Giant Octave Living Destination Retreat set to open in 2017
The Octave Living Destination Retreat – one of China's first wellness communities – is now under construction just outside Shanghai on the shores of Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou.
A project by IMC Octave – the hospitality arm of Singapore-based IMC Group – the retreat has been designed by New York City-based Tsao and McKown Architects.
GOCO Hospitality is the master consultant for the project, doing the feasibility and business planning. Goco will also oversee the design and technical services. Horwath HTL – which joined forces with GOCO in September 2013 – was involved with market research and feasibility.
The 18.8ha development is being built in five phases, with three already underway. Opening is scheduled for 2017.
The 85,000sq m (914,932sq ft) retreat will have an 8,500sqm (91,493sq ft) destination spa with 69-treatment rooms, 104 private villas, 100 serviced apartments and a 50-bed boutique hotel.
There will also be a commercial village and lakefront real estate with retail, F&B, art and entertainment facilities and a learning centre.
The spa will include two aquatonic pools – one indoor, one outdoor – featuring therapeutic hydromassage stations.
A thermal area, by Hong Kong-based Deckelmann Wellness, will offer male and female areas, as well as a unisex zone with five thermal experiences.
“GOCO Hospitality saw a clear opportunity to create wellness communities in China, because they've existed successfully in Europe and the US for centuries,” Josephine Leung, group director of design for GOCO, told Spa Business.
“The wellness facility will offer comprehensive health programmes – combining western and traditional treatments and advice to improve guests’ lifestyles,” Leung added.
“This will be the place where generations meet and interact in an urban resort setting – discovering, sharing and learning together.”
The Octave Living Destination Retreat will target professionals in their mid-30s to 50s.
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres




















