Window shopping #65
New York City's first Relais & Châteaux hotel, upgrading daily shower rituals, and London's hospitality masterclass
This is Window Shopping, a weekly briefing from Window Seat. Every issue covers essential news in luxury travel, spotlights one exceptional hotel, and shares personal updates or recent product discoveries.
Popular award-booking platform Seats.aero (my personal favorite tool for searching award availability) launched a new Chrome extension that overlays award flight pricing and transfer partner availability directly inside Google Flights. Instead of jumping back and forth between tabs, travelers can now cross-reference award redemption rates across multiple loyalty programs while searching for cash fares. It’s a free extension (!) that includes custom filters for specific award programs and point caps, though early testers note occasional login bugs and recommend double-checking availability directly on airline sites before transferring points, as once they’re moved you can’t transfer back.
New York City is finally getting a Relais & Châteaux hotel: The Nell New York, opening in 2027. Brought to Manhattan by the team behind Aspen’s legendary Little Nell, it will mark the first and only hotel located inside Rockefeller Center. For the uninitiated, Relais & Châteaux isn't a typical luxury chain, but a global association of independent properties evaluated on the "5 c’s": character, charm, calm, courtesy, and cuisine. Expect a heavy focus on high gastronomy, historic architecture, and white-glove service.
I’ve been talking a lot lately about how being back at home has meant settling back into the rhythm of daily life and finding new routines, and part of that for me has always meant asking, “How can I upgrade something small and make it feel a little more luxurious?”
Blame it on being spoiled so much by hotel luxury lately, or just my firm belief that you should treat yourself every day regardless. I think a really easy place to start is in the shower. Now, I keep a lamp in there just for ambiance, so it really shouldn’t be any surprise that I’m trying to make the whole experience feel as spiritually 5-star spa as possible.
Lately, that means reaching for products that give me that elevated feel in as few steps as possible, which is why I’ve been loving the new Dove Serum+ Oil Body Wash with Almond Oil & Sandalwood. It has that rich, silky texture you want from an oil-based formula, but rinses clean without leaving a heavy, greasy film. Even in the summer, my skin gets surprisingly dry; I love that the glycerin here works to attract and lock in hydration where I need it most.
Combining what used to be a two-step routine into one, it leaves my skin feeling deeply hydrated, smooth, and noticeably pampered. It’s a small, practical upgrade, but it turns an ordinary shower into a daily ritual. (Available now at Dove.)
At Sloane — Chelsea, London
The Window Seat chat popped off when I admitted I still have yet to visit London. And rightfully so! But I am seriously hoping to change that by year’s end.
I’ve seen so many great properties across the city, but one I haven’t been able to stop thinking about as of late is At Sloane. Looking at its facade, you’d barely know it’s a hotel—and once inside, the energy leans far more toward a private townhome than a traditional lobby. The layout moves effortlessly between extremes: a bright, sixth-floor space serving unpretentious French classics, down to an intimate, Arts & Crafts basement bar tucked away on Holbein Place for late-night Champagne and DJ-spun sets. Simply put, it’s a design masterclass—the sort of place that, I think, would make me look around and immediately rethink my entire apartment layout.
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Window Seat covers the intersection of luxury hospitality, aviation innovation, and the culture of modern travel, written by Tori Simokov, a writer and designer based in New York. For partnership opportunities: tori@v1projects.com. You can also connect with her on Instagram, TikTok, or ShopMy.
Omg the seats.aero plug in! This is news to me!!