Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have unveiled plans for EPIQ – the firm's second project in Quito, Ecuador. Overlooking La Carolina Park, a 165-acre green space in the city, the 24-storey building will comprise a variety of wellness and residential amenities, including a rooftop pool, spa centre, extensive lounges, a music room, a fitness suite, and a yoga area. In an apparent evocation of the Spanish Colonial buildings in Quito's UNESCO-recognised

Centre Point – a Brutalist landmark in London that was originally designed by Swiss-born architect Richard Seifert – has become the new home of 82 luxury apartments and a bevy of leisure amenities. Anticipated to be completed next month, the Centre Point Residences will feature a 30-metre swimming pool (purportedly the longest in central London), a spa centre with multiple treatment rooms, a club lounge, a dining room, and a

American culinary arts non-profit The James Beard Foundation (JBF) has announced the winners of its 2019 Restaurant Design Awards. Atomix, a Korean eatery designed by New-York based firm Studio Writers, won the category for "75 Seats and Under", while the "75 Seats and Over" award went to Pacific Standard Time – a Chicago restaurant conceived by Parts and Labor Design. Completed in 2018, Atomix features neutral-toned interiors and an intimate

British property firm The Collective has revealed the latest details for what's expected to become "the world's largest co-living space". Billed as a model for the "tech-enabled future", The Collective Canary Wharf – which is scheduled to open its doors in July – will comprise 705 apartments and also function as a short-stay hotel and cultural hub. Developed as part of the company's US$450m (€401.7m, £344.8m) investment in the increasingly

Monkey Island Estate has opened in Bray-on-Thames, England, with interiors by New York-based Champalimaud Design. Part of the Malaysian hotel group, YTL Hotels, the historic estate is set across seven acres on an island in the River Thames, with a rich history dating back 800 years. Monkey Island was bought by YTL Hotels in 2015, after the late YTL founder Yeoh Tiong Lay visited and fell in love with the

Rising 61 storeys above the thriving Back Bay neighbourhood, the all-new Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston is due to open shortly in one of America's most historic cities, complete with a full-floor spa. The soaring glass skyscraper – now the city's third tallest building at 724 feet or 220 metres – was designed by Harry Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners in collaboration with Gary Johnson of

International architecture studio MKV Design (MKV) have completed work on a new 44-key spa resort in Mykonos – Greece's "Island of the Winds". Nestled between white-painted Cycladic buildings and the wine-dark (to use Homer's words) Aegean, the Mykonos Riviera Hotel and Spa – echoing the surrounding seascape – features a swirl of aquamarine, stone, and marble accents. Leisure and wellness facilities include an infinity pool and a 500 sq m

Hotel Hendricks, a 27-storey urban retreat taking shape a stone's throw from Fifth Avenue in New York, is on track to open its doors in June. Designed by Los Angeles-based interior specialist Marcello Pozzi, the destination will feature 176 guestrooms, a rooftop lounge and bar, a cafe, and a fitness suite. Fittings at Hendricks – all of which will give the property's common and private areas a 'boutique' and industrial

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has designed the "Meditation House" – a wellness facility and retreat – in the Bavarian woodlands outside Krün, Germany. The 160 sq m outbuilding, which is only accessible by foot, is part of the 133-key Das Kranzbach spa hotel and features floor-to-ceiling windows, a tea room with artisan-designed tatami mats, and a meditation hall. The look of the pavilion was inspired both by traditional Japanese wooden

English interior designer Tom Dixon has opened a 100-cover restaurant and bar in Milan called "The Manzoni". Likened by Dixon to a "monastic" space, the sleek eatery and showroom, which temporarily opened its doors for Milan Design Week (9-14 April) is darkly illuminated by the designer's trademark Opal ball lights and incorporates a variety of locally sourced materials, such as granite from Veronan quarries and recycled paper and cork. The

Sofitel Villa Borghese Rome is on track to launch this summer, following an extensive renovation by French architect and designer Jean Philippe Nuel. Situated near the city centre, amidst the Trevi Fountain, Villa Medici, and the Spanish Steps, the refurbished 19th-century building features 78 rooms and suites with Hermès amenities, a rooftop restaurant, and a fitness centre. Renderings of the project show that some guest quarters will feature quadratura ceilings

Tokyo-based architecture studio Line-Inc have transformed a 1930s-era hotel in Hokkaido, Japan into the Unwind Hotel and Bar Otaru. Erstwhile known as the Etchuya Hotel, the building was originally designed by Japanese architect Kuniharu Karasawa, who devised its master plan during the country's pre-war period to appeal to foreign tourists. The site was later purchased by real estate developer Global Agents, which subsequently commissioned Line-Inc to restore the space to

Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como opened this week, following the renovation of the historic lakefront property. The hotel is located in Blevio, and is surrounded by natural beauty, enjoying a private, serene setting on the sunlit shores of the lake, nestled within verdant botanical gardens. Mandarin Oriental acquired the resort, which was previously CastaDiva Resort & Spa, last year. The 19th Century Villa Roccabruna is at the heart of the

International hospitality company Hilton Hotels and Resorts has opened the Tangier Al Houara Resort and Spa – a palatial getaway in Tangier, Morocco. The 304-key resort – the company's third property in Morocco – occupies 234 hectares of oceanfront land and boasts three swimming pools, as well as an 850 sq m spa comprising a jacuzzi, sauna, beauty salon, steam room, and fitness studio. Other facilities include an 18-hole golf

