · The White Lotus, Season 1 (2021)
The original White Lotus
The screen moment: Mike White's first season of The White Lotus (2021) was filmed almost entirely at this oceanfront Four Seasons in Wailea, which played the fictional resort. The lobby, the pools, Shane and Rachel's suite and the beach are all the real property, and the show turned it into the most talked-about hotel in America overnight.
What you can book: the resort takes normal reservations and openly leans into the connection; ocean-view suites are the ones to request. Honest note: rates rose sharply post-show and Maui's peak winter season books out far ahead, go shoulder-season for the same resort at a saner price.
Source: Four Seasons; Luxury London.
Read our Four Seasons Maui review →
2
Taormina, Sicily · The White Lotus, Season 2 (2022)
The Sicilian White Lotus
The screen moment: Season 2 (2022) moved to this former 14th-century convent on a clifftop in Taormina, overlooking the Ionian Sea with Mount Etna behind. The terraced gardens, the pool and the sea views that frame the season are the genuine hotel, and Taormina tourism climbed on the back of it.
What you can book: sea-view rooms and the famous terrace; the hotel is a working Four Seasons. Honest note: Taormina is small and now very busy in summer, late spring or September give you the same drama with fewer crowds and softer rates.
Source: Four Seasons; Luxury London.
Read our San Domenico Palace review →
3
Koh Samui, Thailand · The White Lotus, Season 3 (2025)
The Thai White Lotus
The screen moment: Season 3 (2025) used this hillside Four Seasons as its primary resort, with its 60 stilted villas, jungle spa and Gulf of Thailand views carrying most of the pool, restaurant and room scenes. Nearby Anantara properties on Samui and in Phuket stood in for other parts of the fictional resort.
What you can book: a residence villa with a private pool and sea view, the show's signature look. Honest note: the resort is on a steep hillside reached by buggy, not a flat beachfront; that is the price of the views.
Source: AFAR; CNN Travel.
Read our Four Seasons Koh Samui review →
4
New York · Home Alone 2 (1992)
Kevin's accidental palace
The screen moment: in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Kevin checks into the Plaza alone on his father's credit card and treats the Fifth Avenue landmark as a playground. The film used the real exterior and interiors, and the Plaza, also seen in The Great Gatsby and North by Northwest, has long played itself on screen.
What you can book: the hotel runs a Home Alone room-service moment at Christmas; any Fifth Avenue–facing room delivers the film's address. Honest note: much of the Plaza is now private residences, so the hotel side is smaller than it looks, book early over the holidays.
Source: Wikipedia; Movie-Locations.
Read our Plaza review →
5
Tokyo · Lost in Translation (2003)
The New York Bar, 52 floors up
The screen moment: Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003) made the Park Hyatt Tokyo one of cinema's most famous hotels, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson adrift among its glass, the 52nd-floor New York Bar and the pool in the clouds. The hotel reopened in December 2025 after a 19-month renovation that deliberately preserved the look guests recognise from the film.
What you can book: a high Park Deluxe room and a drink at the New York Bar at dusk. Honest note: the famous Shinjuku skyline can be hazy; a clear winter evening is the one to aim for.
Source: Euronews.
Read our Park Hyatt Tokyo review →
6
Coronado, San Diego · Some Like It Hot (1959)
Marilyn Monroe's "Florida" resort
The screen moment: Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (released 1959, filmed 1958) used this Victorian beachfront landmark near San Diego as the stand-in for a Florida resort, with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The American Film Institute later voted it the greatest comedy of all time, fixing "The Del" in film history.
What you can book: a room in the original 1888 Victorian building rather than the modern wings, for the on-screen architecture; the historic core, now branded "The Victorian", reopened in 2025 after a major restoration, so it is freshly renovated rather than tired. Honest note: the resort is large and family-busy in summer; the historic charm is concentrated in the old building, so book there specifically.
Source: Hotel del Coronado; Movie-Locations.
Read our Hotel del Coronado review →
7
Beverly Hills · Pretty Woman (1990)
Vivian's Rodeo Drive address
The screen moment: the 1928 Beaux-Arts Beverly Wilshire, at the foot of Rodeo Drive, is the hotel where Vivian (Julia Roberts) tastes the high life in Pretty Woman (1990). The honest truth: only the exteriors were shot here, most interiors were filmed at the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel, and the penthouse was a built set. The hotel embraces it anyway, with a "Pretty Woman for a Day" experience.
