Blu Spas has been working with architect Didier Lefort of DL2A Paris and the UK-based GA Design on interiors on a luxury resort and spa at the 140-bedroom Four Seasons hotel in Marrakech, Morocco. The spa will feature 17 treatment rooms, two VIP suites with private relaxation gardens, men's and women's hammams as well as saunas, whirlpools and gardens and will cost approximately US$15m to build. Also featuring 40 ryads

Plans for the development of a new £3.5m swimming pool and spa at Ramsgate Sports Centre, Kent, have been given the green light by councillors. Thanet District Council (TDC) has approved the project, which will be carried out by the local authority in partnership with Alliance Leisure. A new building will be built next to the existing centre to house a six-lane, 25m deck level pool, a training pool 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

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

Club Elyspa in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, has opened its doors. The site is regarded as the most exclusive wellness spa in North Africa and is owned by the Tunisian royal family. The clientele at the 1,395sq m club reads like a who's who of Tunisian high society, including politicians and music stars. No official figures are available but industry insiders estimate that the building, constructed using only high quality

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

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,

The opening date for the 137-bedroom London Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel in London, UK, has been set for early 2011. The hotel will include a luxury spa called Kallima - named after the lepidopteran that transforms from a leaf like insect to a spectacular butterfly. The spa will have 11 treatment rooms, including a double VIP suite; a hydrotherapy suite; Vichy shower; a rest and relaxation space; a

Thermarium, the Austria-based spa designer and manufacturer, is looking to expand further into the US market. The company, which specialises in the construction and assembly of spa facilities, has been involved with a number of European and Asian schemes. Now, according to senior consultant Mario Stiefler, Thermarium is looking to grow its US-based business having already worked on a handful of projects, including two in Las Vegas. Stiefler has been

Aldar Hotels & Hospitality has launched the ESPA spa at The Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi - in time for this weekend's title-deciding Formula 1 Grand Prix to be held on Yas Marina. Created by Heidar Sadeki of Richardson Sadeki architects, the spa's design was inspired by the traditional Hammam with a modern Arabian twist. The spa is divided into two floors - separating the male and female areas -

The independently-owned Mere Golf and Country Club near Knutsford in Cheshire will launch a £4m day spa early next year. The Spa at The Mere will boast seven treatment rooms, a large indoor pool, hammam, rasul, a hydrotherapy area, an aroma steamroom, a caldarium and a salt infusion room. The holistic treatments will be supplied by Carita and Aromatherapy Associates and packages include facials, massages, body wraps, hot stones, mud

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) has signed an agreement to manage a new, luxury hotel currently under construction in Pudong, Shanghai. Scheduled to open in 2013, Mandarin Oriental Pudong will feature 362 guestrooms and 210 serviced apartments and will form part of 'Harbour City' a 25-hectare mixed use development in the heart of the Lujiazui Central Financial District. The hotel has been designed by architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica and

The iconic Shanghai Club Building has reopened as a Waldorf Astoria hotel following a comprehensive redevelopment of the property. The 269-bedroom Waldorf hotel commands the space that previously housed the prestigious Correspondent's Club, which in its heyday boasted bowling alleys, restaurants, an oyster bar, games rooms, barber's shop and two wine cellars. Its fabled Long Bar, extending 35 metres, was once the longest bar in the world. The neo-classical building

UK-based architect Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) is to begin work on the £100m, 350-bed Wadi Alswani luxury resort on the Libyan coast later this year. DMA was chosen for the project after attending a visit to the country organised by British Expertise - a private sector member organisation for British companies set up to assist UK companies to find work abroad. The Wadi Alswani Resort will provide 350 luxury rooms

Elea Golf Club near Paphos, Cyprus, will be launched later this year in what is billed as one of the most important new course openings in Europe in recent years. Designed by six-time major winner, Sir Nick Faldo, the par 71 course is located 8km from the international airport and will be the centrepiece of Elea Estate, a luxury resort development. The Elea estate will boast luxurious villas and apartments,

Work is to begin in early 2011 on a sustainable 'floating spa and wellness centre' concept, to be created around 10 minutes away from Amsterdam's city centre in the Netherlands. The floating spa concept was originally developed by Studio Noach founders Kizito Musampa and Michel Kreuger, together with Dutch architect Anne Holtrop for a Designs of the Future competition at the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam. Created to be positioned

US-based hotel and resort design company WATG has unveiled its new 'Facility of the Future' interior design guidelines and standards for Golden Living - an award-winning care home concept - in response to an emerging senior population with a desire for high-quality, wellness-focused recovery environments. The facilities will emphasise short-term recovery care and promote an active lifestyle. Accommodation will be modelled on hotels and spas, with a focus on personal

The Armani Hotel Dubai in the UAE - the first hotel developed as a result of a collaboration between fashion designer Giorgio Armani SpA and Emaar Properties PJSC - has officially opened. Occupying floors concourse to eight and levels 38 and 39 within the the US$1.6bn (£1.05bn, €1.21bn) Burj Khalifa tower - the world's tallest building - the hotel offers 160 guest rooms and suites and eight restaurants. Leisure options

Australia-based operator Art Series Hotels, unveiled its latest property on 10 March with the launch of the company's flagship Olsen Hotel in Melbourne, Australia. The AU$90m (£54.2m, €60.1m, US$82m) hotel, which was designed by Melbourne-based architects Rothelowman, is situated on the junction of Toorak Road and Daly Street in the suburb of South Yarra. Dedicated to Australian artist Dr John Olsen, the 16-storey property boasts 229 bedrooms, a glass-bottomed swimming

Architectural practice Foster + Partners has confirmed that the Hermitage Plaza mixed-use development for La Défense in Paris will open by the end of 2014. Designed by Foster + Partners, the twin tower buildings of Hermitage Plaza will take the form of interlocking triangles which face one another and enclose a large public piazza. As the towers rise, they will turn outwards to offer sweeping views across the city from

A large mixed-use development for La Défense in Paris has been revised, with new architectural practice Foster + Partners driving the scheme. Called Hermitage Plaza and designed by Foster + Partners, the twin tower buildings will take the form of interlocking triangles which face one another and enclose a large public piazza. As the towers rise, they will turn outwards to offer residents sweeping views across the city from large

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has opened the Grand Hyatt Shenzhen, China. Part of the city's City Crossing complex, it sits alongside MixC - Shenzhen's largest shopping mall - plus an Olympic-sized skating rink and Park Lane Manor, said to be the most exclusive residential property in Shenzhen. The hotel occupies a 38-storey crested building, whose top seven glass-encased floors create an illuminated 'lantern' at nightfall, offering panoramic views of Shenzhen,

Raffles Hotels and Resorts is set to manage a new luxury hotel in the holy Islamic city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Located in the Abraj Al Bait Complex, the 198-bedroom Raffles Makkah Palace will include a cafe, an ice-creamery, a chocolate parlour and the Levantine Restaurant. An outdoor dining terrace will overlook the holiest site in Islam - the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque). Health and fitness facilities will include