Switzerland Development Group (SDG) has unveiled plans for its new luxury development in Leukerbad, with construction work scheduled to commence in spring 2012. 51º Spa Residences has been designed by a team including Michael Graves and Associates; Marc Michaels Interior Design; and WET and will be undertaken in phases. Two buildings of residential apartments are included as part of the development, with a total of 30 to boast in-home thermal

Mark Sargeant, the former head chef of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's hotel in London, has unveiled a new destination seafood restaurant and bar in Folkestone, Kent - Rocksalt. The new-build property was designed by Guy Holloway Architects after winning a national design contest and forms as part of Sir Terry Farrell's masterplan for the town's harbour. Completed in June, the new 86-cover restaurant also features a private dining room for

Belfast's 21 Social bar and restaurant - located in the heart of the city's Cathedral quarter - has picked up a National Association of Shopfitters (NAS) Design Partnership Award. Soon Interiors and Marcon Fitout worked on the creation of the Hill Street property, which aims to provide guests with "the place to eat, drink, listen and love" across three floors. 21 Social was confirmed as the winner of the leisure

Soneva Kiri by Six Senses has collaborated with the 2011 Earth Awards to set up a prototype of a Six Senses Eco Villa at a Start event currently being held at Clarence House in London which will run until 31 July. Set up by the HRH Prince of Wales, Start is a scheme that aims to help people across the UK lead more sustainable lives and to show what a

The shortlist has been announced for this year’s European Hotel Design Awards. The list includes a number of properties in London, lead by the newly renovated St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel and newly launched W Hotel. European hotels on the list include The Dylan in Amsterdam, Palacio de Tepa, Madrid and Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom, Austria. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday 22 November at the Park Plaza

Hertfordshire-based construction group Willmott Dixon has been appointed to build a new £10m hotel at London Southend Airport, which is due to open ahead of the 2012 Games. The Leach Rhodes Walker-designed five-storey property will comprise 129 bedrooms and will feature a restaurant and a private dining room on the top floor. Stobart Group, the logistics and transport provider, operates London Southend Airport and aims to provide facilities for passengers,

Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, a conservation-based resort in New South Wales, Australia, has secured a carbon neutral status with a carboNZero certification. The resort is the first hotel in the world to achieve carboNZero certification by an internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification scheme. Wolgan Valley was given the accolade after a full year of operation. The carbon neutral status for Wolgan Valley was made possible through a combination of

BAM Construction has been chosen by the University of Nottingham (UoN) to build a new £20m eco-friendly hotel adjacent to the East Midlands Conference Centre. Funded entirely by the institution, the property has been designed by RHWL Architects and will incorporate the latest technology in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. The hotel is due to open by the end of 2012 and will boast a gym; a restaurant; and

Spa management and skincare company ESPA revealed ESPA Life, its brand new spa concept, at the five-star, 294-bedroom Corinthia Hotel London, UK, yesterday (4 July 2011). ESPA Life is billed as 'a leading voice in the next generation of spa' and will offer a fully integrated wellness approach alongside a luxury spa experience. The wellness menu includes lifestyle programmes that focus on detox, sleep, weight-loss, pregnancy and general vitality. It

The Four Seasons Marrakech resort in Morocco has opened. The resort has 141 rooms and suites and facilities include three restaurants and a luxury spa. Blu Spas has been working with architect Didier Lefort of DL2A Paris and the UK-based GA Design on the interior of the property. The US$15m (11m euro, £9m) spa boasts 17 treatment rooms with the main pavilion offering 15 treatment rooms. There is also a

London Golf Club in Ash, Kent, has unveiled plans for the development of a new hotel and spa as part of its ambition to establish a 'world-class' golf resort in south east England. The club - host venue of the 2008 and 2009 European Open events - has received planning consent from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council for the £35m scheme. Designed by MacKenzie Wheeler, the new development will include

TUI Resorts & Hotels, a subsidiary of travel giant TUI Group, has begun construction work on the first phase of the Castelfalfi Resort in Tuscany. The 250m euro (£221m, US$362m) project will integrate a number of eco-friendly solutions and comprises a 32-bedroom boutique hotel, country houses, restaurants and a golf course. Two further hotels are to be built in phase two and plans also include the creation of a large

Spa management and skincare company ESPA is set to unveil its first ESPA Life wellness concept spa at the 294-bedroom Corinthia Hotel London, UK. Spread over four floors and covering 3,300sq m (35,500sq ft), the spa is hailed by the company as "a leading voice in the next generation of spa". It will boast a fully integrated wellness approach - including revolutionary lifestyle programmes delivered by holistic health professionals and

The Imperial Hotel in New Delhi, India, has announced the launch of a 16,000sq ft (1,486sq m) spa located amid landscaped gardens - available to hotel guests only. Featuring architecture influenced by the Moghul era, the new Imperial Spa aims to provide a range of services that it believes are "essential elements" to a healthy lifestyle. Facilities incorporate Imperial Hydrotherapy suites for pre and post treatment and the Kerala Suite