Chinese design practice AFSO have created a panoply of interior spaces at the St Regis Hong Kong, a recently opened resort that has been likened to a "curated mansion". Located in the city's Wan Chai district, the 27-storey flagship – the first venue from the St. Regis Hotels and Resorts hospiality group to debut in Hong Kong – features 129 guest rooms and suites as well as a pool, bar,

The Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon, a hospital founded in the 12th century by the semi-monastic Pontifices Fratres brotherhood, is set to reopen as a five-star resort in June following a four-year restoration. Situated on the banks of the Rhone in Lyons, France, the UNESCO World Heritage-designated hospital – in operation until 2010 – was restored by French architecture bureau AIA Architectes, who also reconverted the site's disused spaces into 8,000 sq

The Britannia Hotel – once a turn-of-the-century pied-à-terre for aristocrats, Arctic explorers, and literati, has reopened in Trondheim, Norway following a £107m (US$139.5, €123.8m) overhaul. The 148-year-old landmark features 257 newly renovated rooms and suites, as well as revamped common areas, restaurants, and leisure facilities. The spa centre at the Britannia comprises a 200 sq m fitness room, six treatment rooms, a heated lap pool, a sauna, steam bath, ice

The Rosewood Bangkok has opened in the heart of the city’s prime central business and retail district. As the 27th property in the growing global network for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the hotel is the brand’s second destination in Thailand; it features the brand’s ‘A Sense of Place’ philosophy, with a design that honours Thai culture while celebrating the cutting-edge creativity and contemporary design ethos of the dynamic capital. The

Thailand-based developers Dusit Thani Public and Central Pattana (CPN) have unveiled the latest details for the Dusit Central Park project – an immense mixed-use scheme planned for the heart of Bangkok. The new 440,000 sq m development, which will adjoin the city's Lumpini Park, will be designed by the Office of Metropolitan Architecture and Architects 49, and play host to a series of leisure-friendly attractions and facilities, including luxury residences,

The Amerikalinjen Hotel – once the main office of one of Norway's earliest transatlantic cruise lines – has opened in Oslo. Situated on Jernbanetorget Square near the city's opera, the 6,000 sq m Den Norske Amerikalinje (Norwegian American Line) building now features refreshed exteriors by studio Kritt Arkitekter as well as a number of expanded private and common areas designed by Finnish studio Puroplan. The 122-key property, which was originally

A new Savoy Palace resort is set to open in Funchal, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, to include a destination spa with 11 treatment rooms. The 16-story hotel will include 352 bedrooms and a design that blends bold, modern and historical styles. The 3,000sq m spa has been inspired by the island’s Laurissilva Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest surviving laurel forest in the world. In

London-based designer Afroditi Krassa has unveiled renderings of her latest project, Lucky Cat – a new dining concept from British celebrity chef and gastronome, Gordon Ramsay. The flagship – Ramsay's first major London restaurant in over a decade – has been described as an "eating house" and "late-night lounge" and will feature a number of Japanese-inspired decorative and structural elements, such as bamboo panelling, indigo fabrics, and sculptures of whimsical

The Andaz Hotel Munich Tor Schwabinger – Germany's first Andaz-branded hospitality venue – has opened its doors. Designed by Dutch architecture studio Concrete Architectural Associates to reflect what the group have called the "kaleidoscopic" cultural and artistic diversity of Bavaria, the hotel boasts 234 rooms and 43 suites, as well as a spa, two bars, a pool deck, a gym, and a restaurant. The Andaz Spa – said to be

Global architecture firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo (WATG) and Studio PCH have teamed up to build the Nobu Hotel Los Cabos – the first Mexican property from the Robert de Niro- and Chef Nobu Matsuhisa-founded Nobu Collection. Located in San Lucas, on the Pacific Coast, the tropical retreat comprises 200 rooms, four pools, a 13,691 sq ft (1,272 sq m) spa, retail spaces, and multiple indoor-outdoor lounges and dining

Lifestyle company Equinox has announced that its first short-stay hospitality venture – the long-gestating Equinox Hotel at 35 Hudson Yards – will throw open its doors in June. The innovative project, which has been making waves since it was first announced in 2016, will feature an array of health-centric offerings, such as rooms with amenities devised to increase sleep wellness, and private fitness sessions led by professional trainers and nutritionists.

Interior specialists Topos Design Clan have completed an ocean-inspired rehaul of Shunfenglou Restaurant in Wenzhou, China. Citing Claude Debussy's orchestral composition La Mer as an influence, the designers created the eatery's ship cabin-like decor, which features aquatic motifs, such as bronze-coloured fish decals, porthole-shaped mirrors, and royal blue furniture. Other notable elements of 1,500 sq m space include a ribbed vestibule, a streamlined bar, and a metal grid ceiling that

Lifestyle and hospitality group SBE Entertainment has unveiled renderings for its first resort in the UAE – the SLS Dubai Hotel and Residences. The US$550m (€485.9m, £416m) flagship will be situated in a 75-storey tower and feature 254 rooms and 371 residences, as well as infinity pools, bars, restaurants, terraces, and cocktail lounges. The resort will also boast a bevy of SBE's Ciel-branded spa facilities, including seven treatment rooms, plunge