At a time when companies in the hospitality sector are facing unprecedented challenges, private equity firm Alta Capital Real Estate has grasped the opportunity to invest in undervalued wellness hospitality assets across Asia-Pacific. It recently launched the Alta Hospitality Fund Asia with the aim of “repositioning, rebranding and redeveloping assets for the post-COVID world in order to deliver solid returns”. It aims to create a portfolio value of US$50m (€42m,

Kerzner International, the owner of One&Only Resorts and Atlantis Resort & Residences, has developed a new immersive lifestyle hospitality concept inspired by fitness and wellbeing. SIRO (pronounced Sigh-Row) represents the pillars of Strength, Inclusive, Reflection and Original and invites guests to aspire to live at their fullest potential through a specialised blend of hospitality, fitness and wellness. A place of connection, the immersive lifestyle destinations will create a welcoming social

In the depths of the French countryside sits 48° North Landscape Hotel, a holistic ecotourism and wellness destination inspired by Scandinavian and French traditions. Realised by Nordic architecture firm Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter in collaboration with local firm, ASP Architecture, the secluded hotel is perched on the heights of the Breitenbach village in the Alsace region of France. Accommodation consists of 14 interpretations of traditional Scandinavian cottages – called a hytte

Architecture firm, Killa Design, is collaborating with interior design consultant, KCA, to deliver upcoming twin-tower development, The Address Residences Jumeirah Resort and Spa and The Residences Jumeirah Dubai, in Dubai. The beachfront destination will be housed in 310-ft-tall towers, interconnected by lower and upper bridges. The property will include a 217-room, 77-storey hotel, as well as fully-serviced apartments and luxury residences. Facilities will include a rooftop infinity pool offering unrivalled

Hotel and hospitality designer Jean-Philippe Nuel has explained that working on older buildings often makes for more interesting results. Speaking to CLAD in an interview, Nuel said: "Paradoxically, historic buildings often result in more creative projects than new builds because the constraints mean certain situations are unavoidable and this allows us to break the usual standards." "I find historic buildings inspiring," he continued. "The project becomes a story that we

The historic Terminal Warehouse, in the West Chelsea area of New York, is being transformed by COOKFOX Architects into a mixed-use destination with retail units, hospitality outlets, open spaces and offices. Originally designed by architect George Mallory and built in 1891, the 1.2 million sq ft (111,000sq m) warehouse occupies an entire city block in Manhattan. With good access to the water, rail and road transportation networks, it became a

GOCO Hospitality has conceptualised and designed a spa on the sky bridge of Dubai’s recently opened luxury hotel Address Sky View. Emaar Hospitality Group owns the property and has opened a collection of hotels in Dubai under the name Address Hotels + Resorts, including Address Sky View and Address Fountain Views, where GOCO Hospitality was also responsible for the spa concept and operation design. The 169-room-hotel is spread over 13

Rockwell Group have unveiled designs for luxury hospitality and wellness amenities at Manhattan's 550 Madison office tower, which is currently being renovated by co-owners Olayan Group. The updated amenities will complement work like the development of a new public garden designed by Snøhetta that will increase the amount of public open space at the tower by 50 per cent and bring new green space to the area. They are intended

New York-based architectural practice Cooper Carry has won this year's Radical Innovation Awards for disruptive ideas in the hospitality sector with its collapsible, modular construction concept called Connectic. The basis of Connectic is a truncated octahedron unit that can be connected to the face of others to create structures that can be reshaped and resized as required. Cooper Carry explained to CLAD that the shape was chosen partly via a

A concept for connecting travellers to remote destinations using defunct rail lines, the world's tallest modular hotel and collapsible modular building units make up the shortlist for this year's Radical Innovation Awards for disruptive ideas in the hospitality sector. The awards, which are conceived to encourage disruptors from around the world to develop ideas for progressing the industry, are now in their 13th year. This year's finalists are Infinite Explorer

Australia’s first Ritz-Carlton, in Perth, is set to open this November with immersive experiences conceptualised around the history, culture and natural beauty found in the region. The hotel’s spa has been created with the guidance of international spa and wellness consultants GOCO Hospitality, Clad in 10,000 pieces of Kimberly sandstone on both the exterior and the lobby, the Ritz-Carlton Perth will feature 205 bedrooms including 18 suites. The Ritz-Carlton Spa

International wellness consultancy, development and management firm GOCO Hospitality is working on a wellness resort in a heritage property in Kazakhstan that was once one of the most advanced sanatoriums during the Soviet era. Now, the Foundation of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan has entrusted GOCO Hospitality to develop the property into a next-generation wellness resort. Due to have its soft opening in July 2020, GOCO Life

Robert De Niro’s lifestyle brand Nobu Hospitality has opened its latest location in Los Cabos, Mexico. The 200-bedroom Nobu Hotel Los Cabos features a 13,691sq ft Esencia Spa. WATG was the project architect for the spa, including the landscape architecture, while Studio PCH is responsible for the interior design. The spa concept was created by international spa consultants and designers Blu Spas. An outdoor, co-ed hydrotherapy garden includes a water

