Frida Escobedo, the youngest person yet to design a temporary Pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in London, has recently sold her creation to international spa and wellness company, Therme Group. According to Architects' Journal, Therme Group, which is perhaps most famous for operating Therme Bucharest–the largest thermal leisure facility ever developed in Europe on a greenfield site–made overtures to and later reached a deal with Escobedo’s Mexico-based firm in order

Lux Resorts is launching a new brand, Salt, and the first property is set to open in November on the east coast of Mauritius. The 59-bedroom Salt of Palmar is designed to add a humanistic approach to hospitality for the “culturally curious traveller”, and to connect guests to locals and their way of life. Salt guests will be immersed into Mauritian life, with the opportunity to connect directly with locals

Quebec-based company Nordik Group is currently overseeing the construction of a new spa and wellness resort in Whitby, Ontario. The US$20m (€17.4m, £15.3m) complex, which was designed by architectural firm LEMAYMICHAUD, is being built on a 385,423 sq ft plot of land in Whitby’s Cullen Park. Taking inspiration from what Nordik has called the 2000-year-old "heat therapy and relaxation techniques from Scandinavian countries", the new Spa-Nature facility will feature five

The Belmond Cadogan Hotel, infamously the former stomping ground of Victorian aesthete and provocateur Oscar Wilde, is set to re-open this winter. Located in Knightsbridge, London, the Queen Anne-style, 54-bedroom hotel went down in history as the site of Oscar Wilde’s life-changing arrest, the result of a bitter feud between himself and the Marquess of Queensberry. The Belmond, which includes such amenities as tennis courts, private gardens, and a 24-hour

Corippo, a 200-hundred-year-old village located in the Verzasca valley, is undergoing a transformation which could see it become the first albergo diffuso (“scattered hotel”) in Switzerland. Scattered hotels are effectively regenerated municipalities, endangered districts which get a new lease on life by becoming interactive, multi-venue destinations for travellers interested in full-scale immersion tourism. The plan to save the highland hamlet, the population of which has been diminishing exponentially for half

Following the opening of Six Senses Duxton, sister property Six Senses Maxwell is scheduled to open on December 1, 2018. Six Senses Maxwell is the second of two heritage buildings that together form Six Senses Singapore. While Six Senses Duxton portrays Anouska Hempel’s East-meets-West eclecticism, the 120-bedroom Six Senses Maxwell, designed by French architect and designer Jacques Garcia, offers an alternative aesthetic with his signature European style, which melds tradition

Singapore-based hospitality operator Alila is set to open doors on a new property in China’s Venice: the millennia-old “water town” of Wuzhen. The hotel, which was designed by the architectural firm GOA to reflect the minimalist engineering of Wuzhen’s interwoven waterways and canals, comprises 125 suites and villas positioned around a series of indoor and outdoor pools and courtyards. The resort’s other on-site amenities include a yoga studio, gym, spa,

A luxury hot springs spa hotel and retreat is planned for Victoria, Australia, with Six Senses, GOCO Hospitality and Banyan Tree Spa all vying for the project, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The AU$100m luxury project – called Nunduk (which translates into ‘the bark of a tree’ in the native Gunnai-Kurnai language) – will be located on a 2,480-hectare sheep farm on the banks of the Gippsland Lakes, and developer

Jumby Bay Island, a 300-acre private island on the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, is undergoing a complete renovation programme before it re-opens this winter. Once a Rosewood Resort, Jumby Bay Island became part of the Oetker Collection last year. The resort will unveil a fresh Caribbean Ocean-inspired look, designed by Brazilian interior designer Patricia Anastassiadis of Anastassiadis Arquitetos. Anastassiadis also created the design concept for the sister Oetker

Montage International and Crossharbor Capital Partners have announced plans to launch a 150-bedroom luxury resort in Montana’s scenic Big Sky region. The US$456m (€397m, £350m) development, which has been described as a "mountain paradise", will be based less than an hour away from Yellowstone National Park in the lofty Spanish Peaks district. Among other things, Montage Big Sky will offer ski-in, ski-out access and feature 39 residences, as well as

One of the most anticipated additions to London's hotel market is on schedule to open its doors in spring 2019. Designed by architectural and interior design practice, Scott Brownrigg, the property is a conversion of the former Cumberland Hotel and will cater to the needs of both business and leisure travellers. With 1,000 rooms and suites, Hard Rock Hotel will become one of the capital's largest hotels and is expected

The Port of San Diego is moving forward with its US$1bn bayfront regeneration project, which – when completed – will make the coastal city of Chula Vista the new home of a luxury hotel, convention centre, and two public parks. The resort will be built and partially financed by the RIDA Development Corporation and will include 1,600 rooms and 275,000sq ft of space for restaurants, bars, a swimming pool and

