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.
Airline marketing teams have officially abandoned traditional press releases in favor of viral, internet-fueled scavenger hunts and stunts to announce their 2027 route expansions. Leading the charge, United dropped a social video packed with cryptic easter eggs to tease its largest-ever expansion, adding 10 new international destinations across Europe and Asia like Okinawa and Ljubljana, Slovenia. The announcement was paired with a media event (that I got to attend!) at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, along with a tour of their all-new A321XLR, a narrowbody that will serve half of the new routes and come outfitted with 20 Polaris lie-flat seats. Later in the week, American Airlines jumped in with its own social campaign, dropping a riddle-filled "menu" loaded with ciphers and codes for us to decode, eventually dropping their three new international routes: Vienna, Reykjavik, and Porto (with 7 new routes total). Interesting that both airlines decided we need to be codebreakers all of a sudden? Taking a completely different approach, Alaska Airlines sent out PR boxes containing business-class tickets, allowing creators to actually visit one of their two new 2027 destinations, either Paris or Athens.
Boeing sent out PR mailers this week in celebration of the 787 Dreamliner’s 15th anniversary.
Delta and American Express just announced new limited-time welcome offers for their co-branded card. Starting August 27 through November 4, 2026, new Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card Members can now earn two round-trip Delta Comfort Flight Certificates plus 50,000 Bonus Miles after spending $10,000 in their first six months. Premium business travelers can also score up to 200,000 Bonus Miles on the Reserve Business Card. The offers complement summer perks like the new Second Bag Free benefit for Basic Economy ticket holders and rideshare credits for Gold Card Members.
Japanese streetwear brand BEAMS teamed up with All Nippon Airways for an aviation-themed collaboration collection called “FLOW.” Directed by Kohei Okita (VINYL ARCHIVE), with playful artwork by German artist Stefan Marx, the lineup includes five graphic tees, a multi-shoulder pouch, and a sleek 3-piece compression packing set.
If you’re heading to London anytime soon (I literally just got back), you’ll want to know about this hotel I stayed at. The Hari, a stunning luxury hotel in Belgravia, is releasing 10 rooms for just £10 in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Available for one day only, bookings open at 10:00am (GMT) on August 31st on a first-come, first-served basis (blackout dates & conditions apply).
Giveaway Winner: Massive congratulations to Erin!! Check your DMs to claim your new piece. Can’t wait to match.
Next Week: I’m finally publishing a 2026 reader Q&A edition next week. Send me any and all questions, whether you want the raw truth about being a travel writer, Substack tips, my holy-grail packing products, my thoughts on recent industry news—anything goes! Leave a comment here or drop a DM (anonymous queries welcome).
Hotel Lucille — Silver Lake, California
One of LA’s most interesting upcoming hotel openings is hiding inside a nearly century-old church in Silver Lake. It’s rare that a stateside hotel catches my eye in this kind of way, but then again, this is a property that has an interesting origin story. Originally a 1931 Romanesque church, the team behind Surfrider in Malibu, Casetta Hotels, preserved much of its character while transforming it into a very intimate neighborhood hotel. Now it has 25 guest rooms, a pool, a rooftop with sweeping views of the city, and a restaurant in the main sanctuary, and an eclectic design that’s given the old church an entirely new life.
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.
Reader Q&A: I’m a creative director working corporate so we’re inundated with “AI” everything. As a travel writer and brand builder, how is it, if it is, affecting you or the travel you write about?
A few questions!
- how do you choose your next vacation/travel destination?
- do you have any tips for upgrading an existing ticket? Is it even possible? Backstory: I booked a nonstop to Venice on United for a wedding aka inflexible date, upgrade for lay flat for one way was $6300 and now $8500!! I have some Amex and United points and I am also willing to pay $$ but not THAT much $$$$$!! Also I have a United credit card