At a time when companies in the hospitality sector are facing unprecedented challenges, private equity firm Alta Capital Real Estate has grasped the opportunity to invest in undervalued wellness hospitality assets across Asia-Pacific. It recently launched the Alta Hospitality Fund Asia with the aim of “repositioning, rebranding and redeveloping assets for the post-COVID world in order to deliver solid returns”. It aims to create a portfolio value of US$50m (€42m,

Sha Wellness Clinic has announced plans to open residences in 2022, as part of its new Sha Mexico resort. The second development from Sha follows on from the original clinic in Spain – the new resort will have a clinic alongside the wellbeing-focused residences which will offer a "complete immersion in the Sha lifestyle". The destination and residences will be located just north of the Riviera Maya on the Caribbean,

Baca Architects has submitted a scheme to transform an unused flooded quarry and surrounding land into an eco-wellness resort, centred on waterside living and water-based recreation. In development is a response to pandemic travel bans, which are driving growth in the UK holiday market. The 80-hectare Ashwicken Lake site is situated in East Anglia, UK, and features woodlands, wetlands and a 1sq km lake. A £35m (US$49.4m, €40,7m) investment by

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 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

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

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

Italian architecture studio Studio Apostoli is designing a luxury wellness centre in a restored twentieth-century Milanese palazzo, scheduled to open in 2021. The three-layer 1,000sq m facility will part of a boutique-hotel complex at the five-star Palazzo Bernasconi hotel, a project developed and owned by Italian hotel group Cipriani, and shall be named ‘Palazzo del Sarto’. Architect Alberto Apostoli has been commissioned by the client to develop the interior design

A luxury spa which overlooks an archaeological excavation spanning 13 civilizations, has recently been unveiled at The Museum Hotel Antakya, Turkey. Turkish design firm Emre Arolat Architecture led the multi-layered project’s design which centres around rare mosaics and is stacked with contemporary steel frames supporting sheltering rooms linked by walkways and glass-panelled bridges. The hotel’s decor has been completed with copper accents, warm wooden floors and views onto the surrounding

Since being established in 2003, COOKFOX Architects have gained a reputation for being proponents of architecture at the intersection of sustainability and wellness, which co-founder Rick Cook says is more pressing now than ever. "Our current studio is LEED Platinum, but it's also the first WELL Gold certified project in New York," he explained to CLAD in an interview by way of example. "Which has much more of a focus

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

MJM Architect and Hansenbuilt Design have converted a derelict loft space in Victoria, Canada, into a co-working space and social club with a focus on health and connecting with others. Kwench was founded by Tessa McLoughlin to evolve and expand what a co-working space could be, with the aim of making its users healthier and happier. It is based on promoting a balance of knowledge, wellness, experiences, novelty, curiosity, and

Armin Sader, of hotel architecture firm Asaggio, is reimagining a historic hotel in the mountains of South Tyrol, Italy, with an emphasis on its solitary location in nature and a focus on wellness. The building in which Forestis is situated is located in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Dolomites and was conceived by its original owners to be a sanatorium for lung disease sufferers prior to the First World War, making

Peter Staic has completed a year-long, €5m ($5.5m, £4.2m) renovation project at the family-run Hotel Arlberg alpine hotel and spa in Lech, Austria, with healthy paints, calming colours and natural materials. The hotel's newly extended spa now features glass courtyards, library and relaxation rooms, a stainless-steel heated outdoor pool with an integrated whirlpool and sauna and steam rooms. There are also Dornbracht hydrotherapy facilities for horizontal water massages, chromotherapy, aromatherapy

Bells + Whistles have designed a "social wellness club" in Los Angeles that has been conceived to help people reset mentally and physically from the stresses of modern-day life. Remedy Place claims to be a new concept, rather than a spa or a clinic, where social interaction is combined with self-care. The destination is designed to "foster communal experiences as well as moments of sanctuary" with relaxation promoted through minimalist

Rockwell Group have unveiled designs for luxury hospitality and wellness amenities at Manhattan's 550 Madison office tower, which is currently being renovated by co-owners Olayan Group. The updated amenities will complement work like the development of a new public garden designed by Snøhetta that will increase the amount of public open space at the tower by 50 per cent and bring new green space to the area. They are intended

