Window shopping #35
A frictionless airport update, a Bond-worthy hotel in France, and a behind-the-scenes tour of Delta HQ
This is Window Shopping, a weekly mini-letter from Window Seat—your stylish scroll through what’s new and noteworthy in the world of travel. Each issue blends timely headlines, personal favorites, and design-forward hotels to keep your wanderlust well-fed.
Apple just launched Digital ID, letting travelers add an ID to Apple Wallet using their U.S. passport and use it at more than 250 TSA checkpoints for domestic flights. You scan your passport in Wallet, verify with a selfie, and your Digital ID will live securely on your device. It doesn’t replace your passport entirely or work for international travel, but it’s a big step toward a fully digital, frictionless airport flow.
Travel budgets may be tightening for most Americans, but the top end of the market is booming. Hilton is seeing softer occupancy overall, yet luxury bookings are still up 2.5% this year, and room rates have never been higher (since 2019, nightly rates have jumped from $1,245 to $2,600 in Paris and from $715 to $1,547 in Rome). But here’s the twist: ultra-luxury hotels prefer lower occupancy. It allows for a more exclusive experience where access isn’t a perk, but the product.
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This month has been packed with press trips, but nothing compares to the whirlwind I had in Atlanta with Delta. As a lifelong Delta loyalist and unapologetic AV geek, this was my Roman Empire.
The single-day itinerary read like something from a dream: a behind-the-scenes tour of the sprawling TechOps maintence facility, observing a jet engine tesing in action, boarding an A330 mid-refurb with its guts exposed, and then climbing into a 737 flight simulator (that, at one point, was also piloted by Tom Cruise). It was completely surreal, emotional, and absolutely exhilarating. I was like a kid in a candy store!!
Maybourne Riviera — Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
Perched high above the Mediterranean in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, this is one of the Côte d’Azur’s most striking hotels both in architecture and attitude. Designed like a gleaming modernist ship carved into the cliffs, it offers panoramic views of Monaco and the glittering sea below. The property is home to restaurants from culinary icons Mauro Colagreco and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, plus a serene infinity pool and spa. Sleek and sculptural, it’s luxury that feels ripped from the reel of a vintage Bond film.
Tori Simokov is a Travel Writer and Graphic Designer/Strategist based in New York. To get in touch, email tori@v1projects.com. Want more? Check out Instagram, TikTok, or shop her curated favorites.