Window shopping #50
Lie-flats in economy, record-breaking business class, and the London hotel opening of the year
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.
Lie-flat beds in economy have existed on international airlines for years, the US just never had one—until now. United announced the Relax Row this week, and they hold exclusivity on the design in North America (which I was in the room for—more on that below). Starting in 2027, planes will feature 9-12 groups of three economy seats that fold into a full lie-flat surface, with a mattress pad, extra pillows, and blankets included. Works solo, as a couple, or as a full family setup, with a stuffed toy thrown in for kids. The Relax Row will be rolling out across 200 planes by 2030.
British Airways is about to have the biggest business class cabin in the sky. The airline is retrofitting its entire A380 fleet with a new Club Suite cabin and an all-new First Class, with the first aircraft expected to return to service in mid-2026. 110 seats taking up the entire upper deck—nothing else flying comes close (Emirates, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines top out at just under 80 on their A380s). Total capacity drops from around 469 seats to 421 to make room for all of it.
Hotel pajamas are having a moment, and I will be championing this forever over the robe agenda. London sleepwear brand Desmond & Dempsey has teamed up with Ash Hotels on a pajama collection titled “Idle Hands,” timed to the upcoming opening of Shenandoah Mansions in Richmond, Virginia. The print: gouache-painted mythical creatures, ghostly spirits, magnolias, and a whisper of Virginia tobacco.
This week, I was invited to attend United’s first-ever Elevated event: a two-day media affair at their hangar at LAX that I genuinely did not want to leave. (I used to dream about attending events like these!) Day one: a demo flight to test Starlink in the air, looping up to San Francisco and back. Day two: a full slate of announcements, a fireside chat with CEO Scott Kirby, and a tour of a 787-9 outfitted with their new interior (where I met Rachel, a Dreamliner pilot around my age—we basically became best friends immediately).
The news came fast. The A321XLR (replacing the 757 on transatlantic routes) will be the first narrowbody aircraft to ever carry a full Polaris cabin, which means lie-flat business class on routes that have never seen it. Then there’s the Coastliner, United’s new transcon aircraft, which will get its own distinct livery painted on the underside (a fun little detail an avgeek like me appreciates). And United is pulling three economy seats to make room for a proper snack bar—something most airlines would never greenlight—and that’s a detail that seriously impressed me. Oh, and attendees were the first to hear about the Relax Row, which is so buzzy that it’s gone viral well beyond the aviation industry.
Six Senses London — London, England
Six Senses finally made it to London—three years late, worth the wait. The brand's first UK property opened early March inside The Whiteley, a Grade II-listed Edwardian landmark and former department store in Bayswater, steps from Hyde Park and Notting Hill. The spa is one of the largest in the capital at 2,300 square metres, anchored by what's believed to be London's first magnesium pool, plus a Finnish sauna, cold plunge, flotation pod, cryotherapy at -110°C, and a full biohacking and longevity zone. There's also Six Senses Place, the brand's first-ever private members club, which is very much giving Soho House a run for its money on the wellness front. The wellness hotel London has needed for years, in the neighborhood everyone forgot about. Bayswater's moment is here.
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.