Fairmont Raffles has five hotels in the pipeline for Egypt – Godwin Austen Johnson to design three
by Helen Andrews | 30 Apr 2015
FRHI Hotels & Resorts has signed agreements with developer Citystars Properties to brand and operate two new hotel projects in Egypt, in addition to the three hotels planned at the separate Sharm El Sheikh development.
The two new projects include Fairmont Soma Bay, south of Hurghada on the eastern shores of Egypt on the Red Sea coast, and a Swissôtel in Katameya in Cairo. Both are scheduled to open before 2020.
The Fairmont property, which is part of a 1,000-hectare (2,471-acre) mixed-use development, will offer 300 bedrooms – including the brand’s hotel within a hotel concept Fairmont Gold. There will also be 150 Fairmont-branded residences for sale, comprehensive diving and kite-surfing facilities, four dining venues, more than 2,500sq m (26,910sq ft) of meeting and event space, as well as a wellness centre and spa with views of desert and mountains – surrounded by sea on all sides.
Details of the spa at this property have yet to be revealed.
The Swissôtel in Cairo will have 250 guestrooms and 50 residential apartments, a variety of restaurants and a signature Alpine Pürovel Spa and Sport centre.
Separate to these two new signings, FRHI will brand and operate the three hotels planned at Citystars’ Sharm El Sheik development with each of its three brands: Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel. Designed by Godwin Austen Johnson, the complex will spread over 750 hectares (1,853 acres), including 22km (14 miles) of white sandy beaches.
The development will feature an 18-hole Colin Montgomery golf course and an enormous man-made crystal blue lagoon swimming pool. The crystal lagoon measures 12 hectares (30 acres) and will be used for swimming and water sports.
Citystars’ Sharm El Sheik development will feature a 12-hectares (30-acre) manmade crystal lagoon for swimming and watersports Credit: GAJ Architects
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Andrew Gibson outlines fitness and spa concepts for FRHI's brands
22 Sep 2014
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14 Jul 2014
FRHI appoints Lindsay Madden-Nadeau as director of spa integration and operations
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Anne McCall Wilson questions poor participation in spa benchmarking programmes
FRHI Hotels & Resorts has signed agreements with developer Citystars Properties to brand and operate two new hotel projects in Egypt, in addition to the three hotels planned at the separate Sharm El Sheikh development. The two new projects include Fairmont Soma Bay, south of Hurghada on the eastern shores of Egypt on the Red Sea coast, and a Swissôtel in Katameya in Cairo. Both are scheduled to open before
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Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
by Liz Terry | 04 Jun 2026
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while remaining actively involved with the company. Ownership has transferred to president Carmel Lewis, chief creative officer Christian Lachel and vice presidents of story and creative, Brad Shelton and Matthew Solari. The move formalises a leadership structure that the company says has been operating in
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
by Helen Andrews | 03 Jun 2026
Lithuanian care operator Addere Care has launched a “wellness care hospital” in Vilnius. It's the company’s second Lithuanian site, following a hospital in Trakai, but the first to offer professional medical care in a spa resort environment. The new 4,400sq m facility has been developed within a reconstructed former hotel. It features 160 rooms and a day care centre that can accommodate up to 12 patients at a time. The
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
by Liz Terry | 27 May 2026
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by Helen Andrews | 28 May 2026
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Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
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MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
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Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
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As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work). Running at London’s Cristea Roberts Gallery from 5 June to 11 July 2026, Yinka Ilori: Joy Through Resistance, He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best, spans new
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Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
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by Helen Andrews | 06 May 2026
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Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
by Kath Hudson | 04 May 2026
A wellness club opens on London’s River Thames in June, offering luxury facilities and personalised wellness protocols focused on recovery and longevity. Sæl Spa at Fulham Pier – London’s new lifestyle destination on the River Thames – will be set across four floors and has been conceived as a “modern British sanctuary.” Facilities include a 15-metre heated rooftop infinity pool and sun terrace and a movement studio with integrated infrared
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by Helen Andrews | 30 Apr 2026
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David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
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New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
by Helen Andrews | 20 Apr 2026
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by Magali Robathan | 16 Apr 2026
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Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
by Helen Andrews | 14 Apr 2026
The €200m (US$221.3 million, £169.7 million) Pical Resort, Valamar Collection has opened in Croatia with the country’s first ESPA spa. Valamar Riviera, a Croatian tourism company and hotel operator has revealed the 514-key property in Poreč, Istria. The development of the Pical Resort represents Valamar’s largest investment to date. The accommodation is split into the following options: the Pical Hotel, the luxury all-inclusive Pical Family Hotel, the exclusive Pical Suites
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
by Helen Andrews | 13 Apr 2026
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has revealed plans to expand its presence in Egypt with the renovation and operation of two historic hotel properties and the brand’s first-ever luxury river cruise. In 2022, Mandarin Oriental announced it would open its first Egyptian property, Mandarin Oriental Shepheard in Cairo. The hotel is undergoing a comprehensive renovation and is due to open in 2027. Ownership and development The river cruise, Old Cataract
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
by Helen Andrews | 27 Mar 2026
Holistic design and architecture practice Mendil + Meyer, based in Arizona in the US, has introduced a new division called Lām Concepts to integrate and align wellness goals for projects before they reach the design stage. Ben Meyer, architect and co-founder of Mendil + Meyer, told Spa Business exclusively about the new division: “Lām comes from the word loam, meaning fertile ground – the place where conditions are right for
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by Helen Andrews | 05 Mar 2026
Wilderness, an operator of 60 safari camps across eight African countries, has unveiled the second spa under its new concept called The Sanctuary, at Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda. The Sanctuary is a concept that pairs design and wellness with raw, restorative landscapes. The offering at the Rwandan property follows the opening of a different interpretation of The Sanctuary’s concept at Wilderness Mombo in Botswana. Read more about that property here.
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
by Helen Andrews | 04 Mar 2026
Design firm 4a Architekten has shared details of the recently-completed extension to the wellness facilities at destination spa park Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa in Germany. The upgrades to the leisure pool facility, which has been in operation since 1984, included the addition of a thermal spa and sauna in a new building that integrated sensitively into the landscape. Commissioned by the facility’s operator, utility company Stadtwerke Bad Dürkheim, the
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