The 341-room Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre has officially opened. The hotel, also offering 124 executive residences, is the second Ritz-Carlton in Dubai and the company's sixth property in the region. The hotel is the only one directly linked to the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), with its focal point being No. 5, the hotel bar - which features a 30m (100ft), 3,000-bottle wine wall - situated at the end

The Chatwal New York – located on West 44th Street, Manhattan, US – has unveiled a new 2,400sq ft (223sq m) spa. Three treatment rooms; three private changing suites with steam shower; a relaxation area; and two saltwater plunge pools are included as part of The Chatwal Spa by Kashwére. A saltwater lap-pool and a manicure and pedicure room have also been created at the new spa, along with a

A new 10,000sq ft (929sq m) spa - managed by WTS International - has been launched at the Woodstock Inn and Resort in Vermont, US. Unveiled in late 2010, the facility features 10 treatment rooms; tranquil men's and women's lounges; the Great Room; an outdoor courtyard; and a retail area. The Great Room is designed to provide a space in which to relax before and after treatments, with the adjacent

Pub operator and brewer Young's has announced that it is to open a new 23-bedroom hotel at its Alma pub in Wandsworth, London, following a £2.7m investment. A new accommodation wing featuring boutique-style bedrooms has been added to the pub, which will add to the group's existing portfolio of nearly 350 rooms. Hotel designers RDD were involved with the scheme, which also included the refurbishment of The Alma's pub and

A former gaol in Armagh, Northern Ireland, is to be transformed as part of a mixed-use redevelopment of the site. Armagh City and District Council (ACDC) has held a consultation event to gather feedback on plans for a reconciliation and heritage centre as part of the scheme. The attraction will form part of a wider heritage-led development for Armagh Gaol, which also involves Trevor Osborne Property Group and The Prince's

A new 2,995-bedroom resort - The Cosmopolitan - has officially opened in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. Facilities include a 100,000sq ft (9,290sq m) casino; the Sahra Spa and Hammam and the Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub, as well as nine retail boutiques. Among the signature spa offerings are a 'reimagined' steamroom; a heated hammam; the Sahra Suite; and a number of other spa suites with treatment areas and relaxation space. The

Real Estate Opportunities' (REO) bid to redevelop Battersea Power Station has cleared its latest planning milestone with the green light from London mayor Boris Johnson. The £5.5bn scheme - designed by Rafael Viñoly - was approved by Wandsworth Council last month and will include support towards an extension of the Northern Line. REO's plans for the site include the restoration of the Grade II*-listed power station site - decommissioned in

Von Essen Hotels has completed the deal to acuire the Llangoed Hall Hotel in Brecon, Powys, Wales. Set in a building dating back to 1632, each of the Llangoed Hall Hotel's 23 bedrooms are individually designed by the late designer Laura Ashley, whose husband Sir Bernard Ashley created the country house hotel. Features include Ashley's Restaurant and Sir Bernard's private art collection with the hotel's Whistler room, which houses more

Panama's newest boutique hotel, Las Clementinas Chambers, has opened today (14 December 2010). The hotel only has six 'over-sized' suites and is located in a fully-restored, historic 1930s property in Casco Viejo, the walled district near the Panama Canal - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The design and build of the hotel took more than three years. Conservatorio SA, the owner and operator of the hotel, sourced local architects and

Hotel and resort operator Hyatt has opened a 178-suite hotel in the Canyons Resort of Park City, Utah, US. Facilities at the Hyatt Escala Lodge include an after-ski area with steamroom, heated swimming pools, spa pools and a fitness zone. The hotel was developed by SDI Realty Group, a privately held real estate company based in Provo, Utah. The ski-in, ski-out condominium hotel property is located at the base of

EPR Architects have gained planning permission for an eco-friendly hotel at the Bristol Airport. The 251-bedroom hotel will be located close to the terminal building and is designed to be sustainable, minimising the consumption of energy, materials and water through the selection of construction materials and technologies that minimise site wastage and that are locally sourced wherever possible. The ‘social heart’ of the hotel is the ground floor reception area

Discussions are taking place on plans to preserve HMS Ark Royal and keep the ship at the Royal Docks in east London. Under proposals being considered by the Major of London, the aircraft carrier would become a museum and visitor attraction similar to HMS Belfast, currently anchored in the River Thames near Tower Bridge. Built in 1981, Ark Royal is now in the process of being decommissioned as part of

Energy saving lighting will be installed in the guestrooms as part of a green makeover at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. All 608 rooms will be upgraded to offer a contemporary room concept featuring modern, eco-friendly technology. Rooms on 16 of the floors have been given a new layout and interior decor, with other improvements including white marble flooring and rain showers in bathrooms. The renovation's final phase, involving the remaining

