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

A new hot spring resort is due to open in the historic ski and spa town of Kusatsu, Japan, in Q2 of 2026. The forest resort, owned and operated by Hoshino Resorts, will be connected to the town by a private tunnel, exclusively reserved for resort guests. The new, 94-key property will be managed under Hoshino Resorts' hot spring ryokan brand ‘Kai’ and will trade as Kai Kusatsu. Located on

The Auberge Resorts Collection has opened the luxurious Collegio alla Querce in Florence, its first property in Italy. The 16th Century buildings were once home to a school, a chapel and theatre. The architectural restoration of the estate was led by Spanish father-son design duo, Esteva i Esteva, who have preserved the original character of the structures and also by Florentine interior designers, ArchFlorence, who have kept the Renaissance features

The Auberge Resorts Collection has opened the luxurious Collegio alla Querce in Florence, its first property in Italy. The 16th Century buildings were once home to a school, a chapel and theatre. The architectural restoration of the estate was led by Spanish father-son design duo, Esteva i Esteva, who have preserved the original character of the structures and also by Florentine interior designers, ArchFlorence, who have kept the Renaissance features

Luxury Japanese hospitality brand Hoshino Resorts is set to make its mark in the US wellness market with a new hot springs development in New York state's historic spa village of Sharon Springs. Scheduled to open in 2028, the 40-key property will blend the tradition of Japanese ryokan inn-style accommodations with onsen bathing facilities powered by Sharon Springs' mineral-rich hot springs. It will be located approximately a 3.5-hour drive from

Sri Lankan retreat brand Santani Wellness Resorts has joined forces with the Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran Group) to develop and operate two new locations in Oman, marking its international debut outside of Sri Lanka. The resorts, located in the Jabal Shams in Ad Dakhiliyah and Dhofar Governorates, will encompass a total of 182 accommodations and adhere to high-level sustainability standards. Unveiled at the ITB 2024 travel trade show in

A network of Sports Illustrated branded resort and lifestyle complexes will launch in the US following a deal between Travel + Leisure Co and Sports Hospitality Ventures (SHV) – the hotel and resorts licensee for the Sports Illustrated brand in North America and the Caribbean. Each Sports Illustrated Resort campus is expected to feature a full-service hotel, a vacation club and residences, as well as a host of branded attractions

The Well has struck its first-ever hospitality partnership and developed a holistic wellbeing retreat for Auberge Resort Collection’s Mayflower Inn & Spa resort, in Connecticut. The opening will complete Mayflower Inn’s property-wide transformation including a redesign of the 35-room resort, led by interior designer Celerie Kembele. The Well is a modern wellness brand known for its first location in New York which offers integrated holistic health solutions and access to

Following approval to build a £250mn wellbeing resort in Manchester, Therme Group has revealed plans to develop and expand its concept in other major UK cities. “Our aim is to ensure that a Therme Group wellbeing resort is within easy reach of 90 per cent of the UK population,” commented Therme UK COO, James Mark. The development plan includes projects – with a similar concept to Therme Manchester – in

Family-owned COMO Hotels and Resorts will open its first hotel in continental Europe next month, the COMO Castello del Nero in Italy. The Tuscan hotel will be the fifteenth property in the Group’s global portfolio. The 740-acre historic estate is situated in the Chianti wine region of Italy, a 30-minute drive from Florence and Siena. At the heart of the estate is a 12th century castello, featuring 50 rooms and

Health and wellness-focused hospitality brand Fusion has teamed up with Alba Vietnam to operate two of the company’s hotels. The resorts – Alba Wellness Hue and Thanh Tan Hot Springs Hotel – are both situated in the foothills of the Truong Son Mountains on the site of a mineral-rich natural spring which has been called a "Holy Grail". Designed by architects Romain Duval, Anh Vu, and Minh Pham, Alba Hue

Kerzner International Holdings, the owner of One&Only Resorts, has plans to introduce a new line of One&Only Urban Resorts, the first of which will debut in Dubai in 2020. The One&Only Za’abeel will be set in the new One Za’abeel, which is being developed by Ithra Dubai, a subsidiary of Investment Corporation of Dubai. The two-tower, high-rise, mixed-use development of One Za’abeel – designed by architects Nikken Sekkei – will

The hospitality arm of luxury goods giant Bvlgari has announced plans to open a hotel in Paris in 2020, bringing its international collection to eight properties. Italian design firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Parisian architects Valode & Pistre are converting a historic building on Avenue George V – adjacent to the Champs Elysees in the famous and fashionable Triangle d’Or area of the French capital – into the 66-room

Luxury hotel group Jumeirah has set out plans for an ambitious expansion which will see it enter three new markets during 2018. Jumeirah will open five new resorts during the year, including its first properties in Bahrain, Indonesia and Oman – signalling the group’s intention to enter emerging tourism markets with its luxury offering. The five properties, each featuring large spas, are Jumeirah Royal Saray, Bahrain; Jumeirah Sa’adiyat Island, Abu

