A private luxury retreat – called Here, Maldives – will open in December this year, set across two natural islands in the Baa Atoll called Somewhere and Nowhere. The property is owned by a family-run hospitality investment company called Seaside Collection, which specialises in hotels and river cruises in Germany, Spain and the Maldives. The retreat has been designed by architects KulörGroup to maximise the narrow islands’ footprints. The design

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

Plans have been announced to introduce the first five-star private members wellness club in Northern England, located on a historic 1,000-acre estate in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire. The proposed project, based in an area of outstanding natural beauty 45 minutes north of Manchester, is being spearheaded by entrepreneurs and estate owners Amber and Guy Hindley. The duo are on a personal venture to transform part of their privately-owned 400-year-old Gisburne

Luxury boutique hospitality brand Aman has unveiled plans to open its first resort and wellness sanctuary in the Maldives, expanding its global portfolio of 35 resorts and residences. Set on a private island in the Vaavu Atoll, Aman Maldives will feature 52 luxury pool villas and 16 branded residences. True to the brand's dedication to wellness, the resort’s 2,638sq m spa will be located on its own private island. “Aman

Surrenne, a luxury private members club gym and spa launches in London in April, with membership costing £10,000 a year. Spanning almost 2,000sq m across four floors, Surrenne is part of Maybourne Hotel Group’s new all-suite hotel, The Emory. Architectural designer, Remi Tessier has designed the club with “perfectly choreographed light and AI-influenced symphonies orchestrated to complement the senses.” Maybourne COO, Roland Fasel, says the offering has been put together

Kintsugi, a new private wellness club concept, will launch its flagship destination on Abu Dhabi’s Al Reem Island in November. Unveiled in 2022, Kintsugi is a self-care-inspired concept designed to help its members heal, grow and embrace who they are. Its approach will draw on Western and ancient Eastern healing rituals. The brand’s name refers to the Japanese method of repairing broken pottery with paint mixed with gold powder –

The first Ritz-Carlton location in Costa Rica will launch in 2024, situated within the 1,400-acre private club and resort community Peninsula Papagayo. Hospitality specialists SB Architects are behind the design, with spa and wellness consultancy Blu Spas helping create programming, project design and concept for the wellness areas. Located in Guanacaste, Peninsula Papagayo sits on the north Pacific coast of Costa Rica, deemed to be one of the most biodiverse

Two Asian-inspired wellness sanctuaries crafted by Banyan Tree will open on luxury private islands off the coast of Mozambique in Q4 2022. The first, a signature Banyan Tree spa, will open at Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira – a new private island getaway. The resort will be joined by a sister island named Banyan Tree Veya Ilha Nejovo, dedicated to wellness and wellbeing. This adults-only 20-villa wellness destination will be located

Wellness destination and spa, Rancho La Puerta, has announced plans for a private, wellness-focused village of residences on The Ranch’s 4,000 acres in Tecate, Mexico. The Residences will be an extension to the Rancho La Puerta community and will be nestled beside a vineyard, with sweeping views of Mount Kuchumaa and will be both connected to, and separate from, The Ranch. The vision for the project is focused on creating

The 1920s-built Lensbury private members club, which also now incorporates a hotel, conference centre and a leisure centre, has reopened following the refurbishment of its leisure facilities by Zynk. The club is set within 25ac (10ha) of landscaped grounds in Teddington, London, and celebrates its centenary next year. Work has included the redesign of facilities including the holistic studio, group cycling studio, gym floor and Hi-Energy / HIIT studio. The

Sereno Hotels has unveiled a new spa at Le Sereno St Barts following damage from Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Parisian designer Christian Liaigre, lighting designer Arnold Chan and landscape architect Fernando Tabora – the team which created the original spa – has reformed to work on the new-build reincarnation. The new Spa Le Sereno features three treatments rooms including the waterfront pavilion, a space for relaxation and the island’s

Hotel Rodavento, a 36-bedroom retreat nestled in the foothills of Valle de Bravo, Mexico, has opened Rodavento Spa, a nature-inspired sanctuary set within the most secluded area of the surrounding forest. The spa comes with new amenities and treatment menus, enticing visitors to unwind in the beauty of the natural world and "Disconnect to Reconnect." Rodavento Spa is the work of architects Federico Gomez Crespo and Jose Antonio Gaxiola, in

Design practice, Yabu Pushelberg and architect Gensler have created a new property for hotel operator Four Seasons in Bengaluru, India. The development was undertaken in collaboration with hospitality development group, Provenance Land. Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru at Embassy One includes a 230-bedroom hotel and 105 Four Seasons Private Residences, some of the first of their kind on the subcontinent. The hotel is part of the Embassy One development at the

International architects Snøhetta have completed a new home of fine art, music and design in Bergen, Norway. The complex has been designed for the University of Bergen’s art and design faculty – previously scattered across six buildings – and will be open to the public so that “students, professors, and visitors will connect, discover, and learn from one another”. The 14,800sq m (159,300sq ft) structure is Bergen’s second-largest cultural building,

