Since the first pop of gunfire in the very first scene of The White Lotus season three, we’ve known that guests and employees would spend at least so
Since the first pop of gunfire in the very first scene of The White Lotus season three, we’ve known that guests and employees would spend at least some of this year’s finale running for their lives. After all, ending each season with a death (or several, in this case) is Mike White’s MO—and this time around, the show’s creator raised the body count from one character to five.
But as White begins plotting season four, the White Lotus itself seems to be grappling with a stern problem: guests in this fictional world must be having second thoughts about booking a vacation at this cursed luxury resort chain. Given the high body count, how could anyone possibly still expect a restorative respite at the White Lotus? And how does the fraudulent hotel chain’s apparently genius PR apparatus manage to keep the place booked and blessed?
“Accidental deaths or murders are not ideal PR for any resort, since guests are headed there to relax and get away from it all, not worry about their untimely demise,” says Kelcey Kintner, senior VP of Red Banyan—a crisis PR firm well-versed in these types of situations. A mass shooting like what we just saw, she says, would be a hotel chain’s worst nightmare.
But scarce as they are, these types of tragedies really do happen at hotels. After the last season of The White Lotus wrapped, there was a mass murder at an actual luxury hotel in Thailand. Three women and three men of Vietnamese descent—some American citizens—were poisoned by cyanide at the Grand Hyatt Erawan in downtown Bangkok over a meal of stir-fried vegetables, fried rice, and tom yum soup. In a plot that echoes what could’ve been the Raitliff’s fate, the main suspect was a member of the group.
Jessica Bradford, founder and president of 2BPR—a public relations firm that represents the Anantara Resorts (where some scenes from this season’s White Lotus were shot)—has seen it all during her 25-year career. “All sorts of crazy things happen at hotels. I’ve dealt with murders on property, I’ve dealt with virus outbreaks, I’ve dealt with 9/11, and I’ve been through a lot of events that have been widely publicized,” she says one week before season three’s final episode airs. “It’s really important to start before anything begins and have a crisis management plan in place long before any crazy guests arrive.” That plan should involve designating who would take charge of handling guests, who would handle media, and conducting drills to ensure a polished process in the event of an emergency. “You don’t know what’s going to happen, just as we don’t know what’s going to happen in the season finale. But at least you have a framework prepared,” she says.
Often, a crisis PR specialist like Kintner is called in to facilitate guide the process. “When you’re in the internal weeds, it’s very hard to step back and look at the big picture, especially when you’re panicking in the chaos,” Kintner says. “That can lead to poor initial decisions that can be very hard to undo later on.”
In the immediate aftermath of a tragedy such as the ones that keep plaguing the White Lotus, the communications team needs to understand the full scope of the incident—whether it was an isolated event or a broader, existing threat, or if any underlying security concerns need to be addressed immediately, says Rachel Stromberg, marketing manager at the InterContinental Boston hotel.
Once the crisis has been assessed, the property is secured and any necessary initial safety protocols are implemented to ensure the safety of guests and staff. Then a crisis PR response plan is deployed, putting the internal hotel PR/social media rep, resort legal team, and resort leadership on the same page. Kintner says all communications should be consistent in case of leaks to the press or social media. “Crisis response is very fluid, and you need to be ready to pivot at any time,” says Kintner.
Speculation can spread quickly, so it’s critical to keep updating guests, staff, and local vendors and partners with “transparency, empathy, and speed,” says Kintner, while respecting any ongoing investigations, says Stromberg. “For our guests, a personal touch goes a long way. I’d make sure to proactively reach out, offering reassurance and addressing any concerns head-on.”
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