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on a major £180m regeneration scheme in Canning Town, London. The 680,000sq ft (63,174sq m) Rathbone Market development will include 49,000sq ft (4,552sq m) of retail space and cafés and a new market square. Sisk has been appointed by English Cities Fund (ECF) to deliver the scheme, which will also include a 21-storey building to provide an 'iconic

The Rezidor Hotel Group has revealed that the 138-room Hotel Missoni Belek, Antalya, Turkey is to open in 2013. The Hotel Missoni brand debuted in 2009, with each hotel being personally designed by Rosita Missoni of the Missoni fashion house. The first property opened in Edinburgh, Scotland, and others are under development in Kuwait, Oman and Brazil. Hotel Missoni Belek, Antalya - with 110 guestrooms and 28 villas - will

A 200-bedroom, 22,000sq m luxury hotel is being planned for the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park in Abastumani, Georgia. Located on the southern slope of the Meskheti Range, the Aghobili Hotel has been designed by Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects in collaboration with consulting engineers Buro Happold. Aghoboli, which will integrate part of an existing hotel, will also boast conferencing facilities, a spa with mineral water pools and a swimming pool. Anders

A new beachfront spa is to be created at the independently owned Le Sereno hotel on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy as part of a wider US$10m (£6.4m, EUR7.7m) investment plan. The Spa at Le Sereno is being developed in partnership with product house La Ligne St Barth and is set to incorporate a mixture of indoor and outdoor spaces. Two individual spa suites; a couple's suite; and a

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has completed work on a refurbishment of the spa facilities at its property in Miami, US. The remodelling of the spa, which was carried out to help mark its 10th anniversary, has been designed by Robert D Henry Architects. A spa welcome reception and a retail boutique form part of the venue's public areas, while the private areas incorporate separate relaxation lounges for men and women.

India-based Taj Hotels, a subsidiary of the Indian Tata Group, has reopened Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, India, as a luxury spa hotel. Originally built in 1884, the former royal residence is spread across 32 acres of gardens and has undergone a 10-year restoration. The palace offers 60 luxurious rooms, a 10,000sq ft (930sq m) Royal Jiva-branded spa, two restaurants and an outdoor pool. The initial design of the Spa was

Emirates Sunland Group (ESG) has announced that its AED2.3bn (€480m, US$630m, £402m) Palazzo Versace Dubai is now 80 per cent complete. The luxury hotel will boast 169 private residences and 213 super-luxury hotel suites, with a range of furniture and furnishings exclusively designed by Versace. Facilities will include a Salus Per Aquum-branded luxury spa, health club, ballroom, restaurants and convention facilities and Versace boutique, all set in landscaped grounds. The

Communities secretary Eric Pickles has approved developer Peel Holdings' plans for the £4.5bn transformation of Wallasey and Birkenhead Docks. Wirral Waters is one of the largest planning applications in the UK and was given the go ahead by Wirral Council in August, but had to go before the government. However, Pickles' decision to opt against calling in the scheme for further review means that a public inquiry will not be

Outline planning permission has been granted for the development of a new £55m golf, hotel and residential development near Broughty Ferry, Dundee. Local entrepreneur Mike Forbes' proposals for The Angus, which have been drawn up by architects Archial, have been given the green light by planning officials at Angus Council. An international competition-standard, 18-hole championship golf course designed by Darren Clarke is at the heart of the scheme, along with

The first property in Marriott's Editions boutique hotel chain has opened on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. The hotel has been designed by architects George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg and the team also inlcuded landscape designer Deborah Nevins. The brand, first announced in 2007, is being rolled out in partnership with hotelier Ian Schrager who is acting as creative director. Further editions will open in Istanbul in 2011, then Barcelona, Bangkok,

Albert Roux and Michel Roux Jr have unveiled a new restaurant at The Langham, London - the first time the father and son pair have worked together in 19 years. Roux at The Landau - the David Collins-designed signature restaurant - follows the opening of Roux at Parliament Square in May. Chris King has been appointed chef de cuisine at the new restaurant, having completed an apprenticeship and worked at

Hyatt Hotels and Extell Development Corporation are to introduce the Park Hyatt luxury brand to New York with a newly-constructed hotel designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc. Park Hyatt New York will be located at 157 West 57th Street between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue, opposite Carnegie Hall. Slated for completion in 2012, the 210-room hotel will be part of a 90-storey mixed-use tower that will

Chef Marcus Wareing will open a flagship restaurant at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London in London’s Kings Cross. To be called Gilbert Scott - after the architect who designed the 1873 Victorian St Pancras building - the 120-cover, 6,700sq ft British brasserie will be Wareing's second in London. The building – including the restaurant – is due to reopen as the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel on 5 May. David

An entire Roman landscape has been discovered a few feet underground at Grade I listed Syon Park, West London. The find, by Museum of London Archaeology, followed excavations in August 2008 ahead of the construction of the new London Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, set to open in early 2011. Revealed were a section of a road linking London with Silchester; a rural settlement; a tributary of the Thames;