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

Le Bristol hotel in Paris has been declared a national treasure by the French government following a 103m euro (£92m, US$150m) redevelopment of the property. The hotel, which is privately owned by the Oetker family, has been recognised as having 'palace distinction' and becomes the first hotel in France to receive the accolade. In total, the French government has awarded eight French hotels the right to call themselves a palace.

Thailand-based hospitality operator Anantara has announced plans to open its first property in Vietnam this autumn - Anatara Mui Ne Resort and Spa. Located nearly 200km (125 miles) north east of Ho Chi Minh City on the south eastern coast of Vietnam, the resort will be sited near to the town of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan province. Anantara Mui Ne Resort and Spa will feature a 361sq m (3,886sq ft)

ELLE, one of the world's largest fashion magazines, is to lend its name to a premier spa set to launch at Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach hotel in June 2011. The 22,000sq ft (2,000sq m) ELLE Spa will be a joint venture between the magazine and the resort and forms a part of a larger US$200m (135m euro, £121m) redevelopment of the property. Facilities will include six treatment rooms and

India-based hospitality group Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts have launched the new 260-bedroom Leela Palace New Delhi property in the Diplomatic Enclave area at Chanakyapuri. The hotel boasts a 6,500sq ft (604sq m) Spa by ESPA, which has been designed by Jeffrey Wilkes across two levels - the first hosting an 'active' spa with fitness studio. Heat experiences including a sauna, steamroom and drench showers and changing facilities also comprise

Barr and Wray has secured a EUR900,000 (£795,000) deal for the design and installation of new spa and pool facilities at the new Four Seasons Hotel hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Glasgow-based aqua-leisure facility provider will provide steamrooms, saunas, rasuls, hammams and ice fountains for the property's ninth-floor rooftop spa. Presidential suites will feature saunas, steam showers and ice fountains, with the whole spa and treatment area to cover 800sq

US-based hotel operator Denihan Hospitality Group is to launch and manage a The James-branded luxury hotel on South Beach, Miami, Florida. The 390-room The James Royal Palm will be located at the historic Royal Palm Hotel which is currently being redeveloped by Denihan. An opening date has been scheduled for late 2012. Plans for the art deco-style property, which is owned by KSL Capital Partners, include a full-service spa, two

Bloc Hotels has confirmed that it is to officially launch its new hotel concept at 73-bedroom property in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter on 11 April. Bryant Priest Newman are the architects behind the design of the four-storey hotel, which is inspired by Japanese pod-style properties and aims to withdraw "all unnecessary space". Boxbuild has worked in association with Bloc Hotel to produce the pod-style rooms, which feature sound insulation and noise

CanCan Development has announced its plans for a US$450m (£281m, EUR319m) casino, resort and French-themed retail and entertainment village in D'Iberville, Mississippi, US. It is hoped the 18-acre (7.3-hectare) development will create around 2,000 jobs and bring in "much-needed" tax revenue to an area affected by Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. The scheme will comprise a 60,000sq ft (5,574sq m) casino with 46 table games, 1,800 slot machines

W Hotels Worldwide has launched its W Retreat & Spa Bali in Seminyak, its third Retreat to open within the past 12 months. The 158-key resort has been designed in partnership with SCDA Architects and AB Concept and Poole Associates, and includes a large AWAY-branded spa. The 1,500sq m (16,000sq ft) AWAY Spa has been designed by Singapore-based A. W. LAKE Spa Concepts has been inspired by two of Bali's

Sanguine Hospitality has confirmed the start of construction work on a £12m flagship hotel and spa development in the centre of Birmingham. Denizen Construction has moved on site at The Cube, which will boast a 52-bedroom Hotel Indigo; a 300-seat Marco Pierre White restaurant; and the Club and Spa. Facilities at the fifth floor Club and Spa will include an indoor swimming pool; a sauna and steamrooms; 10 treatment rooms;

Rezidor Hotel Group (RHG) has announced the opening of a new Hotel Missoni in Kuwait - the second property to open under the group's new lifestyle brand. Hotel Missoni Kuwait forms a part of Kuwait City's Symphony Centre boutique emporium and offers 169 sea-facing rooms, as well as a gym, a steamroom, a sauna and a pool deck. Dining concepts include the Italian restaurant Cucina and the 18th floor Luna