The growing popularity of football in the Malaysian state Kedah has prompted the local government to plan a new 60,000-capacity stadium. According to the Malaysian National News Agency, several design and construction proposals for the project have been received by the Kedah government, which will now choose a scheme to proceed with. The new stadium will be located outside the state’s main city, Alor Setar. It will replace the 30,000-seat

Leisure amenities and mixed-use building are the future of private developments, according to one of the founding principals of New York studio SHoP Architects. Coren Sharples, whose practice have designed New York’s forthcoming American Copper Towers – a residential project boasting a three-storey skybridge, spa, fitness centre and public realm – told CLAD the addition of leisure spaces, often publicly accessible, to offices and private residences is “now actually seen

Hotel visionary Ian Schrager – considered by many to be the founder of the boutique hotel category – has opened his first hotel in China, the Sanya Edition. Located on Hainan Island, just off the coast of Southern China, the hotel is the latest addition to Edition hotels – the brand Schrager conceived in a partnership with Marriott International. With buildings designed by SCDA Architects and set within 50 acres

Viceroy is set to open a resort and residences in Bocas del Toro, Panama, with dramatic overwater villas and three miles of private white sand beaches. Due to open in 2019, the Viceroy Bocas del Toro will also include a spa featuring private rejuvenation pools tucked in blossoming pockets of the rainforest. The 42 overwater villas will each have their own private plunge pool and direct access to the ocean

The boutique five-star Milaidhoo Island Maldives is set to open this November on a small 300m by 180m island set in the heart of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Baa Atoll region of the Maldives. Designed by local architect Mohamed Shafeeq, the resort will have a “barefoot informality” and include 30 over-water villas along with 20 beach villas, all with large private freshwater swimming pools. The resort’s spa will

The Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre – an intimate, boutique-style hotel in the heart of Dubai’s business district – is set to open this month, complete with a private rooftop spa, fitness and leisure ‘oasis.’ With 106-bedrooms, the Four Seasons DIFC is located within the 45 hectare (110 acre) DIFC, which also hosts the Ritz Carlton DIFC. The new Four Seasons DIFC features interiors by New York-based Tihany

The Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain, a resort in America's Paradise Valley, is in the final stages of developing its Spa House, a 3,500sq ft (312sq m), four-bedroom private mountain home dedicated to wellness. Set to open in April 2016, the Spa House – designed by Arizona-based interior design firm Testani Design Troupe and architecture firm MoD A+P – features three king bedrooms and one guestroom with two double beds. The

Aman’s first Japanese hot springs resort, Amanemu, has opened in the idyllic setting of Ise Shima National Park on the shores of Ago Bay. Providing a rural complement to Aman Tokyo, and continuing Aman’s journey within Japan, Amanemu has adopted a classic Japanese aesthetic in the ryokan tradition with each of the 24 suites and four two-bedroom villas featuring their own onsen. Designed to be a relaxed, peaceful and contemplative

Renderings have been released for a private Los Angeles arts club on Sunset Boulevard reportedly being developed by Gwyneth Paltrow. According to several media outlets in Hollywood, the Oscar-winning actor and lifestyle coach is backing the project with her business partner Gary Landesberg. The facility, which is being developed on the site of erotic boutique Hustler, will be an extension of The Arts Club in London – where Paltrow is

The Oberoi Group is opening three hotels in 2016 in Morocco, India and United Arab Emirates. Located 30 minutes from Dubai’s airport, The Oberoi, Al Zorah will be a luxury eco-destination nestled within 247 acres of forest, with a long beachfront, lagoons and mangroves. The hotel – designed by Italian architects Lissoni Associati – will include an ultra-modern layout with 113 villas, suites and penthouses. The spa at Al Zorah

Details have emerged about a new luxury man-made private island, which can give owners a secluded taste of paradise almost anywhere in the world. Dutch company Amillarah Private Islands has created the concept with architect Koen Olthuis and floating technology specialists Dutch Docklands. The islands will be sold to wealthy buyers by Christie’s International Real Estate. “Various studies conducted by different well-established institutions show that the trend in ultra-luxury real

Akaryn Hotel Group plans to open a private island wellness retreat in Cambodia, with interiors by famed Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, best known for his Kenzo brand of clothing, perfume and skincare. Designed by Bangkok-based architect Duangrit Bunnag and due to open in June 2016, Arovada by Akaryn will be located on the private island of Koh Krabey – a 20-minute boat transfer from Sihanoukville – and will embrace

Steiner Leisure has signed a definitive merger agreement under which an affiliate of private equity firm Catterton will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Steiner for US$65 (€56, £41) per share in cash. The total transaction value, including assumed net debt, is approximately US$925m (€799m, £599m). Steiner Leisure’s board of directors unanimously approved the merger on the recommendation of a special committee, comprised entirely of independent directors. The committee