Emma Winder's Travel Essentials—A Tale From W Hotels
After a trip to Budapest with W Hotels, Emma Winder is feeling refreshed. And we don’t blame her—after a couple of days’ sojourning with one of the world’s most stylish lifestyle hotel chains and being shown the ins and outs of its recent transformation, who wouldn’t be? The black-fringed, red-lipsticked content creator and interview host who accurately predicted the United Kingdom’s great “Hedi boy invasion” of 2025 had a fabulous time in the City of Spas—so much so, in fact, that she couldn’t leave the hotel.
Sure, Emma’s glamorous appearance in W Hotels’ latest campaign, Hotel Tales—which marks an entirely new era for the brand—was not technically a real holiday, but her stylistic synergy with the Budapest branch’s palatial interior had us, and her, convinced. “It’s like the grandness I style myself with,” Emma says, “in architectural form.” This was the ultimate home-away-from-home for the social media star’s nostalgic-chic, pirate-adjacent look. And with the hotel's ethos of detail-driven design, as well as its newfound commitment to providing elevated, anticipatory service, it’s no wonder she didn’t want to leave.
Internet style icon as she is, it seemed only right that we should quiz Emma about her top ten (hopelessly impractical) travel essentials. So, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, she jumped on a Zoom call from her home in Brighton to tell us all about her holiday habits, her luxurious stay at W Budapest, and why a sense of whimsy is the most important thing you can pack. Read on for the list.
1) CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, FÉTICHE LA ROSE
JUSTIN KENDALL: Hey Emma! So, we’re talking your travel essentials. I’m looking at your list, and I want to start with fragrance, because this seems like something that’s pretty key to your personality.
EMMA WINDER: Definitely. So I have a few perfumes—I’m addicted to carrying so many fragrances around on me. I just love collecting them, especially from the different places I go to. Christian Louboutin’s Fétiche la Rose is a classic for me. Another one I really love is the Chrome Hearts +22+ perfume. It's a little roll-on. It’s such a flex because it’s so tiny and has this really heavy metal cap—I roll it on and then spray Fétiche La Rose on top.
People always say “You smell very… interesting” because it’s such a unique concoction. And you don’t know if it’s a compliment or not—but it means you’ll remember me. Like okay, I’m in the room.
2) GREEN GUCCI DRESS
EW: This is one of my favorite dresses in my collection. I got it in a vintage store in Milan; it’s an absolute essential. People will probably recognise it from online—it’s become kind of a part of my brand.
3) MICROPHONE
EW: Always. I mean, she's always with me. I would say if someone made me choose between underwear or my microphone, I'd take my microphone.
4) ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA, SMEG KETTLE
EW: I always take my tea and a kettle with me when I’m travelling. That's not even a joke—I literally have a tiny SMEG.
JK: No wonder you’re over the weight limit…
EW: Literally—but that's where my confidence comes from. Highly caffeinated Emma.
5) RED LIPSTICK
EW: Ooh, this is another top-tier essential. This and the mic. I always think of red lipstick as my nude lipstick. It's something that when I put on, it just feels natural—it makes me feel more like me.
JK: Which brand are we talking?
EW: I have a few. I have a liquid lipstick which I use from Mac—Dance With Me, Retro Matte. I use that for if it's gonna be a long night and I need something to stay on, to not get in the teeth. Especially because a lot of my content is filmed with flash or at night with bright lights, and for some reason the pigments look incredible on camera. So that one’s really, really good.
Another is the YSL Couture The Slim, which I actually found the other day was discontinued. I was so heartbroken, I was gonna crash out when they told me. But one that’s very similar is the Gucci matte lipstick, I think the Rosso Ancora one in their staple red shade. So those are my top three I’d say.
6) ‘70s CIGARETTE CASE
EW: This one goes back to the chic sort of vibe. I’m like a magpie really, I like to go round and collect stuff. In Paris, I went to a lot of these vintage markets and I saw old sixties and seventies cigarette cases. I don’t really smoke so I don’t need to use it, but I was like, “what can I do with this?” So now I keep my single individually wrapped tea bags in there, and sometimes I'll put a cigarette in there for someone else. A little care package.
7) SLIPPERS
EW: I need good slippers when I’m travelling. Sometimes I get funny with my bare feet on cold tiles. But actually, the ones at W Budapest were so nice, it was like being at home—actually cushiony, not those paper thin ones.
8) PILLOWCASE
EW: Pillowcases are important! Especially 'cause my hair is a very specific cut. And when it gets frizzy, it's kind of weird. But having a decent cotton pillowcase gives me that lived-in rockstar hair in the morning, with all the layers and stuff. When I stayed in the newly renovated W New York – Union Square, I had great hair for the week—and I don’t think it was the New York water. So yeah, shout out the pillowcase brand.
9) SENSE OF WHISMY
EW: I think everyone needs this—whether it's in yourself or those around you, you need a dose of whimsy. I think the world can be pretty bland and if you go to a new country, a new place, you need to bring good vibes, and just be sort of whimsical. If you have a sense of whimsy about you, you’ll naturally attract other like-minded people. So that’s an essential for me for sure.
10) HEDI BOY REPELLENT
EW: Especially in these European countries, they’re honestly everywhere! In Paris, you’re gonna walk past a Hedi boy multiple times a day. Sometimes they’re out and about, sometimes they’re hiding. Be sure to pack your repellent so you don’t become affected.
You can watch Emma star in W Hotels’ Hotel Tales campaign by clicking here. Budapest is just the start—stay tuned for more episodes and more destinations.
