The flagship spa for the Viceroy Resorts & Residences group has opened in Miami within the ICON Brickell Tower in Florida, US. The Spa at Viceroy Miami has been designed by Philippe Starck and covers 28,000sq ft (2,601sq m). The spa features a 5,000sq ft (464.5sq m) Water Lounge boasting views over Biscayne Bay. Designed to resemble a floating library, the lounge has bookcases, an oversized chandelier and waterborne sofas

The Andreus resort and spa has opened in northern Italy within the Passeier Valley. Schletterer Wellness and Spa Design were responsible for the design of a number of areas, including the spa and gym as well as the hotel's lobby and restaurants. Wood and natural stone is used throughout the hotel, as well as a large amount of natural light and this is followed through into the design of the

Architect Peter Zumthor, whose designs include spas, chapels, museums and houses for the elderly, has become the 2009 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Although most of Zumthor's work is in Switzerland, he has designed projects in Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, UK, Spain, Norway, Finland and the US. His most famous work is the Thermal Baths in Vals, Switzerland. Most recently, critics praised his Field Chapel to Saint Nikolaus von

Redevelopment work on the Knock Castle hotel and spa in Crieff, Perthshire, has reached the second phase. The £1.5m (1.69m euro, US$2.26m) revamp's second phase included the creation of a dedicated spa treatment wing, housing treatment rooms as well as a relaxation area. The leisure area containing the swimming pool, spa pool and steam room area was also upgraded. Other improvements completed during the second phase included the addition of

A number of changes are to take place at the 67-acre development in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. The changes relate to The Harmon Hotel & Spa which include postponing the opening of the hotel to late 2010 and cancelling The Harmon residential condominium component. This has increased the company’s total cost savings to US$600m (441.9m euro, £399.1m). In addition, the postponement will defer a further US$200m (147.3m euro, £133m) in

The Asia-Pacific based consultancy Horwarth HTL has formed a partnership with US destination design firm WATG and sustainable implementation group the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) to draft a set of sustainable hotel development guidelines. All hotel feasibility studies produced by Horwath will include the new guidelines. The studies will also reference and include a document called Going Green, Minimum Standards Towards a Sustainable Hotel, prepared by the ITP. It is