Pod Hotel will open its second location near Grand Central Terminal in New York City, US, in June, which will be modelled on the concept's successful Pod 51 property. The new hotel - Pod 39 - will contain 367 bedrooms ranging from 60-120sq ft (5.6-11.1m) in size and which have been custom-designed to offer comfort and functionality. Unlike the original Pod 51 hotel, Pod 39 will also offer en-suite bathrooms

Xiangshan Hot Spring and Wellness Center, a new US$25m (€19m, £16m) oceanfront spa and 'bathing attraction', is scheduled to open in China in August 2013. Located next to the Hilton Ningbo Xiangshan Resort, the centre is designed by US-based WATG and Thailand-based GOCO Hospitality and will incorporate a 6,000sq m (64,583sq ft) standalone building. The building will house 24 treatment rooms - including two suites and a spa pavilion. Meanwhile,

The Oetker Collection is to expand its portfolio of "masterpiece hotels" with the launch of the new Palais Namaskar Hotel and Spa in Marrakech, Morocco tomorrow (6 April). Built to follow the principles of Feng Shui, the hotel is nestled amid 50,000sq m (538,196sq ft) of scented Balinese-inspired gardens that are complemented by waterfalls and lakes. Facilities include the 650sq m (6,997sq ft) Le Spa Namaskar, which includes four individual

Austria-based Loisium Wine and Spa Resorts will open its second spa hotel in Ehrenhausen, Southern Styria, Austria in June. The 105-bedroom hotel will include a Wine Spa, two wine-themed restaurants and a wine bar. The 1,400sq m (15,000sq ft) spa will have eight treatment cabins - including two couples' suites - a relaxation area, a sauna area with five saunas, heated outdoor pool with experience showers and a fitness zone

Laura Ashley has announced plans to open a new boutique hotel as a showcase for the UK-based fashion and homeware brand's products and design services. In its results for the 52 weeks to 28 January, the company confirmed it had acquired a hotel in Hertfordshire last November for £5.8m as part of an expansion of its marketing strategy. Further details about the composition and facility mix of Laura Ashley's new

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced the launch of its first Park Hyatt-branded property located in an Indian city with the 185-bedroom and 24-suite Park Hyatt Hyderabad. The eight-storey hotel has been designed by John Portman and Associates and includes The Spa, which is inspired by the royal Nizams of Hyderabad and has five treatment rooms. Each of the treatment rooms are equipped with separate bath areas, while a Swedish sauna;

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has opened a new Vivanta by Taj-branded spa resort in northern Kerala, India. The 25-acre (10-hectare) The Vivanta by Taj, Bekal resort is home to the Jiva Grande Spa, which is spread over 165,000sq ft (15,000sq m). Spa facilities include single and double treatment rooms; beauty treatment rooms; meditation and yoga pavilions; relaxation pools; and a large health and fitness club. All treatment rooms have

International resort operator Club Med has announced the reopening of its resort in Phuket, Thailand, following the completion of an extensive renovation of the property. The resort is located amid 25 hectares (62 acres) of palm grove on Kata Bay beach and has received a comprehensive redesign led by France-based Marc Hertrich and Nicolas Adnet. Club Med Phuket has been transformed under the Magic of Lights theme, which is derived

A new 81-bedroom hotel is to open at the independently-owned Mere Golf Resort and Spa near Knutsford, Cheshire, this weekend to mark the completion of a £15m redevelopment. Mather and Co worked on three parts of the scheme, which has included the interior design of the new hotel - an extension to the resort's original golf club building. The Cheshire-based consultancy also carried out interior design work on a 1,253

Sofitel Luxury Hotels, a division of France-based hospitality group Accor, has announced the opening of its latest So-branded hotel with the new Sofitel So Bangkok, Thailand. Thai architect Smith Obayawat and five Thai interior designers teamed up with France-based fashion designer Christian Lacroix to devise a concept based around five elements. All 238 bedrooms and suites incorporate the elements of water, earth, wood and metal, while the dining and restaurant

Architects Foster + Partners have confirmed that the Hermitage Plaza, a mixed-use development planned for Paris, France has been granted 'permis de construire' - the final approval. The result of a close collaboration with EPAD, the City of Courbevoie, Atelier de Paysage Urbain and Département de Hauts-de-Seine, the project is intended to inject life into the area east of La Défense by creating a sustainable, high-density community. The project incorporates

The Ampersand Hotel, one of London's original Victorian boutique properties, is to reopen in South Kensington following an extensive redevelopment and renovation programme. Dexter Moren Associates have overseen the exterior and interior design of the 111-bedroom property, which spans 5,665sq ft (526sq m) and will boast a Technogym-equipped gym. Facilities at the seven-floor Ampersand Hotel will also include The Drawing Rooms patisserie; the Apero all-day dining concept; and event space.

