Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa will open in Kuwait on 7 May - the first Jumeirah hotel in the Gulf region outside the United Arab Emirates. Designed by New York's Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the luxury beachfront development includes 316 rooms and suites, 80 residential suites and 12 villas with views of the hotel gardens. The 3,500sq m (37,674sq ft) Talise Spa includes 17 treatment rooms and two private

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has officially opened its new Shanghai resort in China. Located on the banks of Huangpu River, Mandarin Oriental Pudong is housed within Harbour City, a new 62-acre waterfront destination developed by Shanghai Rui Ming real estate company. The resort, which occupies 111,000sq m (1,195,000 sq ft), features 318 guestrooms and 44 suites along with 210 executive apartments, designed by architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica. Presidential suites

Hyatt has announced a Grand Hyatt hotel is planned for Changsha, Hunan Province in central China. The 324-room hotel will include a spa, as well as fitness facilities, pool, meeting and banquet facilities, and restaurants and bars. It will occupy the upper floors of a 268m-tall skyscraper, located in a mixed-use complex – The Central – and expected to become the new landmark of Changsha. The hotel is currently being

Restaurant group Nobu has officially opened the first Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, US. The 181-bedroom property – a collaboration between Caesars Palace, chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Nobu Hospitality primary shareholders, actor Robert De Niro and film producer Meir Teper – has been designed by New York-based David Rockwell, who has fused Japanese and Asian traditions with Western influences. Guests staying at the hotel can take advantage

COMO Hotels and Resorts is to open a secluded island retreat - Maalifushi by COMO - in the Maldives next October. The resort will be located on a 20-acre private island in south Thaa Atoll and will be the company's second resort in the Maldives. Designed by Japanese architect Koichiro Ikebuchi, the 66-room property will be the first luxury resort on the unspoilt Thaa Atoll and will offer a range

Sofitel Hotel Group has entered Uruguay with the opening of its latest resort - Sofitel Montevideo Casino Carrasco and Spa - in Carrasco. Located on a national heritage site, the building is inspired by French 'art de vivre' and local culture and features 93 rooms and 23 suites. The company's signature So Spa will span 5,382 sq ft (500 sq m) and promises to provide a relaxing atmosphere for the

UK-based design and engineering group Atkins has been appointed to draw up plans for a five star hotel and residential complex with sea-side views and private beach in the Chinese city of Sanya. Atkins' scope of work consists of concept design development, schematic design and landscaping. The masterplan is centred on seashell-like curvaceous buildings and strategically placed landscaped platforms that terrace towards the sea, optimising beach views for the hotel

Legoland has officially opened its new hotel at its California resort in Carlsbad. The 250-room, three-storey hotel has been developed in response to guest feedback that it takes more than one day to explore the resort. Construction began in 2011 and the hotel opened on 5 April ahead of its summer 2013 schedule. The hotel, which caters to children aged two to 12 and their families, offers kingdom, adventure and

Starwood has unveiled the spa and wellness facilities at its first St Regis-branded resort in Africa. Located in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Le Morne, St. Regis Mauritius Resort houses the region’s first Iridium Spa featuring 12 treatment rooms including two couples’ rooms, all with views of the Indian ocean. Facilities at the 21,500 sq ft (2,000sq m) spa include a relaxation lounge, spa pools, a sauna, a spa

Design consultancy WATG has opened an office in Istanbul, as it prepares for development in Turkey and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Lisya Sullam, who has been with the firm since 2007, has been appointed director of the new office. She has been involved in high-profile projects in country including Olivion Golf Resort and Missoni Hotel in Antalya Belek and Bodrum Viceroy. Raised in Istanbul, Sullam's focus is to

Hilton Worldwide has announced the expansion of its Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand into Latin America with the opening of its latest luxury property featuring a 2,000sq ft (186sq m) branded spa. The Waldorf Astoria Panama is located in the heart of Panama City and features 248 guest rooms, suites and luxury residences. Designed by the Miami-based firm ba-haus/KNF, the new hotel unveils a combination of fresh tones and

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has unveiled plans for a new development that includes a luxury hotel, spa and branded residences in Istanbul, Turkey that will open in 2016. The 210-room hotel will be joined by branded residences and is part of the Quasar Istanbul complex, a new mixed-use development in the Sisli district. The Quasar Istanbul complex will comprise of two 41-storey towers that will sit above a four-storey office

Details of the UK's first Shangri-La - to occupy levels 34 to 52 of The Shard - have been revealed ahead of its opening this summer. The five-star 202-room property will be London's first elevated luxury hotel and promises panoramic views, including nearby attractions such as the Tate Modern, the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and Shakespeare's Globe. Room features will include custom-made beds, iPod docking stations, complimentary high-speed

London's first railway hotel - Great Northern Hotel - will re-open in April for the first time in almost 12 years following multi-million-pound renovations. Situated between King's Cross Station and St Pancras International, the privately owned Grade II-listed building has been restored by owner-operator Jeremy Robson of Ram. Originally designed by architect Lewis Cubitt, the Great Northern Hotel opened in 1854 as the first of the new generation of Victorian

