Window shopping #62
A new kind of patriotic bucket-list trip, five-star hotels outsourcing their lifestyle footprints, and a hidden concrete music sanctuary in Rio
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.
America’s 250th birthday is inspiring a new kind of bucket-list trip. United is seeing a surge in bookings to destinations that tell America’s story, from Philadelphia and Boston to gateways for Yellowstone and Acadia National Park. The airline expects roughly 6 million passengers to fly over the Independence Day travel period, and if you’re lucky, your flight might even be operated by one of United’s newly unveiled “Stars and Stripes” aircraft, a patriotic paint job that’s particularly fitting for the country’s milestone anniversary.
Five-star properties are increasingly outsourcing their lifestyle footprints. This summer, Alo is executing a massive Riviera takeover, embedding its brand identity into Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, Hôtel La Ponche in Saint-Tropez (a personal fav), and building on its previous resort debut at the Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum. It’s a full operational integration; Alo is absorbing everything from beach club aesthetics and property boutiques to curated fitness programming (partnering on beachfront Pilates and run clubs at the Martinez and intimate yoga sessions at La Ponche). For luxury operators, it’s a blueprint for a new era of asset utilization where hotels don't just provide amenities, but partner with outside brands to build entire lifestyle ecosystems. I’m curious: would a branded partnership like this ever factor into your decision-making when booking a stay?
Naturally, now that I’ve gotten a taste of the trail, I have completely lost my mind to the hiking algorithm. My feed is a non-stop loop of jagged peaks and pristine glacial lakes and I’m 100% here for it. I’m currently deep in the research phase of planning a major mountain trek for next summer and trying to decide between Banff, the Swiss Alps, or the Dolomites. To prepare, my online cart has basically become an aesthetic outdoor mood board, which you can see above.
If you’ve done any of these trips, please comment with your hiking tips, tricks, or trail recommendations. I need all the expert advice I can get!
Chez Georges — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Winding all the way up the cobbled hills of Santa Teresa, you pull up to an unmarked wooden gate that looks like a private residence, only to enter through a garage and board a glass elevator that climbs straight up the mountainside. This is the opening act at Chez Georges, a 1970s Brazilian Brutalist estate that turns the idea of a cold concrete fortress completely on its head. The architecture relies on soaring, raw arches, but the genius is in how the space is softened and warmed by deep hardwoods and panoramic views of the Atlantic rainforest canopy. The real kicker here, though, is that the entire house doubles as an active creative playground; it features a full, state-of-the-art music recording studio hidden beneath the pool deck, with every guest suite wired directly into the soundboard via built-in cable patches. If you ever need an excuse to spend your mornings listening to bossa nova on a panoramic roof deck overlooking Sugarloaf Mountain (twist my arm) and your afternoons hiding from the humidity in a mid-century design sanctuary, this is absolutely it.
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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.
The brand thing wouldn’t convince me to stay there especially - but it’s interesting!
Are Salomons comfy? I’ve been resisting…
The Dolomites are on my list, so that’s what I would pick (although I’ve done the other two and both are GORGEOUS). You might also consider Patagonia, too! The W and O trails are multi-day hikes near Torres del Paine that people love (haven’t personally done those yet). We loved Laguna de los Tres from El Chalten (12 miles) - a gorgeous day hike up to a glacial lake below Mount Fitz Roy.