How Murray Bartlett's The White Lotus Role Impacted His Own Hotel Habits
Created by Mike White, Season 1 of "The White Lotus" follows a group of vacationers at a luxury resort in Hawaii called, appropriately enough, The White Lotus, while also chronicling the trials and tribulations of the hotel staff. The series was praised for its sharp writing, talented cast, and more, earning 20 Emmy nominations and winning 10.
One of those trophies went to Murray Bartlett, who plays the White Lotus' manager, Armond. Armond is a recovering drug addict, but relapses due to the stress caused by some recently-arrived guests — namely, the demanding and snooty Shane Patton (Jake Lacy). Armond only spirals further from there, even going so far as to steal another guest's drug stash. The clash between Armond and Shane continues to escalate over the course of the season, until finally Shane stabs Armond after Armond breaks into Shane's room.
Ultimately, Armond knows better than anyone how much guests' behavior can affect the personal lives of the staff. Thus, it's no surprise that Bartlett has changed his hotel-staying habits following his stint on "The White Lotus."
Bartlett is now diligent about not being an obnoxious guest
In February 2022, Murray Bartlett appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to discuss all things "The White Lotus." During the interview, Bartlett said that the manager of the real hotel used as a filming location wasn't present during the shoot, so he couldn't observe a manager's behavior, but that he found himself wanting to be a better hotel guest anyhow.
Bartlett said that the show made him "super aware of not being the obnoxious kind of guest." He went on to elaborate that, because the hotel had a smaller staff than normal due to the pandemic and filming regulations, things weren't running as smoothly as they normally would. Because of this, one day Bartlett became annoyed that his laundry wasn't back in time. "I was about to pick up the phone and become that obnoxious character from 'White Lotus' and I was like, I can't do that." Hopefully, Bartlett says, the show makes everyone think a little harder before making complaints to hotel workers.
Kimmel seemed to agree, quipping, "Every time now that either my wife or I is complaining about something we shouldn't be complaining about, we'll say to the other, 'Don't be White Lotus.'"
The White Lotus creator Mike White has also become more aware of his hotel habits
In an August 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mike White, creator of "The White Lotus," discussed exploring the two sides of a hotel — the lives of the guests and those of the employees — and noted that he was inspired by having friends who represent both.
White went on to declare that Shane was the easiest character to write because his entitled nature is something that many people can relate to, even if they don't take things to the same level. "There are moments [as a guest] where you're like, 'I paid for this!" White said. "There will be some injustice, and you pull back on yourself and you realize, 'Oh my God, I am that guy. I just said that!'"
White then shared a recent event from his own life: After arriving at a hotel, he was told that his room wouldn't be ready until 4 p.m., despite promises that it would be ready two hours earlier. He was annoyed at first, but White soon realized that he was overreacting. "It's hard. Our whole world orients you to having a life of comfort and convenience," White said. "That's why we grind throughout the week, so we can have these moments of like, 'I'm on vacation and I should have the room that I wanted.' And then you realize how privileged that is to even have a vacation and all those things."