Palazzo di Varignana, in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, has created a new tailored health programme designed specifically for families. Families with young children can visit the 650-hectare estate, located near Bologna, to experience a retreat designed by the resort’s scientific director, Dr Annamaria Acquaviva.  A dietitian and expert in mindfulness and longevity science, Acquaviva has created the programme to help children and teenagers build healthy and lasting habits.

Luxury members’ club Tramp has expanded into the fitness, health and wellness sector with the launch of Tramp Health, a 16,000sq ft high-end fitness and longevity club in London’s Mayfair. The new concept was created by Luca Maggiora, the entrepreneur who bought Tramp at the end of 2023 and represents a £10m investment. The new fitness, health and wellness club is being promoted by the company as the antithesis of the

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

Work has started on the £68.7 million refurbishment of the historic Kings Hall Leisure Centre in Hackney, with a planned reopening in early 2029. FaulknerBrowns Architects have drawn up the designs, which will preserve the features of the Grade II listed building, retaining important parts of the building’s heritage. New structures will be matched with the existing brickwork.   The swimming pool will be refurbished and a new large pool and

Aman Resorts is developing its first African safari resort and branded residences at Aman Karingani, a retreat within the 150,000-hectare Karingani Game Reserve in southern Mozambique. The property will perch above the reserve’s sweeping plains and it will have 30 standalone guest pavilions as well as a central lodge for facilities, including the brand’s signature Aman Spa and an outdoor pool. Details of the spa and of the property's estimated

A new flagship Buchinger Health Resort will open in 2029 in Roquefort-les-Pins on the Côte d’Azur, France. The signature Buchinger Wilhelmi approach to longevity via therapeutic fasting will be on offer for the first time in France, reflecting the family’s desire to establish a European ecosystem of clinics specialising in integrative medicine. The new property will follow the family’s well-established clinics at Lake Constance in Germany (opened in 1953) and

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan in Ubud, Indonesia, has unveiled a new Fitness Hub, almost year after the property launched its redesigned Sacred River Spa at Sayan. The new 536sq m fitness centre is located high above the Ayung River, with panoramic views of the jungle. It has multiple training modalities and offers a range of recovery therapies. The facilities on offer include a gym, measuring 75sq m, with

Conservation and hospitality company, Wilderness, which specialises in safari camps and lodges, will unveil a new spa called The Sanctuary at two of its most luxurious properties, Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda and Wilderness Mombo property in Botswana. Both will open in December. Wilderness operates 60 camps in eight African countries, all of which are due to adopt a more deeply embedded concept of wellness across its portfolio as it seeks

The Royal Borough of Greenwich will soon be opening its £80 million exemplar leisure centre in Woolwich town centre, which is central to the town’s regeneration. Opening later this year, Woolwich Waves – a name chosen by local residents – will replace the Waterfront Leisure Centre, which will stay open until the new centre is ready. The facility has been recognised by the council as being key to supporting residents

A new bathing experience called Basin Glacial Waters will open at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada, on 15 September. Basin Glacial Waters takes its name from its setting: Lake Louise is a natural basin fed by a direct glacial water source, the Victoria Glacier. The 539-key hotel, owned by Oxford properties and a capital partner, is set within more than 6,500sq km of protected pine forest in the

Marriott International is expanding its luxury safari portfolio in Kenya with two tented camp resorts with spas under its Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott brands. The Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp and the JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp will open in partnership with hospitality and safari expedition business, the Lazizi Group of Companies, under its subsidiary firms. The Ritz-Carlton will open with Lazizi Mara Limited and The JW

Go Fit has invested more than €20 million in its latest development, a 22,000 square metre sports and wellness hub in Tenerife, next to Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium. This is the Iberian operator’s second site in the Canary Islands, following a launch in Las Palmas in 2015. Go Fit now has 21 operating sites and will expand into Italy this year. Strategic European cities are being targeted for projects where

A £14 million redevelopment of the iconic Doncaster Dome, one of the youngest listed buildings in the UK, has begun. Designed by Neil Taylor and the team at FaulknerBrowns to echo the pink and cream banding of the Duomo in Florence, the building received a Grade II listing on the National Heritage List for England in 2023. The Doncaster Dome has been operated by the Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust

London-based family members’ club, Little Houses Group (LHG), is set to expand following new investment from Blackstone. The fresh backing will enable LHG to bring its community-focused concept to more families across the capital, adding to its existing sites – Jaego’s House in Kensal Rise and Jesse’s House in Parsons Green. Three more houses are in the pipeline – Orly’s House, Leo’s House and Olive’s House – but the locations

