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

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

The much delayed, billion dollar Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, celebrates its full public opening today (4 November), following a lavish opening gala on 1 November. Designed by Heneghan Peng Architects, the museum is set across a 500,000sq m site, and houses more than 100,000 pharaonic antiquities – many of which have never been displayed in public before. It covers 5,000 years of Egyptian history, from pre-dynastic times to

Minor Hotels has signed an agreement with Egyptian hospitality group Sunrise Resorts and Cruises to form a new joint venture company that will open up to 50 hotels over the next decade. Minor Hotels is a global hospitality group with hotels, resorts and branded residences in 59 countries and Sunrise Resorts and Cruises seven Nile cruise ships and 27 resorts – with destinations across Egypt as well as Greece, Zanzibar

Privately-owned hospitality company Nobis Hospitality Group will unveil a new Swedish wellness destination property called Hagastrand in Q4 this year, located next to the Brunnesviken lake in Stockholm’s royal park, Haga. When it opens, the property will join Marriott International’s luxury Autograph Collection and be known as Hagastrand, Autograph Collection. It will be the first Autograph Collection property in Scandinavia. A spokesperson for Nobis Hospitality group told Spa Business the

Contrast bathing and social wellness start-up Othership has raised US$11.3 million (€10.5 million, £8.94 million) to expand its presence across the US. The Toronto-based firm is known for its social sauna and ice bath experiences, with three existing sites – two in Toronto, Canada and a US flagship in the Flatiron district of New York City. Othership will use the funds to increase the number of its sites in New

A new recovery brand – Re:set by Pure – will open its first studio in Hong Kong on 1 July. The ‘smart wellness studio’ concept is the brainchild of industry veterans Colin Grant, Rey Bolivar, and Richard Boyd, who already have further studios in development, along with plans to franchise. Backed by Pure Group, which operates health clubs and yoga studios in Asia and the US, the new concept has

A new social wellness concept curated by three industry veterans will open soon in Amsterdam before being rolled out to key cities. 432 – a name which comes from 432 hertz, the earth’s natural frequency – has been created by wellness consultant, Jamie Waring, Jonathan Fisher, CEO of Holmes Place and Tribute Brands and Emlyn Brown, who is currently vice president of wellbeing at Accor. Speaking in this month’s HCM,

IHG has signed an agreement to open the Even Hotel Dammam in Saudi Arabia, the debut property for its wellness brand in the Middle East. The 300-key property is slated to open in January 2029. The Even concept was launched in 2012 and was one of the first brands in the sector to integrate wellness features into its hospitality concept, with adaptive in-room fitness features, healthy food and beverage options

Montcalm Mayfair, an Autograph Collection hotel, has opened its doors in London after a two-year renovation of the Grade II-listed Georgian building, offering guests a new genre of hospitality it calls ‘sensitive luxury’. The concept is demonstrated by the brand’s aim of providing welcoming, intuitive service as well as the hotel's softer, yet classical design. Each Montcalm hotel in the collection has a ‘Mark’ – a central theme running through

Kerzner International has opened its first purpose-built Siro and the launch of the fitness and recovery-focused concept in Europe. Siro is a fully-integrated hospitality concept targeting guests looking to improve and enhance their active lifestyles. It’s built on five core pillars of wellbeing – nutrition, fitness, sleep, recovery and mindfulness. The wellness-centric hospitality brand, has only one other destination hotel – Siro One Za’abeel in Dubai, which opened in Q1

1Rebel has announced it will be opening a flagship site in Chelsea this summer, along with four more studios over the course of the next year. The site at 107 Kings Road was formerly tenanted by United Fitness Brands’ (UFB) offering three of its concepts: Barrecore, Reformcore and its only remaining Kobox location. The UFB business has now formally closed and the landlord has taken back control of the building.

Wellscape is a new company, spearheaded by industry figure Brian Paris, set to revolutionise spa, wellness and hospitality guest journeys with advanced immersive visual environments. After collaborating with a team skilled in creating VR settings for film and TV, Paris is using AI and high-resolution LED panels to bring healing spaces to life with naturescapes, light, scent and soundscapes – some of which are composed by wellness music provider Myndstream.