Bianca Sharma, a US-based businesswoman, is to launch a new boutique hotel and spa within a former a 17th century monastery on Italy's Amalfi Coast in May. Sharma, who is also a director of the Sharma Foundation, acquired the building after visiting the region in 1999 and has taken more than 10 years to transform the historic property. Howard Consulting has worked on the conversion of the building into the

London's historic Café Royal will reopen in June as a member of The Set, a newly-unveiled hotel collection established by Alfred and Georgi Akirov, following an extensive renovation. David Chipperfield Architects and Donald Insall Associates have overseen a comprehensive facelift of the Regent Street property, which has been carried out over the last three years. Among the new additions to the 159-bedroom hotel is the 800sq m (8,611sq ft) Akasha

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced that one of its affiliates has signed a management agreement for Thailand's landmark Park Hyatt Bangkok, which is due to open in 2014. The deal has been signed for Central Embassy - a wholly-owned mixed-use scheme owned by the Central Group of Companies - and will see the hotel located in the heart of the city. Park Hyatt Bangkok will be housed in an iconic

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has announced a new 344-bedroom property will open at the 103-storey Guangzhou International Finance Center, China, later this year. Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou will occupy floors 69-98 of the Wilkinson Eyre Architects -designed tower, which stands 440m (1,444ft) tall and overlooks the Pearl River Delta. Among hotel's facilities will be the Hua Spa, which will be situated on the 69th floor and will comprise nine

Northern Ireland environment minister Alex Attwood has granted planning permission for a new £100m (US$157m, EUR118m) golf resort development on the North Antrim coast. Located near the villages of Bushmills and Portballintrae, Bushmills Dunes Golf Resort and Spa will incorporate a 120-bedroom hotel with conference and spa facilities when complete. An 18-hole championship golf course; a golf academy; a three-hole practice facility; and 75 guest suites/lodges are also included in

Regent Hotels and Resorts has been appointed to operate the first hotel to be built as part of the Porto Montenegro marina destination in Montenegro, which is due to open in 2014. The property, which will have 34 guestrooms and 46 serviced residences, has been designed by ReardonSmith Architects in keeping with the style of houses along the Adriatic coastline. Located on the Boka waterfront with the Venice Square Basin

The new 1,608-bedroom JW Marriott Marquis Dubai will become one of the world's tallest hotels at a height of 355m (1,164ft) when it opens this year in the United Arab Emirates. Due to launch during the fourth quarter, the new property is just 26m (85ft) shorter when compared with the Empire State Building in New York, US, and will open in two phases. Facilities will include the 1,500sq m (16,146sq

Construction work has started on a £7.5m refurbishment and extension of a 1940s property in Greenwich, London, which will house a new 145-bedroom hotel when complete. Assael Architecture have designed the project, which involves the transformation of Maurice Drummond House - once used for residential, Metropolitan Police and student purposes. Work will protect and upgrade the existing base building and will also preserve the Catherine Grove portico, as well as

Talon International Development has opened the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto in Canada today (31 January). Facilities at the hotel include the 15,000sq ft Quartz Crystal Spa which will be located on the 31st floor of the hotel, featuring 10 treatment rooms. The spa has two couples suites, infrared saunas; an indoor heated, salt-water infinity pool and a movement studio; as well as a health club and group exercise

Dubai-based Al Habtoor Group has revealed plans to create one of the Middle East's most luxurious hotels & entertainment developments. To be located on the Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, the new 1 million sq ft (92,000sq m) complex will be built opposite Al Safa Park. Plans include the building of three luxury hotels with a combined of capacity of more than 1,600 bedrooms. The cost of the complex is

A new one-bedroom, maritime-themed 'hotel' installation, which forms part of the London 2012 Festival, has opened at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Located on the roof of the venue, A Room for London has been designed by David Kohn Architects in conjunction with Fiona Banner following a global design contest. The winning boat-shape design offers panoramic views of the River Thames from Big Ben to St Paul's

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has opened a 297-bedroom hotel under its St. Regis brand in Shenzhen, China - the fourth St. Regis to open in Asia in the past six months. Designed by architect Sir Terry Farrell, The St. Regis Shenzhen occupies the top 28 floors of the 100-story Kingkey 100 landmark building. The hotel features a sprawling Iridium Spa, a collection of restaurants and lounges and will offer

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (HHC) and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) have announced the opening of Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The new 189-bedroom property has been developed on floors 18 to 33 of the iconic Capital Gate building, which features an 18-degree tilt and is located close to the Embassy District. Facilities comprise the 1,169sq m (12,583sq ft) Rayana Spa and fitness centre located

Rezidor Hotel Group (RHG) has announced that its luxury lifestyle brand, Hotel Missioni, is to open a new 80-suite property overlooking the Indian Ocean in Mauritius in 2014. The hotel will be owned by Bouigue Développement and will include the brand's signature dining concept, Cucina; a Choco Café; a fitness area; and a 900sq m (9,688sq ft) spa. Hotel Missoni Mauritius, which will join the brand's existing properties in Edinburgh,

Old Edwards Inn and Spa, a mountain resort located in North Carolina, US, has commenced work on an expansion scheme that will add an outdoor heated mineral pool to its facilities. Due for completion in the first quarter of 2013, the mineral pool will be the third to be added to the resort. A further 22 guestrooms are also planned, taking the total number to 90. The extra guestrooms will