Whenever we visit our London office, we tend to overdo it—in the best possible way. This time around, we asked our boss, Becca Parrish, to report back on industry trends across the pond. Speaking of hitting the road, ever wonder how the coolest hotels seem to nail every little detail? We do, which is why we grilled hotel whisperer Lisa Reile. Finally, as always—all of those links you should’ve clicked on but might have missed.

Gone are the days of post-trip reminiscing with a mug, keychain or tee that reads “Someone Who Loves Me Went to New Orleans and Got Me This Shirt.” For real cultural cachet, travelers are opting to wear their hotel instead. With a knack for world-building, Lisa Reile is the deft touch behind many of our favorite boutique stays, and the emblazoned hats or custom candles we tuck into our suitcases on the way home. Through her studio, The Reilest, she has helped shape the identities and build the teams behind properties like Tourists, Hotel Saint Cecilia, and The Chloe. Her one pre-req for working with a new client? They have to accept dogs. More from Reile, below, on her key tips for boutique success.

1. Hiring is my secret sauce; I have really good intuition with people. The best hotel hires I’ve made are people who used to be servers, bartenders, or worked in gourmet grocery (I was at Whole Foods for 21 years). From there, you can deal with anything. The most important hire is the Director of F&B. It’s the glue between hotel, restaurant, and events.

2. Two merch products I’d do anywhere: an in-room robe and a trucker hat. I have a retail partner, Susannah Lipsey (Freda), who helps source local artists for one-of-a-kind items. We’re doing $20K a month at The Chloe Nola on merch alone. When starting a hotel project in a new city, I immerse myself at least four weeks beforehand, going to dive bars, fancy restaurants, established haunts, so when we develop products, small touches, even uniforms, it speaks to the place.

3. Sometimes the perfect hotel scent already exists; other times you have to create it. At Chloe Nashville, we use Wonder Valley–it fit the design. At Chloe New Orleans, we developed exclusive products with local Oxalis Apothecary: bath salt, oil shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, incense. A local candle maker even sat by the pool, took in the scents, and created After the Rain and Poolside, which capture the magic of New Orleans after rain.

4. Figure out how to creatively make something really rad without spending all that money. For example, when we opened Tourists, it’s all plywood: the bed, walls, floors, everything and we partnered with a mattress company, which kept our cost per key down. 

5. Know who wants ghostly service. To set a boutique hotel apart, start from the first call or online booking to understand if the guest wants high-touch or low-touch, what I call ghostly service. Some guests want to be treated like royalty; others want anonymity. You need an environment where both can happen at the same time: an Oscar-winning actress with her family in one room and Joe Schmo in the next, and either can interact beautifully or not.

Somehow, every time I go to London, the sun comes out. I don’t know how this keeps happening, but I’ll take it. Like New York, it’s a walking city—once I remind myself to look the wrong way before crossing the street. Beautiful parks everywhere. It’s clean. And noticeably quieter than New York.

We had a real whang-banger of a week. Double dinners, double cocktails. We visited Jeremy King’s stunning Simpson’s on opening night. Tanya, our MD in Europe, really packs it in when the Americans are in town. Respect. Some highlights:

Dogs are happier in London. They can run off-leash in the parks, which makes so much sense. Poor New York City dogs—it’s a hard life, comparatively.

Many restaurants feel communal and offer counter seating exclusively—everyone dining thigh-to-thigh, watching the kitchen action. At Barbary, pictured above, counter seating offers a front-row seat to the open fire, where North African dishes arrive hot and deeply aromatic. Dover Street Counter is hot to trot. Barrafina, Padella, Palomar, Dorian. It’s a whole vibe. 

When I mentioned this to my London friend Ben Schott, he said the funny thing is there are actually very few places to sit and eat at a bar in London, the way we do in New York. Like my favorite bar-dining spot, The Odeon, for instance. 

Speaking of counters, I’m in love with London’s “leaners”—the shelves that run outside alongside pubs and restaurants—sometimes even a two-tier situation, with a small ledge for your wine glass and a lower one for a small plate. No chairs, obviously, but incredibly convivial.

And, honestly, who doesn’t like being outside? Londoners live with more gray skies than most of us—so I imagine if it’s not raining, everyone’s like: Let’s get out there. Might as well have a pint while you’re at it. Because, these days, all we know we have for sure is this minute.

Missing Links

All the articles you should’ve read—but you may have missed.

• Forget bacon, egg and cheese–bagels in Singapore are complete with Korean fried chicken + kimchi slaw. We’re ready for an NYC opening.

• Once cast aside in a small basket on the table, bread is becoming a main design element for luxury events. Nobody puts bread in a corner.

• It takes more than raising prices to run a profitable restaurant–Axios delves into the creative ways owners are trying to level up. 

• Let them eat cake: The food at awards shows is surprisingly bleak. Consider this our official petition to take over the operation. 

• The Met Gala 2026 theme is…fashion? Instead of asking what they’ll be wearing, we’re wondering what they’ll be eating. 

• An unlikely pair: A new wave of Japanese Italian restaurants are opening across the country, serving pastas made with uni and pizzas topped with Kewpie mayo cod-roe cream. Sign us up.

—Jeff Bell on his new opening, Kees