Anantara resort and spa opens on the Palm Jumeirah
by Aoife Dowling | 30 Oct 2013
Thailand-based Minor Hotels Group has unveiled an Anantara-branded property on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
Owned by Dubai-based Seven Tides Hospitality, the Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa is inspired by traditional Thai architecture in an Arabian setting. It houses 260 rooms with direct access to the lagoon, 12 beach pool villas, 18 over-water villas and three two-bedroom villas.
The resort's Anantara Spa will open in March 2014 and aims to offer guests an "Asia-inspired sanctuary blending Thai tradition with Arabian mystique".
The spa will boast 16 treatment rooms offering massages inspired by age-old techniques, replenishing scrubs and wraps, facials and full-body treatments.
Facilities will include relaxation areas, European style wet facilities, dry flotation beds, heated ayurvedic tables, private hammam suites and a traditional Thai massage suite.
There will also be a male and female salon, a nail spa and a fitness centre. The resort will further include an infinity swimming pool, three lagoon pools and spa pools.
There will be seven dining options serving classic Middle-Eastern, international and Mediterranean cuisine. Anantara’s Dining by Design is also on offer, allowing guests to choose a desired location to enjoy a candlelit meal.
Thailand-based Minor Hotels Group has unveiled an Anantara-branded property on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Owned by Dubai-based Seven Tides Hospitality, the Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa is inspired by traditional Thai architecture in an Arabian setting. It houses 260 rooms with direct access to the lagoon, 12 beach pool villas, 18 over-water villas and three two-bedroom villas. The resort's Anantara Spa will open in March 2014 and
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by Kath Hudson | 04 May 2026
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by Helen Andrews | 30 Apr 2026
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by Helen Andrews | 02 May 2026
Construction has begun on a new wellness destination in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, US, called The Shenandoah Nature Resort, which is due to open in January 2028. The US$200 million (€184 million, £156 million) property has been designed to reimagine the traditional spa experience by blending ancient and modern wisdom in what is described as a “spiritually expansive and scientifically grounded approach”. The resort has been created to address
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by Magali Robathan | 21 Apr 2026
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by Magali Robathan | 18 Apr 2026
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by Magali Robathan | 21 Apr 2026
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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
The heritage-listed Department of Lands building in Sydney, Australia, has relaunched as a major cultural and events destination, as part of a mixed-use redevelopment of two iconic buildings known collectively as the Sandstone Precinct. Singapore-based Pontiac Land Group owns the property, as well as the building next door that was the former Department of Education building. The two-phase restoration project has seen Pontiac turn the Department of Education building into
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by Magali Robathan | 16 Apr 2026
World of Frozen has opened at Disney Adventure World in Disneyland Paris with new offerings across the entire park. The expansion almost doubles the size of Disneyland Paris, immersing guests in a life-size recreation of the Kingdom of Arendel. The World of Frozen features a Tangled -inspired attraction, 14 new dining locations and a large lake debuting a new night-time spectacular. It also features a daytime celebration, themed shopping, and
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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
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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
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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.
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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
BodyHoliday plans 10-15 locations in the next 15 years
by Helen Andrews | 04 Mar 2026
Andrew Barnard, CEO of BodyHoliday, has exclusively shared plans with Spa Business to be involved in the development of 10-15 BodyHoliday properties around the world over the next 15 years, with its upcoming Portuguese resort as its proof-of-concept “showroom”. In the latest edition of Spa Busines s, Barnard says he has his eye on locations in Europe, the Middle East, Costa Rica and Belize for future BodyHoliday developments. He and
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