Following the launch of its Siro wellness hotel brand, in the form of Siro One Za’abeel in Dubai, Kerzner International has revealed it plans to create a global chain of properties under the brand. Speaking this weekend at the World Spa and Wellness Convention in London, Zoe Wall, vice president Siro and Wellness at Kerzner, said the company envisions opening at least 100 hotels, indicating that the Dubai property is

Center Parcs is conducting a multi-million-pound spa remodel at its Elveden Forest holiday village in Norfolk, UK. Reimagined in line with Center Parcs’ Forest Spa concept, the spa will reopen on 29 September with 25 experiences. The new facilities will be spread across six zones and be inspired by some of the world's most extraordinary natural environments. Center Parcs says the redesign “reflects our woodland surroundings through the use of

The UK’s oldest outdoor public pool in the city of Bath will reopen to the public on 10 September following a £9m (US$10.7m, €10.1m) restoration project. Located on Hampton Row, Cleveland Pools was designed by John Pinch the Elder, designer of Babbington House in Somerset and Bishopstrow House, as well as parts of the City of Bath, and opened in 1815. It remained a popular open-air bathing spot for more

International themed attraction and experience designer Katapult and animation studio Aardman have launched a new themed attraction concept featuring Aardman’s much-loved characters. The World of Aardman is a hands-on visitor attraction concept, featuring an interactive studio experience, a themed cafe, experiential retail, and photo opportunities with guests’ favourite characters. Designed to suit pre-existing retail mall units and indoor destinations, the attraction can also be used to showcase exclusive seasonal events

Boutique fitness operator, Blok, has launched a new studio concept which mixes curated fitness classes with the opportunity to explore the world of art and design. Blokspace, located in Leyton, London, UK, has been designed to bring together resident artists, spatial design and Blok's signature classes to create an "immersive and transformative experience". The studio's design has been developed in collaboration with design studio, Anotherform and is based on providing

Universal Parks & Resorts has revealed plans to launch two entirely new visitor attractions concepts – a family-focused theme park and resort in Texas and a year-round horror experience in Las Vegas. Described as a "one-of-a-kind theme park, unlike any other in the world", the new Texas resort will feature immersive themed lands, family-friendly attractions, interactive shows and character 'meet and greets' utilising Universal’s IP. Designed as intimate and engaging for

The new Serena Williams Building at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, US, has been declared open. The 1m sq ft building, designed by architects Skylab, is the largest structure on the Nike campus and establishes new links to the existing campus through restored wetlands, public plazas, and view corridors. The building consists of four parts a 12-story tower with shared amenities for all of the Nike Campus – including

A team of architects led by BIG and HOK have won an international competition to design the largest dock of Zurich Airport in Switzerland. Composed predominantly of regional wood, The new Dock A and adjacent buildings seek to strengthen the airport’s continued status as the gateway of Switzerland. Bjarke Ingels, BIG founder and creative director, said: “As airports grow and evolve and as international guidelines and safety requirements change, airports

Global hotel and spa operator Six Senses is incubating the launch of a new global wellness concept called Six Senses Place. CEO Neil Jacobs and his team have indicated that new ‘clubs’ could potentially open at urban Six Senses properties in New York – where the company is busy on a property designed by Bjarke Ingels Group – as well as London, Bangkok, Shanghai, the Loire Valley, Istanbul, Rome and Lisbon.

Work has been completed on two new spectator stands at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, UK, adding 2,600 seats to the total capacity of "the home of cricket". The Compton and Edrich stands, designed by WilkinsonEyre, form an integral part of the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) plans to future-proof the historic venue. The two new stands, designed in partnership with structural engineers Buro Happold, deliver improved sightlines and an enhanced

Glasgow’s iconic Kimpton Blythswood Square has launched La Chambre Verte, an immersive hotel suite experiment measuring the psychological and physical benefits of biophilic design. The hotel partnered with Scottish CBD skincare brand La Rue Verte, leading horticulturalists Benholm and award-winning DJ Brian D’Souza to create a multi-sensory experience combining biophilia with CBD rituals, meditation and sound therapy. Echoing the practice of forest bathing, La Chambre Verte is designed for the

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles has announced a busy programme of virtual events ahead of its grand opening later this year. Set to open to the public for the first time on 30 September 2021, the museum will launch the virtual programme to coincide with the Oscars ceremony, taking place in April 2021. The programme will feature panel discussions with film industry leaders, as well as

Architecture firm OMA has revealed designs for an ambitious underwater sculpture park which will stretch across seven miles off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida, US. Called ReefLine, the park is being developed by BlueLab Preservation Society in partnership with the City of Miami Beach and Coral Morphologic. It will feature art installations located around 20ft under water, which can only be viewed while snorkeling or diving. Conceived by cultural

A new hotel room concept which "shapes around the visitors" looks to transform the overnight experience for hotel guests. Called Heya, the concept was created by a team of designers, led by ReardonSmith Architects. Using technology and innovative design, Heya can be dramatically reconfigured by guests to suit their purpose and is built around the idea that guests shouldn’t have to settle into their room: it should take shape around