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

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

A social third space called Lore Bathing Club has opened in New York City’s NoHo neighbourhood, offering a contrast bathing membership model. The business has been set up by two co-founders: entrepreneur James O’Reilly, who is a co-founder of the co-working membership club NeueHouse, a company that has now been bought by Convene Hospitality Group after filing for bankruptcy late last year.  Lore’s second co-founder is hospitality concept creator and

Gaia Retreat’s owners have submitted a planning application to the local government authority in Byron, Australia, for an AU$37 million (US$24.2 million, €21.0 million, £10.3 million) expansion of the facility that was originally co-founded by Olivia Newton-John in 2005. The wellness facility in Brooklet was purchased in 2021 by Fiveight, the property development arm of an investment company called Tattarang, owned by Andrew and Nicola Forrest. They bought it for

Lifestyle operator Ennismore has announced two new Delano-branded hotel deals following the company’s partnership with capital investment company Cain International. Cain acquired a minority stake in Delano in 2024, enabling strategic growth for the brand. The two new properties are Delano SoHo New York, US, and Delano London, UK. The New York property and the renovation of the Delano Miami Beach hotel in the US are both in partnership with

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

Work is underway on a £19.7 million waterfront leisure centre in Newport, which will be one of the UK's first net zero leisure centres. Replacing an ageing facility, Newport Leisure Centre is being built to BREEAM standards and will be powered solely by renewable energy. Expected to be completed in the spring, the facilities will include a modern leisure pool, with a lazy river and slides, a teaching pool for

Sonu and Eva Shivdasani, who are known for establishing ultra-luxury sustainable hospitality brands Soneva and Six Senses, are launching a new luxury hotel brand called Sosei, which means “rebirth” in Japanese. Earlier this year KSL Capital Partners increased its stake in Soneva to become the majority owner of the brand, following an initial investment in the brand in 2019 that amounted to a stake that was reportedly worth 35-40 per

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

Studio Apostoli has designed a thermal bathing complex called New Thermal Park in Civitavecchia, Italy, next to the ruins of a Roman bathhouse site called Terme Taurine, as part of a project to revitalise the Lazio region. The land is owned by Terme dei Papi SpA, a company that has a thermal bathing site of the same name in Viterbo, also in the Lazio region. Terme dei Papi, which was

Life Time – which yesterday did a US$150m sales and leaseback deal on three of its properties – is continuing to build out its portfolio by launching an urban country club in the 30-storey, Manhattan tower at 10 Bryant in the heart of New York City. Scheduled to open in early 2027, the 52,000sq ft club will operate on four levels, with a Fifth Avenue entrance and neighbours including Amazon,

The Naturhotel Forsthofgut resort has opened a health-focused extension to its existing spa in the forests of Salzburg at the base of the Asitz mountain in Austria. The 109-key hotel and land has been privately owned and managed for more than 400 years by the Schmuck family, whose hospitality philosophy is ‘harmony with nature’. The family has expanded its existing 5,700sq m WaldSpa (translated in English to Forest Spa) by

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

Rosewood has opened its first property in the Netherlands in the former 17th Century Palace of Justice at the heart of Amsterdam’s UNESCO-listed canal district. This is the last new hotel development which will be permitted within a monumental building in Amsterdam. A stay at the luxury 134-key hotel or one of its five 'houses' gives access to the property’s 560sq m Asaya Spa, which blends Eastern healing, Ayurvedic rituals

Simone Gibertoni, CEO of Clinique La Prairie, has confirmed the company will open a longevity hub in New York’s Hudson Valley in 2028. Gibertoni expects this Clinique La Prairie location to become the benchmark for longevity centres in the US. The hub will be located within the new One and Only Hudson Valley following the agreement of a partnership with Kerzner International. Kerzner recently announced the 21-acre property, which will

Details have been revealed for the spa and wellness concept for The Newman in London – the first hotel to be operated by new hospitality management company, Kinsfolk and Co. Slated to open in Q3 this year, the 81-key property will have an entire floor dedicated to wellness. The Nordic design for The Newman is by London-based studio Lind + Almond, with the designers taking inspiration from the 1920s ‘Swedish

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.

Accor has released a comprehensive white paper designed to deepen understanding of wellness design and its capacity to enhance guest experiences, boost loyalty and drive revenue. Spanning 16 chapters, Making Waves: Rethinking Spa and Wellness Design for a Modern Era explores key aspects of the wellness design process, exploring best practices, challenges and innovations in spa and fitness design. The white paper outlines Accor’s evolving approach to wellness across its

Designed by BIG in collaboration with ALB-Architect, the Opera & Ballet Theatre of Kosovo will house four performance halls and a new public plaza in the capital of Prishtina. As the first opera house in the Republic of Kosovo, the theatre symbolises the country’s rich and diverse cultural heritage while reflecting a new identity for Prishtina rooted in creativity and a commitment to the country’s artistic growth. Commissioned by Kosovo’s

The Global Wellness Institute’s (GWI) Wellness Architecture and Design Initiative (WADI) has released an in-depth white paper exploring the principles, strategies and economic, physiological and environmental benefits of incorporating wellness into the built environment. Titled Pathways to Wellness Architecture and Design, the comprehensive 174-page publication aims to guide investors, developers, architects and stakeholders in adopting holistic, evidence-based design practices that positively impact individuals, communities and the planet. “Planning, designing and

A major new 15,000sq ft destination spa has launched in Los Cabos, Mexico, as part of Four Seasons' latest opening in Cabo’s Golden Corridor. Called Tierra Mar Spa, the ocean-side facility at Four Seasons Resort & Residences at Cabo San Lucas is designed to offer an indoor-outdoor wellness oasis set against the backdrop of Baja’s dry desert landscapes. Its design concept draws inspiration from the long Baja coastline while its

The social wellness club movement that has taken the US East Coast by storm looks set to reshape London’s wellness scene in early 2025. ARC, an all-new urban wellness brand, is due to launch in January, bringing a fresh concept that blends connection, community and evidence-based wellness practices to the UK. The brand’s flagship location will open in London’s bustling Canary Wharf business district, specifically chosen so that ARC can

The Sacred River Spa at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has embarked on a new chapter after receiving a major renovation and expansion project. The riverside retreat in Ubud, Indonesia, has been relaunched with enhanced facilities, brand-new amenities and an elevated treatment offering. Honouring traditions Nestled amid rich tropical jungle foliage, the 4,970sq m facility has been refreshed with a concept inspired by the ancient Balinese philosophy of Niskala,

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Miami-based private investment company Yntegra Group to realise a brand new private island resort on Exuma, an archipelago of 365 islands in the Bahamas. Launching in 2028, Rosewood Exuma will be situated on a 124-acre private island referred to as East Sampson Cay. The tropical retreat will feature 33 beachfront suites and a signature Rosewood Asaya spa designed to immerse guests in Bahamian

David Lloyd Clubs launched its latest site at Bury St Edmunds, UK, yesterday (3 December,) which has been under construction since last year. Facilities include a 100+ station gym featuring an Intuitive Strength Circuit; heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools; tennis, padel, badminton and pickleball courts; group exercise studios with the full range of signature David Lloyd Clubs’ classes, including Blaze, Spirit, Ign1te, Battlebox and Rebels. There is also a

A luxury Canadian day spa nestled in a 600-acre protected forest reserve in Quebec has recently been elevated with a new two-floor wellness facility, designed to inspire relaxation and reconnection with nature. Since launching in Bromont in 2005, Balnea Spa + Thermal Reserve has positioned itself as a wellness retreat in nature committed to immersing guests in the beauty of its surroundings. The centrepiece of the new facility is a