Langham Hospitality Group will manage its third luxury hotel in Gold Coast, Australia, housed within the new Chad Oppenheim-designed crystalline jewel tower. Opening Q4 2021, The Langham, Gold Coast will feature 169 rooms and suites, 170 serviced residences and a signature Langham Chuan spa. With their prime beachfront location in Surfers Paradise, the hotel and serviced apartments will be inside the central and tallest of the three landmark towers of

In 2020, the Dubai skyline was updated with an 84,300sq m cube-shaped building with a gaping eight-storey-wide void at its centre. One of the late visionary architect Zaha Hadid’s final projects. Named The Opus by Omniyat, the destination is set apart by being the only project where Hadid was responsible for both architecture and interiors, including select pieces from Zaha Hadid Design’s in-house furniture collection. The two-tower building is located

The Ritz-Carlton Reserve portfolio has expanded, with the opening of a premium all-season alpine resort at one of Japan's top winter sports destinations in Hokkaido. Owned by YTL Hotels, the 50-room Higashiyama Niseko Village resort is the first Japanese Ritz-Carlton Reserve and YTL's fifth destination in Niseko Village, residing at the base of Mount Niseko Annupuri with panoramic mountain views. Niseko Village has been selected as the venue for some

Banyan Tree Group has begun welcoming guests to a new 72-key beachfront resort and spa in Southern Thailand, named Banyan Tree Krabi. Design studio, Architrave, realised the new resort which is inspired by Buddhism, as well as the surrounding natural landscape, water and a mythical sea creature from local Krabi legends. Owned by Asset World Corporation, the five-star hotel houses a 517sq m rainforest-themed spa offering traditional Thai healing rituals

Svart, the world’s first energy-positive hotel, has appointed award-winning Danish designers Space Copenhagen to lead the property’s interior design. Designed by the Norwegian architect firm Snøhetta, Svart will be located in Arctic Norway at the base of the Svartisen glacier and will house an indoor-outdoor spa – designed by spa and wellness consultant Felicity Leahy, as well as four restaurants, an education centre and a design laboratory. The glass-fronted, circular

In 2021, the Hotel Green Solution House (Hotel GSH), on the Danish island of Bornholm will welcome a brand new wing, built, clad and insulated using wooden materials that will be both CO2 neutral and climate positive. Currently under construction, the groundbreaking 24-key wing will feature a rooftop spa and conference room, and is being designed by the same team that originally built Hotel GSH in 2015 – Danish architecture

Luxury Irish spa resort, The Johnstown Estate, in County Meath, has invested €3.5m (US$4.13m, £3.18m) in creating a new spa nearly twice the size of its previous facility, scheduled to launch early November 2020. The overhaul was conceived by Millimetre Design, the interior design and branding studio which created Johnstown’s Fire & Salt Restaurant, Coach House Brasserie, The Atrium and many of the other spaces at the 167-key Johnstown Estate.

Maslina Resort has opened on the Croatian island of Hvar, inspired by local healing traditions and nature. Croatian architect Tomislav Alujevic, interior designer Léonie Alma Mason and landscaper Thomas Seconde were responsible for the project, working with Melany Martinez Thomas, founder of consultancy, Spa and Wellness Collective on the spa. Located near Stari Grad, the 53-key resort is surrounded by olive groves and terraced vineyards, stretching across two hectares of

The long-awaited Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa in the historic spa town of Buxton in the UK will open its doors on 1 October 2020 following an extensive multi-million-pound restoration, after plans were first submitted nearly 15 years ago. Archer Humphryes Architects and Nicholas Jacob Architects have both worked on the project, which has revived one of the UK's first genuine spa hotels, the 81-key destination will re-establish Buxton’s

A South Tyrolean wellness resort in Saltaus, Italy, has received a new two-floor wellness centre designed to provide a sanctuary of wellbeing that integrates smoothly into the natural landscape. Apfelhotel Torgglerhof hotel’s new 570sq m facility has been created to complement the resort’s existing spa with its apple-shaped bio-sauna – inspired by the local apple orchards. Architecture and interior design firm Network of Architecture (noa*) led the overhaul, with construction

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

Austrian developer Josef Kleindienst’s US$5bn mega-resort project, The Heart of Europe, in Dubai is on track to complete phase one of construction, despite COVID-19. The Heart of Europe is claimed to feature the world’s first floating underwater spa as well as 15 unique hotels and resorts spread across six islands designed to showcase European culture, heritage and lifestyle experiences through architecture, events and new technology, such as the world’s first

Architecture practice Johannes Torpe Studios has unveiled the first glimpses of the Buda Resort; a luxury spa resort located in the Visegrad Hills of Hungary and inspired by the spiritual symbolism of its setting. Situated 50km north of Budapest in a hilly landscape surrounded by forests and the Danube River; the vision for the 210-room resort is to offer a holistic retreat which fosters a greater sense of unity between

Plans have been revealed for a five-star Maldivian spa island designed by Yuji Yamazaki – the architect behind the world’s first underwater villa. The development is scheduled to open in September 2020. Located in the Maldives’ North Male Atoll, Kagi Maldives Spa Island will feature Baani Spa Wellness Centre, a 1,500sq m purpose-built spa designed to provide personalised outcome-focused wellness experiences which help guests ‘release, restore and regain’. The spa