Dubai-based luxury hotel operator Jumeirah has announced a new partnership with Thanda Group, marking its first venture into Africa. Thanda Group, renowned for its high-end, privately owned hospitality experiences in Africa, has partnered with Jumeirah to rebrand two of its existing properties as Jumeirah Thanda Island and Jumeirah Thanda Safari. Situated in the protected Shungimbili Island Marine Reserve in Tanzania, Jumeirah Thanda Island comprises an immersive, exclusive-use villa, while Jumeirah

Private equity firm, Levant Capital, has taken a majority stake in UAE-based premium operator, Warehouse Gym. The investment will be used to drive regional expansion, as well as to introduce advanced fitness solutions and broaden the wellness offering. Founded by Kevin Texeira, Fahad Al Rafi and Edris Al Rafi, the first Warehouse Gym launched in 2013 in an industrial area of Dubai, hence the name. The USP is street art,

London has gained a substantial new urban spa in Belgravia following The Peninsula London’s grand unveiling of its subterranean Spa & Wellness Centre. Located beneath the new 190-room Peninsula London hotel, the facility’s opening marks the final stage of luxury Hong Kong hotel brand Peninsula Hotels’ seven-year project to create its London flagship. The newly built hotel was realised by British design studio Hopkins Architects and features heritage architecture to

Luxury hotel and spa operator Mandarin Oriental’s second London hotel will launch next January with a brand new spa designed as a boutique sister location to its flagship UK spa at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. Open to hotel guests, residents and the local community, the underground wellness retreat at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair will welcome its first guests in early 2024. Facilities will include an indoor heated swimming pool, a sauna,

An AV experience project, which turned the Sydney Opera House's famous 'sails' into huge video screens, has won the Experience Design category in Fast Company's 2023 Innovation by Design Awards. Created by Australia-based Art Processors, the From the Sails: Light Years project included an original film artwork projected onto the Sydney Opera House's western sails to mark the iconic landmark's 50th-year celebrations. The 17-minute film charts the building's history and

1 Hotels, the eco-luxury brand and brainchild of Starwood Capital founder Barry Sternlicht, has opened its debut European property in the heart of the UK capital with design by GA Group. 1 Hotel Mayfair has been designed to set a new benchmark for lower-impact luxury in London and adhere to 1 Hotels’ sustainability-minded philosophy that “those that travel the world should also care about it”. The London location is gearing

Calilo, a luxury boutique resort on the Greek island of Ios, has a new spa and fitness centre. The hotel has a philosophy based on sustainability, art and intentional design. Inspired by the naturally calming energy of water, the spa includes six new treatment rooms that feature waterfalls and treatment beds suspended above pools of water to deliver a calming experience for guests. The ceilings are partially perforated to allow

London has a new double Olympic skating centre following a £30m investment by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. The aim is to encourage physical activity and community within the local population. In addition to the rinks, it has a large gym and a dance studio, as well as community spaces and a café. Designed by architects FaulkerBrowns, The Lee Valley Ice Centre will open on Saturday 17 June, with

Luxury jewellery and design house Tiffany & Co. has reopened its flagship store on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City, following a redesign led by architect Peter Marino and OMA New York. The project marks the first renovation of the store since it first opened its doors in 1940 and has been named The Landmark. For the redevelopment, Marino reimagined the interior architecture while OMA New York,

Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, Canada, has revealed plans for a multi-million-dollar health and wellness complex based on indigenous design, sustainability and inclusion. Described as a "transformative destination", the hub will offer health and wellbeing services, teaching and learning, sports and fitness facilities, recreational spaces and a "spiritual connection" with its surroundings. Designed by integrated practice, Dialog – in partnership with indigenous design firm, Two Row Architect – the new Health

A £186m cultural centre, set to transform the arts and music scene globally, will open its doors in June this year. Factory International, based in Manchester UK, but with a global outreach, is the largest investment in a national cultural project in the UK since the opening of London's Tate Modern in 2000. The centre will house 13,350sq m of flexible floor area, utilising supersized moveable walls that can be

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBD Sports) and metaverse services provider Infinite Reality have entered into a multi-year agreement that will deliver new immersive and interactive metaverse experiences to sports fans. The scope of what’s on offer – described as “new avenues for sports communities, athletes and brands to interact with each other within unique virtual environments” – can be experienced and previewed for the first time at the UCI Track

Culturespaces has announced that its new digital art centre, Fabrique des Lumières, will open in Amsterdam on 22 April 2022. Located in the historic former gas plant of Westergasfabriek – built in 1885 by the Imperial Continental Gas Association – the cultural attraction will use "cutting-edge technology" to create immersive exhibitions devoted to some of the most celebrated figures in art history. The venue has a total surface area of