Hospitality designer Ed Ng has said the increasing length of time between the design and completion of large-scale projects poses a growing challenge to the industry, because “all designers have to be fortune tellers.” In an interview with CLADglobal’s quarterly magazine CLADmag to mark the opening of Mei Ume restaurant in London – designed with his AB Concept co-founder Terence Ngan – Ng argued that “we always need to design

Radical Innovation, an annual competition that calls for the “best and brightest” concept ideas in hospitality design, is seeking entries for its 2018 edition. Professionals and students alike are encouraged to submit creative proposals via the Radical Innovation Award website by April 30 to be in with the chance of winning a US$10,000 (€8,100, £7,100) prize and the chance to make their vision a reality. Last year fiver concepts were

Surrealist hospitality designer Henry Chebaane has completed his latest project: a hotel room concept that puts his expectedly unexpected twist on British popular culture. The project, called Hip Pop Britannia, has been launched this week in three “rockstar rooms” at The Megaro, a colourful boutique hotel next to London’s King’s Cross station that is best-known for featuring the city’s largest graffiti mural over its 19th-century facade. Chebaane’s rooms feature recurring

Asian hospitality operator Avani has today (1 March) expanded its new brand, Avani+, by launching its first hotel in Luang Prabang – a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Laos. Founded in 2011, the company is one of the fastest-growing brands to come out of Asia, having launched 23 properties in 15 countries, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Mozambique, the United Arab Emirates and Portugal. In a statement, the firm

Katherine Lo, daughter of Langham Hospitality Group chair Ka Shui Lo, has transformed the group’s Eaton brand into Eaton Workshop – a global lifestyle business including a wellness component. Lo used her background in activism, anthropology and film to create Eaton Workshop, which includes four distinct parts: hotel, house, media and wellness. The first hotel is set to open in Washington DC early this year, with locations to follow in

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has blasted minimalist hospitality design trends in an interview with CLADglobal. Wanders – best known for his colourful and often surreal hotel collaborations with the likes of Morgans Hotel Group, Park Hyatt and sbe – argued that architects and designers working in the hotel sector “should add fun and value to people’s lives”. “If you love design enough to give your life to it – studying

Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh has completed a 77-room hotel within the early 20th century home of the former Royal Danish Conservatory of Music. The 5,500sq m (59,200sq ft) building, built in 1903, has become the first property outside Sweden for hospitality company Nobis Group. It is located in the heart of Copenhagen, close to the town hall square, National Museum and the Danish Design Center. Wingårdh and his eponymous design

A group spa industry veterans have come together to create a new hospitality and real estate company, Civana, based around sustainable wellness through an affordable travel and lifestyle platform. Led by Kevin Kelly – who was former Canyon Ranch president and chief branding officer, and most recently was CEO and co-owner of California’s Two Bunch Palms – Civana will bring together wellness programming, sustainable design and hotel asset and property

Boutique hotel group The Hoxton has debuted its fourth property, with the new opening inside an 18th century Paris townhouse once home to Louis XV’s main courtiers. The Hoxton, Paris – located on Rue du Sentier in the French capital’s 2nd arrondissement – occupies three buildings and has 172 bedrooms, two courtyards, a modern French brasserie, an intimate bar, seven meeting rooms and a communal pantry kitchen. The building, originally

Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), one of the world’s largest hospitality interior design firms, has launched its seventh subdivision, HBA Resorts, which will specialise in the creation of bespoke luxury resort properties. Headquartered in Bali, Indonesia, HBA Resorts provide tailored interior design, architecture and landscape services, with staff collaborating with artisans in Southeast Asia to create “indigenous and authentic design projects for the world’s most treasured resorts.” Explaining the decision to

Hong Kong’s Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel has opened its newest and largest suite, designed as the “ultimate retreat for socialising” by Joyce Wang and her studio. The 2,250sq ft (209,000sq m) Entertainment Suite has been conceived as “a welcome respite from Hong Kong’s hectic streets”, with a subtle, nature-inspired colour palette and soft custom-designed furnishings created by Wang – including hand-chiselled cabinet doors adorned with hand-painted art and a chandelier

The Cornell Institute for Health Futures (CIHF) – an academic centre within New York’s Cornell University – has received a grant to support the creation of an undergraduate minor in Health, Hospitality and Design. The programme is reported to be the first university programme in the US to combine those three disciplines. The minor is part of a larger suite of multidisciplinary educational programmes CIHF develops and supports for healthcare,

International hospitality firm Entourage Group hopes to speed up Hamburg’s emergence as a serious leisure and hospitality destination with the opening of a new luxury boutique hotel inside a 19th century warehouse on the city’s waterfront. Opening later this year, the 94-room Sir Nikolai has been designed by Dutch practice FG Stijl as a “showcase for artisanal quality and tradition” – with curated art, vintage rugs, unrefined wood and polished

Hospitality group AccorHotels has announced Dubai as the first Middle East location for its Mama Shelter hotel brand. French designer Philippe Starck will craft the interiors of the hotel, following the brand’s “trendy, boutique” image. It is set to open before 2020. AccorHotels announced Mama Shelter’s regional arrival during a panel at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference at the Madinat Jumeirah centre last month. “The idea is to create something