ITC Hotels has announced that a new 600-room flagship property in Chennai, India, which features a design inspired by the Chola dynasty, will be added to its portfolio in early 2012. Among the facilities to be offered at the ITC Grand Chola will be a 23,000sq ft (2,137sq m) Kaya Kalp Spa, which will comprise a total of 12 suites for treatments. One suite is being earmarked for couples and

International hotel and resort architects ReardonSmith have joined forces with South Africa-based design firm Savile Row to work on a major new resort planned for Mozambique. A standalone spa is set to form part of the 800-hectare (1,977-acre) development, which is to be located on a peninsula overlooking the Indian Ocean and borders an elephant reserve. Further details are yet to be confirmed, although it is believed that the new

Croatian hotel group Maistra has opened its latest property - the 248-bedroom Lone Hotel in the city of Rovinj. Designed by architects 3LHD and Silvijo Novak, the HRK335m (US$61m, 44m euro, £39m) hotel's facilities include a 1,700sq m spa and wellness centre, restaurants and conferencing space. It is the first Croatian hotel to join the Design Hotels scheme - a membership scheme for design-led hotels. The spa, designed by The

Galliford Try has announced that it has been selected as Genting UK's preferred contractor for the planned £80m Resorts World at The NEC leisure and entertainment development. The 55,000sq m (592,015sq ft) complex is expected to feature a Genting-operated casino; a hotel; a spa; a banqueting/conference centre; food/drink outlets and a multi-screen cinema. It is hoped that work will commence during the first quarter of 2012, with Resorts World at

Switzerland-based hospitality group Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts has made its first move into India with the launch of a new 182-room property in the heart of Bangalore. Facilities at the Mövenpick Hotel and Spa Bangalore includes the Sohum Spa, which boasts eight treatment rooms offering a range of Ayurveda-inspired therapies. Oriental and European healing techniques will also be on offer at the spa, which comprises a design inspired by the

Hotel and resort operator Four Seasons will open its newest property in Baltimore, US next month. The 256-bedroom hotel boasts a 10,00sq ft (950sq m) spa with eleven treatment rooms including several suites with private soaking tubs – and separate men's and women's relaxation areas, sauna and steamrooms. Featuring products and treatments by ESPA, the spa also has a large relaxation zone with two pools – including a year-round heated

Hilton Worldwide has announced the launch of its new Conrad Koh Samui Resort and Spa on Thailand's Aow Thai Beach, a west-facing property overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. The 80-villa resort joins its sister hotel Conrad Bangkok in Thailand and includes a spa that offers "innovative therapies and holistic treatments" to benefit mind, body and soul. Dr Buathon - one of Thailand's leading authorities on holistic healing - has been

Rezidor Hotel Group (RHG) has announced the opening of its second property in Georgia - the Michele De Lucchi-designed 168-bedroom Radisson Blu Hotel Batumi. Facilities include a 19,000sq ft (1,765sq m) wellness facility with Anne Semonin Spa and a fitness centre. The spa boasts five treatment rooms; a couples' suite; and an indoor pool. An outdoor pool with sun deck; a kids' pool; a Finnish sauna; an aroma steam bath;

International hospitality design group Hirsch Bednar Associates (HBA) has worked on the design of The Residence Zanzibar - an 80-acre (32 hectare) resort opened earlier this year. The 66-villa resort incorporates a colonial-themed design inspired by Swahili; Omani; UK; and Indian cultures present on the island, with each villa boasting a pool and private terrace. A wellness centre and spa amid 5 acres (2 hectares) of tropical gardens is among

Proposals for a new multi-million pound cultural visitor destination - Visions of China - in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, have been unveiled by the partnership leading the scheme. It follows a decision by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) to name China Vision Ltd and MCD Developments as its preferred developer for the Pithouse West site. The £100m+ project is being headed by China Vision chair Dr Lee Kaihung and joint CEOs

Morgans Hotel Group (MHG) has secured a management and licensing agreement to run a new 310-room lifestyle hotel as part of the Baha Mar Resort development in the Bahamas. The Mondrian-branded property is scheduled to open in late 2014 and is expected to feature 188 hotel rooms; 122 Mondrian-branded residential units; an ocean-view lobby; and a spa. A fitness centre; multiple swimming pools and cabanas; and meeting space are also

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

Construction work is now underway on the new luxury Orchard Spa, which is scheduled to open at The Lakes by yoo - a second homes scheme in the Cotswolds - in February 2012. The 791sq m (8,514sq ft) facility will comprise two treatment rooms with therapies on offer from qualified therapists, as well as a 25m indoor swimming pool; sauna; and steamrooms. A gym will also form part of the

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

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

A private leisure and spa facility is to be developed as part of a residential-led scheme to be developed in Holland Park, London, after the proposals were given the green light. GC Campden Hill - a joint venture comprising property group Grosvenor and Native Land - received the green light to proceed with the plans from Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) councillors. The 2-acre (0.8-hectare), John McAslan 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

East Kilbride's Dollan Aqua Centre has reopened to the public following the completion of a £7m refurbishment of the Grade A-listed venue, which was carried out by Clark Contracts. The renovation of the complex - originally designed by Alexander Buchanan Campbell and first opened in 1968 - included structural works and new floor, wall and ceiling finishes. Among the facilities at Dollan Aqua Centre is one of Scotland's five 50m

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

Councillors have voted to proceed with the £24m Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre project in St Albans, Hertfordshire, following an independent review of the scheme's business case. The review took place after a Conservative-led administration took control of St Albans City and District Council (SACDC) following the local government elections in May. At a meeting on 7 June, cabinet members decided to move forward with the S&P Architects-designed scheme, which has

The Atomic Spa Suisse in Milan, Italy, has created an interior design feature using more than 1,200 mirrored bubbles to 'make it stand out from the norm'. Created to look like champagne bubbles rising to the top of a glass, the "melted metal drops" are attached to the walls and ceilings all over the spa, sparsely at the entrance and becoming denser the further you go in. The feature was

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