The Six Senses Maxwell, a hotel designed by French architect and interior designer Jacques Garcia, has opened its doors in Singapore. The renovated 14-storey, colonial-era building – erstwhile a nutmeg plantation – features 138 rooms and suites; a "social library" furnished with tropical plants; a French-style brasserie; two bars; and a fitness studio. Additional amenities include a rooftop garden and an 82 ft (25-metre) lap pool custom-made by Belgian lifestyle

The David Chipperfield-designed Park Terrace Hotel has opened at the scenic Bryant Park, long considered the 'town square' of Midtown Manhattan. Featuring 226 guestrooms created by New York interior design studio Stonehill & Taylor, the 13-storey hotel, which stands on the southwest corner of Bryant Park, also includes a lounge, outdoor terrace, restaurant, sauna, and fitness suite. Partially financed by the US Immigration Fund’s EB-5 Program, the new home away

Health and wellness-focused hospitality brand Fusion has teamed up with Alba Vietnam to operate two of the company’s hotels. The resorts – Alba Wellness Hue and Thanh Tan Hot Springs Hotel – are both situated in the foothills of the Truong Son Mountains on the site of a mineral-rich natural spring which has been called a "Holy Grail". Designed by architects Romain Duval, Anh Vu, and Minh Pham, Alba Hue

Marriott International’s W Hotels has opened the W Costa Rica – Reserva Conchal, the first W Hotel in the country, which also includes the first full-service bar located inside an Away Spa. Located within a 2,300-acre nature reserve near an internationally-renowned surf spot, the W Costa Rica includes 150 bedrooms, all designed with the beauty of the natural area – including the nearby beach and jungle – in mind. The

Architecture studio HBA London (HBA) have designed the Amadria Park Capital, a boutique hotel in the centre of Zagreb, Croatia. The newly opened establishment, which was co-developed by the Ugo Group, occupies the former site of a Roaring Twenties-era bank and features 109 rooms and 3 suites. Each guestroom is also furnished with artwork curated by HBA and Muzeo Iconographic Design. Other amenities at Amadria Park Capital include a restaurant

Architecture firm Spratley & Partners have completed a multi-million-pound renovation on the historic Heckfield Place estate, in Hampshire, UK. Formerly a conference centre and wedding venue - and home to Horace Walpole, the 4th Earl of Orford in the 18th century - the Grade II listed Georgian house has been transformed into a lavish country hotel. It boasts 38 bedrooms, six Signature rooms and one two-bedroom cottage, each designed to

The first European iteration of The Standard Hotels franchise is gearing up to debut in London inside a Brutalist structure that once housed offices for the local city council. Formerly known as the Camden Town Hall Annexe, the 1970s-era concrete complex – located opposite London’s St Pancras and King Cross stations – will soon be transformed into a 266-room, 184,000 sq ft (170,940 sq m) luxury destination. The architects responsible

A major new indoor snow centre and leisure destination in Swindon, UK has been given the green light by the local council. Designed by sports and leisure specialists FaulknerBrowns Architects, the £270m (US$345m, €303m) project will include a 2,00sq m (21,500sq ft) snow centre featuring two real-snow slopes – measuring 75m and 170m in length. It will also house a 12-screen cinema with the largest IMAX screen in the UK;

BIG and Heatherwick Studio were among the winners on day one of the World Architecture Festival Awards in Amsterdam. The Audemars Piguet Hotel des Horlogers – designed by architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), has been named the best building in the Future Projects Leisure Led Development award category at this year’s World Architecture Festival (WAF). The hotel, which is being constructed alongside the BIG-designed Audemars Piguet luxury watch museum

The first property from new hotel brand Salt, launched by the team behind Lux Resorts, has opened in Mauritius. The 59-bedroom Salt of Palmar has been conceived to champion sustainability, connect with the local community and introduce culturally curious travellers to the “real, unvarnished Mauritius,” the company said. Its distinctive look is born out of collaboration between local Mauritian architect Jean-François Adam of JFA Architects and French artist Camille Walala,

Global design practice GroupGSA have revealed the latest images for "Huangyao Ancient Town Resort", a soon-to-be-built luxury destination in Guilin, China. Developed by Guangxi Lingyu Chuanghe Tourism Investment, the resort will comprise 103 rooms and 27 villas and feature a gym, spa, and playground, as well as multiple pools, sporting facilities, and restaurants. The structure will also include an observatory tower which will provide guests with 360-degree views of the

Curio Collection by international hospitality group Hilton has opened a boutique hotel on the site of a former steel mill in Asheville, North Carolina. Designed by local design studio Lagom Interiors, the 87-room Foundry Hotel – which will be operated by Charlestowne Hotels – features an herb garden, fitness room, and a 3,400 sq ft courtyard. Other facilities include a mixology bar and lounge as well as the Benne Eagle

Handel Architects have released images of their latest project on the New Jersey Shore: the Asbury Ocean Club. Developed by iStar, the new mixed-development property, which will be located in the popular Asbury Park beachfront district, will rise 16 storeys and include a 54-room hotel as well as 130 residences. The estimated US$300m (€262m, £233m) complex – which will feature the interior design expertise of studios Anda Andrei and Bonetti/Kozerski