Hertfordshire-based construction group Sir Robert McAlpine has secured a deal to design and build a new 244-bedroom hotel at Butlins' resort in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Butlins Skyline is behind the proposed eight-storey development, which is set to feature an L-shaped design and its upper levels reducing in footprint to create a stepped effect. Located on the western side of the resort, the building will incorporate white render, curves and

A new art gallery and youth hostel has officially opened in Berwick-upon-Tweed, following the completion of a £5m refurbishment of the Grade II-listed Dewar's Lane Granary. In addition to the exhibition space and 55-bed hostel, the six-storey property also includes a modern bistro; meeting and conference rooms; and an outdoor courtyard seating area. The Berwick Preservation Trust (BPT) led the restoration programme, with One North East and the government's now-defunct

Sanguine Hospitality has announced that the new £15m Hotel Indigo Liverpool, a 151-room boutique property located on Chapel Street, is to open its doors to guests from 6 June. The new hotel, which also features a Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill, has been designed to reflect the area in which it is situated and the city's cotton trade heritage. Sanguine Hospitality will own and operate the property under

Solmar Hotels and Resorts has officially opened the new Grand Solmar Land's End Resort and Spa on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula in Cabo San Lucas. Dallas, US-based architects HKS and interior designer Arquitectura De Interiors worked on the new resort, which is the family-owned operator's fifth property in Cabo San Lucas. Guests at the 119-suite resort will be able to use Playa Grande's Thalassotherapy spa centre, which

Huw Watson and Helen Rogers, the new owners of The Malvern hotel, spa and health club in Worcestershire, have announced plans to further grow the business. The pair had been overseeing the running of The Malvern since September 2010 and have introduced new spa treatments, branding initiatives and special events. A second swimming pool and 30 additional rooms are now to be added as part of plans for the redevelopment

Rocco Forte Hotels has confirmed that its new flagship Middle East property in Abu Dhabi - the first to bear the name of the group's chair and CEO - is to open by the fourth quarter of 2011. The 281-bedroom Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi will offer one of the emirate state's largest spas, covering 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) and offering separate facilities for men and women. Facilities at the

Ireland-based operator Maldron Hotels has expanded into the UK with the launch of a 216-bedroom property in Cardiff - part of a wider scheme led by Rush Developments. The new 12-storey hotel has been built on the site of the former Central Hotel, near Cardiff Central railway station, and has been designed by Belfast-based White Ink Architects. Delivered by McAleer and Rushe, the £25m project was funded by Cardiff's Julian

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company (RCHC) has announced that it has secured an agreement with Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) to open its first property in the Emirate state. Due to open in late 2011, the waterfront Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal will boast a 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) ESPA-managed spa area with 20 private treatment rooms. The 447-bedroom property will also incorporate 85 villas; a fitness centre; outdoor tennis courts;

A new spa and organic wellness resort, which has been modelled on the 18th century Haut Koesnigburg castle in France, is due to open in Malaysia by the end of July. The 210-room Chateau Spa and Wellness Resort is sited in the Berjaya Hills amid a 150-million-year-old rainforest and will be the world's first organic destination spa resort. Facilities will include the La Santé spa, which will use Voya organic

La Maddalena Hotel and Yacht Club - located on the archipelago of La Maddalena between Sardinia and Corsica - is to open its doors on 20 May. Created by Studio Boeri Architetti, the hotel also features Porto Arsenale Marina - a former military base that has been converted to accommodate more than 600 boats. Facilities at the 96-room property feature a spa boasting three treatment rooms overlooking the sea, a

The 426-bedroom Chedi Andermatt Hotel at the skiing resort of Andermatt in the Swiss Alps will include a 1,620sq m (17,000sq ft) luxury spa when it opens in 2013. Facilities at the spa, designed by Zürich-based archites Hotz Architekten AG, include 10 treatment rooms; a 125sq m (1,350sq ft) relaxation zone; indoor and outdoor swimming pools; a sauna world with a number of saunas, steamrooms and plunge pools and a

Construction work on the Bayscape development in Cardiff Bay - including Wales' tallest building - could be poised to get underway in late summer/autumn this year. Developers are currently in discussions with architects Harper Downie to finalise plans for the scheme, which is to include a 32-storey hotel operated by Wyndham Hotel Group. Ardmore Construction has been appointed to deliver the scheme, which will include the 200-room hotel; serviced apartments;

JW Marriott has officially unveiled central London's historic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which follows the completion of an extensive £150m restoration of the Victorian property. Manhattan Loft Corporation worked alongside contractor Galliford Try; RHWL Architects; conservation architects Richard Griffiths; and GA Design International on the scheme. Facilities at the 245-room hotel include a 6,226sq ft (578sq m) spa area, which includes five treatment rooms and a couple's suite; a spa