European health spa operator Ensana has recently opened a new luxury wellness and relaxation centre at its 5-star Thermia Palace Ensana Health Spa Hotel, on the spa island of Piešt’any, Slovakia. The €4m ($4m, £3m) development, which covers almost 13,000sq ft (1,200sq m), features year-round indoor and outdoor swimming pools, experience showers, a tepidarium, a large whirlpool, Finnish infrared sauna and steam room. The new wellness and relaxation centre at

Dattner Architects have been chosen to transform the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus in Brooklyn into an affordable housing complex with integrated leisure, wellness and community elements. The project, which is part of a wider initiative to create more affordable housing in Brooklyn, will see three buildings demolished on the 102,000sq ft (9,500sq m) site, as well as the redevelopment of a former hospital building. A total of 266

Kerry Hill Architects have designed a spa and wellness resort on a mountainside in Hokkaido – their fourth resort in Japan for hotel operator Aman, following the opening of Aman Kyoto. The Aman Niseko resort is to be an all-season retreat situated among the mountain, forest and river surroundings of Mount Moiwa. It is designed to take advantage of the setting by framing the forest and mountain scenery from inside

Rosewood Hotels and Resorts has launched its Asaya wellness destination concept in the 27-storey Rosewood Hong Kong hotel, designed by New York interior designer Tony Chi. Originally launched at Rosewood Phuket, the Asaya wellness concept is founded on five pillars – Emotional Balance, Fitness and Nutrition, Physical Therapies, Skin Health and Community. The 3,716sq m (40,000sq ft) Hong Kong space spans two floors and includes private harbour-view marble hydrotherapy pools,

Winstanley Architects & Planners and LandDesign have created a masterplan for a 821ac (332ha) resort in Puerto Rico with a focus on health, wellness and sustainability. Ponce Paradise, located between the existing city of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea, will combine a new town with a wellness offering, a canal quarter, a beachfront and a preservation area. Infrastructure such as a micro-grid and a farm-to-table agricultural program will help to

A radical ring-shaped aquatic centre with wellness facilities and outdoor green space – designed by Andrew Burges Architects, Grimshaw Architects and McGregor Coxall – is to be built in Parramatta, Australia. The centre, which will be nestled into parkland surroundings and cover a total area of approximately 18,000sq ft (1,670sq m), will feature a 10-lane, 50m outdoor pool, a 25m indoor pool and facilities for individuals learning to swim, as

Porto-based architectural firm Miguel Cardoso Architecto, together with Madeirian designer Nini Andrade Silva, have created a boutique hotel in a 19th century manor house in the Portuguese city of Porto. The 68-bedroom Vila Foz Hotel & Spa is set in Porto’s Foz neighbourhood, and includes a spa dedicated to serenity and wellbeing. Within the manor house hotel, Miguel Cardoso Architecto was responsible for the painstaking restoration, as well as building

Destination spa Lefay will open a luxury eco spa resort in the Italian Dolomites on 1 August. Located in the ski area of Madonna di Campiglio, Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti features 88 suites and 22 branded residences, as well as a 5,000sq m Lefay spa – one of the largest spas in the Alpine region. The resort was designed by architect Hugo Demetz, who used traditional materials such as

The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) team has announced that designer Bill Bensley will deliver a keynote speech on hospitality design and sustainability at this year's summit in Hong Kong (15-17 October). Bensley's keynote will challenge delegates to rethink how hotels and resorts are designed and built, by posing questions he believes that the conscientious traveller of the future will be asking, such as: Does this hotel respect its environment? Does

COMO Metropolitan hotel in London has opened ten luxury residences, offering private apartment-style accommodation adjacent to the hotel and opposite Hyde Park. The Residences offer the same five-star facilities and service as the hotel, which is a one-minute walk away, including access to the hotel's holistic wellness centre, COMO Shambhala Urban Escape. Inside, designer Linzi Coppick of Forme UK has prioritised a sense of home. Natural daylight floods the apartments,

The opening date for the Four Seasons Philadelphia has been set for 12 August. The property was originally scheduled to open in Q3 2018. The 219-bed hotel, located atop the 1,121ft (342m) Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia’s downtown, offers views from the 48th to 56th floors. Set above it, the spa will include seven treatment rooms and an indoor infinity pool. The 17,321sq ft facility will encompass the entire 57th