The Elite Athlete Centre and Hotel (EAC) – the first sports-centric venue of its kind in the UK – has opened at Loughborough University. Designed by David Morley Architects and developed in partnership with UK Sport, Sport England, the English Institute of Sport, and Imago Venues, the 44-room, fitness-focused hotel also includes 20 'high-altitude rooms'. These unique chambers simulate the low oxygen atmospheric conditions of transalpine mountains and accelerate the

Luxury group The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts will soon debut the Himalayas Lake View – the first tented eco-villas in Nepal. Designed by Wonaw & Associates and Coconut Groove Interiors, the eight villas – which range between 40 and 82 sq m – are located on the shore of Phewa Lake in Pokhara. The resort provides a number of wellness and leisure offerings, such as Ayurvedic massages, access to a

MURAKA – the world’s first underwater residence – has opened at Hilton Hotels’ Conrad Rangali in the Maldives. The new US$15m (€13.3m, £11.6m) space, which is set five metres beneath the Indian Ocean, spreads over two levels and features three bedrooms, a gym, bar, and infinity pool. Guests at the Crown Company-designed villa also have round-the-clock access to a butler who resides on the premises. Other amenities at Conrad Maldives

The Apurva Bali Kempinski – a retreat which takes artistic influence from Indonesia’s "gods and temples" – is set to debut in March of next year. Designed by architecture firms and studios Denton Corker Marshall and Trivium Design Group, the new clifftop getaway, which overlooks Nusa Dusa bay, has been described as an exemplar of the Balinese art and philosophy Tri Hita Karana, combining both the divine and natural worlds.

Westin Hotels, Marriott International's upscale brand, has opened its first resort in Brisbane, Queensland. The new, 299-room Westin Brisbane – located in the city’s upscale, Mary Lane mixed-used development – features the city's only swim-up bar, as well as three restaurants, spa facilities, and a fitness studio. As part of its wellness offerings, the hotel also engages a "run concierge", a staff member who can be recruited by guests to

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has introduced its boutique brand Kimpton to the UK market with the opening of The Kimpton Fitzroy in Russell Square in London. Formerly the Hotel Russell, the 334-guestroom landmark – a fixture of London’s Bloomsbury neighbourhood since the 1900s – has undergone a six-month redevelopment and now features an expanded Renaissance-revival terracotta exterior and mosaic floor tiling. Other amenities in the Edwardian-era building include a ballroom,

A Tanzanian wellness-focused getaway has opened its doors on the isle of Kendwa in the Zanzibar archipelago. Developed by Czech financier and filmmaker Václav Dejmar and designed by Jestico + Whiles, Zuri Zanzibar occupies a 300-metre stretch of coastline and features 55 thatched roof villas, five restaurants, three bars, a 32m infinity pool, jacuzzi, spice garden, and watersports centre. The resort – which has been in the pipeline for ten

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts (SRHR) has opened its latest hotel on the waterfront of Wanzai, Zhuhai in the city’s tallest skyscraper. Commissioned by the Zhuhai Huafa Group and designed by Chinese architectural firm RMJM, the 31-storey St. Regis Zhuhai – which reportedly is also the first luxury hotel in the district – features 251 guest rooms and 34 suites. In addition to its five on-site restaurants, the resort also

The latest addition to the EDITION luxury brand of hotels has opened in Abu Dhabi. The 198-room resort – which features 57 residences as well as a three-storey nightclub, fitness centre, spa, barbershop, ballroom, and infinity pool – marks the brand’s first foray into the MENA region. Other amenities at the EDITION Abu Dhabi include three gourmet restaurants – all of which will be helmed by award-winning chef, Tom Aikens.

Dutch architects Studio Piet Boon and Florida-based firm OBMI have been selected to design the Half Moon Bay, a Rosewood hotel and residential community on the Caribbean island of Antigua. Set to occupy 132 acres of uninhabited land, the new beachfront getaway will feature 47 suites and several Rosewood-branded villas, as well as 10 purchasable luxury estate lots – all of which will be anchored around a 'retail village'. Further

Snowmass Base Village – set to become the largest ski resort in North America – will open its doors just in time for this year’s Christmas season. Designed by a team of firms including Oz Architecture, Raymond Letkeman Architects, and Eldon Beck & Associates, the 100,000 sq ft leisure hub and "ski in, ski out"-resort will include a public plaza and skating rink, as well as multiple restaurants, pools, gyms,

Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge has reopened in Botswana’s Chobe National Park. Renovated by London-based interior design studio Muza Lab, the renovated resort – which Inge Moore, the firm's founder, has likened to an environmentally conscious explorer’s camp – has 12 new guestrooms and an open-air dining space, lounge, bar, library, and spa. Other features of the timber wood and bamboo lodge include a multi-function room for yoga and private meetings,

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas will operate a 60-bedroom hotel at The Forestias, a THB90bn (US$2.8bn), 119-acre green development at Bangna in Bangkok being developed by Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC). The project is a mixed-use, multi-generational lifestyle project that will also incorporate a large forest ecosystem. Set to open in 2022, The Forestias will include residential housing, retail buildings, office buildings, a health centre, innovation centre, forest pavilion,

Architect Bill Bensley is working on a national cultural heritage site in Yên Tu Mountain – considered to be the cradle of Trúc Lâm Zen Buddhism in Vietnam – as part of the Vietnamese government’s strategic development plan for the area. Designed with attention to historical detail – Bensley has created the entire Yên Tu Village in 13th-century style and using 13th-century techniques where possible – the village will include