At a Glance
- The Traitors films at 170-year-old Ardross Castle but contestants sleep 45 minutes away
- Host Alan Cumming and all players stay in Inverness airport hotel, not the castle
- Producers visited 40+ castles before choosing Ardross for its Gothic Disney vibe
- Only downstairs areas appear on screen; upstairs and grounds stay off-limits
Why it matters: Fans obsessed with the show’s eerie atmosphere now know the castle magic is pure TV trickery.
The stone walls and candlelit halls of The Traitors look ancient, but the cast’s beds are strictly modern. Since 2022 the Peacock hit has filmed inside Ardross Castle, a 19-century Scottish estate, yet every player rides a shuttle to an airport hotel each night.
Host Alan Cumming spilled the secret in a January 2023 interview: “They all stayed in the airport hotel in the Inverness airport.” He added his own digs are no grander-“a little cottage in Inverness.”
How Ardross Castle Became the Show’s Star
Executive producer Rosie Franks told the Los Angeles Times that the castle’s identity is baked into the series. “We’d struggle to make the same show without it,” she said. The production hunted across Scotland, touring more than 40 estates before landing on the 100-acre property beside the River Alness.
Mike Cotton, another executive producer, described the selection criteria:
- Rooms large enough for the iconic round table
- A “Disney castle” look with Gothic undertones
- Isolated location so players feel fully immersed
Cotton recalled the moment producers found an underground dungeon during season 2. “We’d walked over it for a whole year,” he said. That space later hosted the pivotal scene where Phaedra Parks asked Kate Chastain to become a traitor.
What Viewers Never See
Cameras stay downstairs. Upstairs bedrooms, the full grounds, and the distant hotel remain off-screen. Cotton explained that letting 20 contestants wander the entire 100 acres would be “impossible to cover.”
The nightly shuttle run is equally cloak-and-dagger. Cotton called moving players to and from the hotel “a military operation.” Producers refuse to reveal timing or routes, fearing any detail could help contestants sniff out the traitors.
Can Fans Visit the Set?
Ardross Castle is not open for public tours. The McTaggart family, owners since the early 1980s, rent the property for weddings and private events only. Any bride who books the great hall walks the same floor where Alan Cumming delivers his dramatic round-table speeches.
Key Takeaways
- The castle’s 170-year-old stone is real; the overnight stay is not
- Producers chose Ardross for its theatrical look after scouting dozens of estates
- Shuttle secrecy protects the game’s core deception
- Fans can’t tour, but couples can marry where traitors scheme
Amanda S. Bennett reported for News Of Losangeles.