After seven years and a £300m investment, super-boutique hotel, The Londoner, is taking shape in the heart of the UK’s capital city. Originally scheduled for June 2020, the opening has been shifted to late 2020 due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Located in Leicester Square, the 16-storey hotel will cover 32,000sq m and feature an urban spa, 350 guest rooms including 35 suites and a tower penthouse, each

Spa consultancy TLee Spas, in collaboration with EDG Design, have unveiled a new 30,000sq ft (2,800sq m) spa at the Ritz-Carlton Reserve 's Zadún property in Los Cabos, Mexico. Spa Alkemia is inspired by Mexican traditions and culture with a natural aesthetic, with 'Alkemia' – meaning alchemy in Spanish referencing a focus on positive transformation and a heightened state of wellbeing through therapeutic modalities. “Spa Alkemia is the ultimate playground

Waterfrom Design 's Exhibition of Frozen Time spa in Beijing, China, was conceived to eschew the traditional impression of Chinese medicine in favour of a more clinical and technological approach. Created for Aqua Health Clinic, the facility was conceived to use "medical principles of pulse diagnosis, medication and food therapies as the approach to design specific treatments for visitors to relieve physical and psychological fatigue." Covering 280sq m (3,000sq ft),

Peppas N Architects, Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) and Constantina Tsoutsikou are working together to create Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete for Troulis Royal Collection, with a design inspired by the Cretan heritage. The aim has been to go above and beyond a typical luxury family resort while combining Crete’s rugged landscape and the character of its people with a cosmopolitan style. "The landscape’s rough beauty creates a wonderful juxtaposition

Thermal spa operator Groupe Nordik will open one of the biggest day spas in the world in Whitby, Canada, once construction is completed in December 2020. Located in Cullen Central Park, the CA$50m (US$37.7m, €34.4m, £29.4m) Nordik Spa-Nature Whitby development covers just under 9ac (4ha) and was designed by LemayMichaud, working with Groupe Nordik’s own internal projects and design team. The spa is billed as an "avant-garde, innovative and multisensory

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay will reveal a new-look spa showcasing contemporary a Balinese design by The Fulcrum Agency and appearing to be suspended over water when it reopens at the start of May. The spa's revamp will align with the original Balinese design concept by Kerry Hill Architects and will feature interiors by Design Studio SPIN. The Healing Village Spa will 70 per cent bigger than before,

Wellbeing developer Therme Group has been given to the go-ahead to build a £250m ($325m, €287m) wellbeing resort in Manchester, UK, aimed at addressing the need for physical and mental wellbeing for all. Expected to open in 2023, Therme Manchester will cover an area of 28ac (11ha), with a 65,000sq m (700,000sq ft) main building that will house wellbeing facilities, a waterpark and botanical gardens. It will be designed by

Spa management group Groupe SKYSPA has opened an expansive thermal spa in Quebec, Canada, that will be designed by Blouin Tardiff and will offer bathing experiences from around the world. Surrounded by forest, the 60,000sq m (646,000sq ft), CA$12m (US$9m, €8.3m, £7m) Förena Cité Thermale includes three thermotherapy circuits individually themed on Russian, Icelandic and German bathing traditions, along with three pavilions, outdoor bathing facilities and a restaurant. "The idea

Six Senses has confirmed its desert resort and spa in the Arava Valley, Israel, designed by Plesner Architects, will open in June after ten years of design and planning. Located in the Negev Desert, Six Senses Shaharut will be a modern reinterpretation of nomadic structures, reminiscent of the Nabataean community which occupied the area over 2,000 years ago. The resort’s design preserves the unique characteristics of the site, integrating with

The historic Terminal Warehouse, in the West Chelsea area of New York, is being transformed by COOKFOX Architects into a mixed-use destination with retail units, hospitality outlets, open spaces and offices. Originally designed by architect George Mallory and built in 1891, the 1.2 million sq ft (111,000sq m) warehouse occupies an entire city block in Manhattan. With good access to the water, rail and road transportation networks, it became a

Hotel group General Hotel Management (GHM) has revealed details of The Chedi Kudavillingili, its first resort in the Maldives, which will open later this year. The mixed-use resort development, which is part of a global expansion plan by GHM, will be located on a coral island and will have a Maldivian aesthetic to its architecture by Group X and interiors by URBNarc. It will feature 63 island-based villas and 36

Hotel group General Hotel Management (GHM) has revealed details of The Chedi Kudavillingili, its first resort in the Maldives, which will open later this year. The mixed-use resort development, which is part of a global expansion plan by GHM, will be located on a coral island and will have a Maldivian aesthetic to its architecture by Group X and interiors by URBNarc. It will feature 63 island-based villas and 36

The historic Bradbury Building in Downtown Los Angeles has launched as a NeueHouse co-working destination with a focus on hospitality, socialising and wellness following a DesignAgency transformation. The 25,000sq ft (2,300sq m) building was originally designed by architect Sumner Hunt and was constructed in 1893. In adapting the space, DesignAgency retained many of its original features, like the wrought iron latticework staircases, birdcage elevators, oak-framed windows, wooden panelling, exposed ceiling