The first phase of The New York Palace’s major revamp will see the hotel’s towers get a US$25m (€ 19m, £17m) upgrade and makeover. Two design firms have been selected, San Francisco-based BAMO ; who will redesign The Towers’ 176 guest rooms and suites as well as the new private reception experience; and New York-based design firm BBG-BBGM, who is renovating two of the hotel’s triplex suites and the new

The Ritz-Carlton has officially opened a new luxury Middle East resort and spa - The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal - opposite the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Spanning 230,670 sq m (57 acres), the resort consists of ten buildings arranged in a crescent formation, that feature 447 guestrooms and suites, in addition to 85 private one and two-bedroom villas. The 2,000 sq m (21,500 sq ft) Abu Dhabi ESPA spa

Hyatt is to make its debut in the Mediterranean Island Mallorca off the east coast of Spain with its first Hyatt-branded hotel opening in 2015. The hotel will be located at the centre of a 61-acre master development, which is owned and being developed by Spanish developers Grupo Cap Vermell. Overlooking the Canyamel valley with views of the sea and the ancient town of Artá, the resort will feature 142

Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed plans to transform a former textile factory in Belgrade, Serbia into a 94,000sq m (1m sq ft) mixed use leisure development. Greek company Lamda Development, which bought the Beko factory in 2007, appointed EPR Architects as hotel consultants. Located near Kalemegdan Castle, overlooking the junction of Sava and Danube Rivers, the Beko site will house a luxury boutique hotel, a congress centre along with residential,

Australia’s Queensland state government has approved an AU$600m (US$617m, 472m euro, £408m) resort for Great Keppel Island, which will be one of the biggest tourism developments in the country – pending approval from the federal government. The proposed first stage of development would include: a 250-room hotel at Fisherman’s Beach with restaurant and conference facilities; a 250-berth marina and yacht club at Putney Beach; 150 precinct apartments and staff accommodation;

The world's tallest hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai in the UAE, has been officially opened to guests. Soaring at 335m (1,099ft), the hotel is spread across two towers, which feature 1,608 guestrooms. The 72-story property houses a 4,000sq m (43,056sq ft) Saray Spa and Health Club featuring 16 treatment rooms. The spa draws inspiration from the caravanserai silk route across Arabia focussing on places of rest and recovery along

Nikki Beach has chosen Bodrum as the location of its first Turkish resort and spa – set to open in 2014 – due to the region’s popularity with Turkish holidaymakers and international jetsetters. The Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Bodrum will feature 57 suites and villas across 40,000sq m (430,556sq ft) of peninsula overlooking Torga Bay, the Mediterranean and nearby islands. The Nikki Spa – a feature of all the

London's BBC Television Centre in White City is to be redeveleoped into a cultural quarter that will include a hotel, entertainment and leisure facilities and public open space. For the first time, the television centre will be opened up to the public with the famous forecourt remodelled into new retail, leisure and entertainment areas. Property developer Stanhope is responsible for the project, which will see the main circular building, known

A luxury wellness spa inspired by Spanish themes has launched at The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey in Los Angeles. Located on the waterfront, Spa Nautica features seven treatment rooms including separate rooms for couple's treatments and wet treatments, as well as a full service nail salon. In the warmer months the Southern California spa will offer treatments outside on the hotel's pool deck. Spa facilities include eucalyptus steamrooms, a heated

Melia Hotels International has launched a new luxury hotel - ME London - in Marconi House, the original London home of BBC radio. Located on the Strand on the southern tip of Covent Garden, the property offers a collection of 157 guestrooms including 16 suites and a two-floor penthouse. The hotel is designed by Foster + Partners' architects and is the group’s first UK hotel project. The interiors focus on

Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts is to launch a new hotel that will feature a Swahili-themed aqua park and spa in Egypt. Located at the southern end of Hurghada, Steigenberger Aqua Magic will house 688 guest rooms including family rooms, deluxe rooms and suites. The resort, which will open end of 2013 or early 2014, will feature a Splash-certified Aqua Park with a range of slides and attractions including a separate

Travelodge will invest £223m in its brand this year, including 14 new hotels at an investment of £141.5m, and the rollout of a new room designed partly by the hotel group’s customers. Twelve new hotels will open in the UK this year and two will open in Spain, in Barcelona and Madrid. All new hotels will incorporate a new room design, overseen by in-house designer Frances Whitley and based on

A new luxury hotel - The Richmond - is set to open in Liverpool in March, combining serviced apartments and hotel services. Located at Liverpool Convention Bureau, the new property features 51 apartments, suites, executive and classic rooms. Set within a Grade II-listed building, guests will have free access to the recently opened Olympus Leisure Spa, which houses saunas, steamrooms, sunken baths, bucket showers and a relaxation zone. The spa