Luxury hotel brand Six Senses is planning a series of developments next year – announcing new resort locations in Bali, Fiji, Turkey, Bhutan, Cambodia, Israel and India. It will be a busy year for the hotel, with a further two spas set to be opened in the Middle East in the first half of 2018. Set to open in March 2018, Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, will be set atop a

Luxury resort operator One&Only is looking to evolve its business with the launch of three new divisions. Famed for its ultra-luxury beach and spa resorts, the South Africa-based group is entering a trio of new markets with One&Only Nature Resorts, One&Only Urban Resorts and One&Only Private Homes. “The new experiences will complement the existing award-winning resort collection,” said Philippe Zuber, president and chief operating officer, One&Only Resorts. “Building on the

Wynn Resorts has confirmed plans to build a US$500m (€458.7m, £390m) lagoon theme park at the company’s resort complex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 20-acre Paradise Park attraction, which in the day will hosts watersports and in the evening fireworks displays, will be made up of a lagoon with a white sand waterfront, featuring a host of attractions along a 4,000ft (1,220m) boardwalk. Speaking during an earnings call, Wynn Resorts

Wanda Hotels & Resorts will become the first Chinese hotel management company to export one of its brands overseas, following an agreement to open a Wanda Vista property in Istanbul, Turkey. The company will act as the hotel operator, while Turkish development firm Mar Yapi will fund the project. It will be located close to the city’s busiest shopping district and a five-minute drive from Ataturk International Airport. Wanda Vista

As it continues to rebuild its identity from the ground up, SeaWorld has announced the formation of Deep Blue Creative – a new team within the company tasked with bringing to life innovative new experiences under its "fun and meaningful" philosophy. Bringing together talent from both within and outside of SeaWorld, Deep Blue Creative is separated into six divisions, each with its own key focus to drive forward business for

Hospitality giant Four Seasons has opened its own design studio, where decisions will be made on everything from table settings used in the group’s hotels to the layout of guest rooms and the outfits worn by hotel staff. The Four Seasons Research and Discovery Studio (R&D Studio) has been launched at the company’s headquarters in Toronto. Designed as “a workshop designed for experimentation” in which ideas can be explored in

As Dubai prepares to go head-to-head with Orlando for the title of attractions capital of the world, the city’s multi-billion dollar Dubai Parks and Resorts development has announced that it will officially open to the public on 31 October. The unique destination, which features three major theme parks and will later gain a fourth under the Six Flags umbrella, will be at the heart of what has been dubbed ‘Orlando

Just a few months after announcing plans to add a fourth theme park to its expanding attractions portfolio, Six Flags has started work on a development at Dubai Parks and Resorts. The AED2.67bn (US$727m, €639m, £515m) project – the first Six Flags development in the Middle East – will operate under a licensing model with an opening date of Q4 2019. The Six Flags park will contain 27 rides split

Minor Hotel Group is adding two properties to its pipeline in United Arab Emirates, the Anantara Jebel Dhanna and the Avani Jebel Dhanna in Abu Dhabi, both of which are scheduled to open in 2018. Owned by Dhabi Contracting, the neighbouring properties are being developed along the under-developed coastal area of the Al Gharbia region in Abu Dhabi, with a royal palace bordering the new hotels. AECOM have been appointed

The Italian interior designer and architect Matteo Thun has told CLAD about the challenges he faced in transforming a ruined collection of buildings on a Venetian island into a luxury home for the recently-opened JW Marriott Venice Resort + Spa. Speaking in an exclusive interview in the latest edition of CLADmag, Thun revealed he was drawn to the project by the “fantastic challenge” of creating a contemporary resort while respecting

A 117-bedroom Nikki Beach Resort and Spa will open in Dubai in spring 2016. Developed in partnership with Meraas Holding, this will be the third property in the Nikki Beach Hotel and Resorts portfolio. The Dubai property will be located on the waterfront of Pearl Jumeira and will also include 15 villas and 61 lifestyle residences, with units ranging from one to four bedrooms. The resort will feature private pools,

Trump Hotels is partnering with Indonesian investment firm MNC Group to develop resorts in Bali and West Java, Indonesia. The six-star Lido, West Java location will include a “wellness destination spa” along with an 18-hole Ernie Els championship golf course, a Lifestyle Country Club, and high-end residential villas and condominiums. Details of the spa are not yet available. Trump Hotels is also developing an “opulent resort and residential development in

Resorts World Birmingham, a £150m (US$234m, €213m) mixed-use leisure and entertainment complex is in the final stages of fit-out and is counting down to opening. Once complete, the seven-storey, 538,000sq ft (49,982sq m) resort will feature the 178-bedroom, five-suite, boutique Genting Hotel; an outlet shopping centre; an 11-screen Cineworld cinema, which will include IMAX and 3D screens; a casino; a wide range of internationally-themed restaurants and bars; and a multi-use