What you can book: a room in the historic Wilshire Wing facing Rodeo Drive. Honest note: don't expect the film's exact penthouse, it never existed as a real room.
Source: Four Seasons; Movie-Locations.
Read our Beverly Wilshire review →
8
Paris · Sex and the City (2004)
Carrie's Avenue Montaigne suite
The screen moment: in the 2004 Paris finale of Sex and the City, Carrie decamps to the Hôtel Plaza Athénée on Avenue Montaigne. The production used the hotel's exterior, interiors, a suite and the restaurant; the balcony suite looking toward the Eiffel Tower is now firmly tied to the show in fans' minds.
What you can book: an Eiffel-view room with the hotel's signature red-geranium balcony; a member of the Dorchester Collection, it remains one of Paris's grandes dames. Honest note: the highest Eiffel-view suites are limited and pricey, book well ahead for the exact outlook.
Source: Culture Travel.
Read our Plaza Athénée review →
Set-jetting, sensibly
"Set-jetting", booking the hotel you saw on screen, is now one of luxury travel's strongest currents, and these hotels lean into it with themed suites, packages and tours. Two honest pointers. First, a hit show moves prices and availability fast: Sicily's San Domenico Palace and both the Maui and Koh Samui Four Seasons saw demand jump after The White Lotus, so book early and shoulder-season where you can. Second, check what was actually filmed where, plenty of "movie hotels" supplied only a façade, with the memorable interiors built on a soundstage, so the room you picture may not be a room you can sleep in.
Frequently asked questions
- Where was The White Lotus filmed?
- Each season used a real Four Seasons resort. Season 1 (2021) was shot at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea in Hawaii, Season 2 (2022) at the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily, and Season 3 (2025) primarily at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui in Thailand, with nearby Anantara properties used as stand-ins. All three are bookable.
- What hotel was Lost in Translation filmed in?
- Park Hyatt Tokyo. Sofia Coppola's 2003 film made the hotel's 52nd-floor New York Bar and its skyline views world-famous. The hotel reopened in December 2025 after a 19-month renovation that kept the original look, so the spaces guests recognise from the film are intact.
- Which hotel is in Home Alone 2?
- The Plaza in New York, where Kevin checks in alone on his father's credit card. The Plaza's exterior and several interiors feature throughout the 1992 film, and the hotel, also seen in The Great Gatsby and North by Northwest, leans into the association with a Home Alone room-service package each Christmas.
- Was Pretty Woman really filmed at the Beverly Wilshire?
- Partly. The exteriors of the 1928 Beverly Wilshire (then the Regent Beverly Wilshire) appear in the 1990 film, but most interiors were shot at the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel and the penthouse was a built set. The hotel still embraces it, running a "Pretty Woman for a Day" experience.
- Can I stay in the hotels from these films?
- Yes, every hotel on this list is open and operating in 2026. The three White Lotus resorts, the Park Hyatt Tokyo, the Plaza, Hotel del Coronado, the Beverly Wilshire and the Plaza Athénée all take normal bookings. Specific "hero" suites seen on screen can usually be requested, sometimes at a premium and with a waitlist after a show airs.
- What hotel was Some Like It Hot filmed at?
- Hotel del Coronado near San Diego, which stood in for a Florida resort in Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The Victorian beachfront landmark, opened in 1888, leans on the connection in its own history tours.
- Which Paris hotel is in Sex and the City?
- Hôtel Plaza Athénée on Avenue Montaigne, where Carrie stays in the 2004 Paris finale. The production used the hotel's exterior, interiors, a suite and the restaurant; the balcony suite overlooking the Eiffel Tower is now widely associated with the show.
- Does staying at a film-location hotel cost more?
- The hotels are priced as the luxury properties they already were, but a hit show reliably pushes up demand and rates, Sicily's San Domenico Palace and the Koh Samui and Maui Four Seasons all saw booking surges after The White Lotus aired. If a specific on-screen suite matters to you, book early and expect a premium.
