Window shopping #51
The Gold Card turns 60, lie-flat suites from Seattle, and the lounge network getting bigger
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.
To celebrate it’s 60th anniversary, the Amex Gold Card dropped a collection with cult-favorite fashion brand STAUD. The collection is inspired by resortwear and travel motifs; they sent me the Timmy bag, scarf, and one of the tees from the collection (dying that it has an airplane on it) and it’s all just so ME. I love a brand that does collabs right. Two notes: you can earn a $90 statement credit if you spend $350+ at STAUD on your Gold card ‘til June, and I genuinely recommend you get a Gold card if you don’t have one. This will be my 10th year as an Amex Card Member and the Gold Card is one of the hardest working in my wallet because of the 4x points you get on dining and groceries, which tend to be two of the biggest spending categories.
Alaska Airlines unveiled its first-ever International Business Class this week and it looks promising. The hard product: fully lie-flat suites with privacy doors (!), direct aisle access, and 18” HD screens are launching on new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners on routes from Seattle to Rome, London, Seoul, and Tokyo, plus Starlink WiFi rolling out on the 787-9 fleet this fall. The soft product: Filson bedding, Salt & Straw sundae service at dessert, route-specific menus by Seattle chef Brady Ishiwata Williams, and amenity kits in two exclusive Filson colorways with Salt & Stone skincare. Would genuinely love to experience it!
Remember the new Sidecar Lounge by American Express? We’re getting another at Charlotte Douglas! I’m so pleased to see this concept expanding. But that’s not all for Centurion—we’ll also see a two-story lounge with an outdoor terrace at Boston Logan (2029) and a nearly 50% larger space at Dallas Fort Worth with a second full bar and a walk-up ice cream window (2027). The Centurion Lounge has always been the card benefit that gets people to finally get the card, and the Sidecar format is interesting because it solves the overcrowding problem without sacrificing the elevated food-and-drink experience that made the original worth waiting in line for. I’m here for Amex doubling down on the lounge as the centerpiece of its travel value proposition, and the Sidecar rollout signals they’re thinking about scale without compromising the thing that made it special.
Delta just announced it’s partnering with Amazon Leo to bring high-speed satellite WiFi to 500 aircraft. It will promise up to 1 Gbps speeds and gate-to-gate connectivity free for SkyMiles members but there’s quite a big catch: installations don’t even start for two years. In the meantime, United, Alaska, and Southwest are all already mid-Starlink rollout. In-flight WiFi is quickly becoming a deciding factor in airline choice for the kind of remote-working, always-connected traveler that makes up a growing share of premium cabin bookings. Delta’s bet on Amazon may pay off long-term, but the two-year gap is real—and the connectivity gap between carriers is only widening in the meantime.
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I filmed an updated travel essentials kit video on my way to LA (so keep in mind this is just my kit for shorter transcon flights), and it popped off a bit on TikTok, so I thought I would share the list here, too.
Bag (cheaper alt here, here) | Charger with kickstand | Earplugs | Electrolytes | Stress relief rollerball | Melatonin | Glasses | Jacket
I asked people in the comments what they’d add: compression socks, no-water headache relief, disinfectant wipes, Wisps, multi-cable power bank
Also, I didn’t know this, but you can take your Tumi to a store and get your initials embroidered, so I’ll be doing that too!
Capella Kyoto — Kyoto, Japan
Capella opened its first Japan property on March 22, and it managed to time the arrival almost perfectly with cherry blossom season, which feels less like a coincidence and more like the brand understanding exactly what it's doing. The 89-room hotel sits in Miyagawa-cho, the most storied of Kyoto's geisha districts, steps from Kenninji Temple and the Kamo River, inside a building that was once a neighborhood elementary school. Details I love: the restaurant is a 12-seat counter done in the format of a private ochaya teahouse; there are six onsen suites that have private hot spring baths. Kyoto is one of my favorite places I’ve visited (and is home to what ranks as my top hotel), so I’m eager to stay here and see how it compares.
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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.