The Ritz-Carlton is opening a new hotel and spa near Scottsdale, Arizona with a focus on fitness, health and wellbeing.

The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, developed by Five Star Development Resort Communities, will include a 10,000sq ft (929sq m) spa with ten treatment rooms, in addition to a residential component.

Designed by Peter T. Mason of California-based Mason Architects, the Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley will be spread over 20 acres and consist of 200 casita-style guest rooms. The design will employ “simple, elegant forms to create relaxed, comfortable spaces in the time-honoured tradition of luxury architecture,” Five Star Development said.

Water features will cascade from the elevated Grand Lobby down through to the spa, which will be at the end of the central axis, farthest from the public spaces and on the lowest portion of the site.

The spa is envisioned as a sanctuary dedicated to health and wellbeing, centred around the last two pools of the oasis meander, and is separated from the rest of the resort by a mature citrus grove, which will grow seasonal produce for the on-site restaurants.

The wellness programme will include indoor and outdoor desert-inspired treatments, and the spa will feature sauna, steam, a 'chill zone' room, whirlpool and experience showers, as well as quiet gardens, outdoor experience pools and relaxation areas.

The couples treatment rooms will have views of Camelback Mountain, and in keeping with the rest of the resort, an emphasis is placed on the careful use of materials to create “a compelling sense of connection with the healing energy of the natural world,” the company said.

A 2,500sq ft (232sq m) fitness centre will also be included, and there are plans for a pedestrian-friendly greenbelt, open to the public, that will provide a walking and biking path through the resort.

Rooms and suites will be connected by quiet courtyard gardens and shaded walkways to evoke the sense of a village, and large windows with deep overhangs will promote the resort’s indoor/outdoor living ethos.

The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley will be the centrepiece of a large new master-planned community, with both the resort hotel and Ritz-Carlton Residences, including 45 single-family homes and 94 villas. Construction is expected to begin in July of this year, with the resort opening in late 2018.