L&L Holding Company, Maefield Development, and Fortress Investment have released renderings of TSX Broadway, a multi-billion dollar complex that will be built 30 feet above Times Square. The new 46-story building, which will rise on the site of the Beaux Arts-style Palace Theatre on 1564 Broadway Avenue, will accommodate 555,000sq ft of space for retail and entertainment venues. The structure will also include a 669-room hotel, a 10,000sq ft terrace

IKEA’s innovation lab, Space10, and visual trend consultancy f°am Studio have released concept images of “Spaces on Wheels”, a futuristic project that provides insight into how driverless vehicles could be repurposed to better one’s quality of life. The illustrations – which eschew what Space10’s creative strategist Bas Van De Poel has called the science-fiction stereotype of self-driving cars as “sleek, sterile, chrome painted machines” – feature seven, pop-up-style designs: Office

Plans have been announced to build the world's largest indoor ski park, with the record-breaking development coming to Shanghai's Pudong neighbourhood. Conceptualised by Mercurio Design Lab, the Wintastar resort will be run by Dubai's Majid Al Futtaim, which unveiled the Middle East’s first indoor ski slope in 2005. Singapore-based KOP Limited (KOPL) will build the sport's attraction, which will span 227,000sq m (2.4 million sq ft). The park will feature

Architectural firm Lead 8 has been appointed lead design architect for Hong Kong International Airport’s (HKIA) SkyCity RDE Complex. The 20-year-old airport is currently undergoing an HK$140bn (£13.7bn) expansion, and Lead 8 has been selected to spearhead the development of an area spanning 25 hectares, with 350,000sq m of space specifically allocated for leisure and retail facilities. The new space is set to become Hong Kong's largest retail, dining, and

Architectural studio Graham Baba and landscape design firm Greenworks have released images of their plans to regenerate Terminal 1 on the Vancouver waterfront in Washington state. The building project coincides with a $1.5bn initiative by Waterfront Vancouver LLC and Gramor Development to reconnect 35 acres of the Columbia riverfront to downtown Vancouver. Both areas have been separated for over a century. Port of Vancouver project manager Jonathan Eder said: “Terminal

Turkish architects Project Design Group have designed the KentPlus Yalova Wellness Spa Resort in Armutlu, Yalova in Turkey, which is due to open at the end of this year. The project includes three five-star thermal hotels with more than 1,300 bedrooms and more than 1,000 apartments for timeshare and full-time living. A Physiotherapy Medical Centre will provide thermal water healing, together with detox, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services. The complex will

The latest addition to the Edition brand of luxury hotels, a partnership between Marriott International and hotelier-designer Ian Schrager, is scheduled to open in Shanghai next month. The new resort, built in a space that was erstwhile a part of the Art Deco-style headquarters of the Shanghai Power Company, has 145 guest rooms as well as multiple bars and restaurants, two of which are helmed by Michelin-starred chef, Jason Atherton.

Work could soon begin on what has been described as one of the first developments of its kind in the world. The £200m Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village, planned for the Carmarthenshire coast, is set to include a wellness hotel, sports and wellbeing centre, wellness spa and primary care centre. An outline planning application for the project will be assessed by mid-November, with preparatory works on site at Delta

A new hotel with a striking minimalist design aesthetic and a light-filled, tranquil spa will open this November on the Caribbean island of Grenada. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, Silversands Grenada will be located on the Grand Anse Beach and include 43 suites and nine residential villas. With architecture and interiors by AW² – Reda Amalou and Stéphanie Ledoux – Silversands Grenada features linear architecture and

The eagerly awaited Bill Bensley glamping resort, Bensley Collection – Shinta Mani Wild, which is set deep within the wilderness of Cambodia’s South Cardamom National Park, will open on 1 November 2018. The resort will offer 14 one-bedroom luxury tents – all sized at 100sq m (1,076sq ft) – and one two-bedroom luxury tent – sized at 140sqm (1,507sq ft). The tents have been designed to evoke Bensley’s vision of

A 200-hectare, 150-bedroom hotel by luxury brand Anantara is to open in the Chinese city of Chengdu. The hotel will be a fairly low, wide structure with plenty of natural light throughout, owing to the large number of windows all around it. The whole project incorporates a 47-hectare eco-wetland park and, beyond its 150 bedrooms and suites, will have an all-day dining restaurant, speciality restaurant and lobby lounge. Other features

Global spa consultancy Raison d’Etre (RdE) has been contracted by the Hard Rock Hotel Davos, Switzerland to design and implement the hotel’s ‘Rock Spa’ which opens on 1 August. Combining spa, fitness and yoga, the new Rock Spa will offer a 360-degree approach to wellness, in keeping with Raison d’Etre’s philosophy to encourage everyone to maximise their potential. The 945sq m spa will boast a series of thermal experiences, including

The current trend of incorporating wellness into design shows no signs of stopping as renderings and animations from the latest Sir Richard Branson project, Virgin Voyages (a rebrand of the former Virgin Cruises), show a heavy wellness focus in its public areas. Featuring a running track, boxing ring, yoga deck, wellness pool and hydrotherapy pool, the ambitious cruise ship project is looking to change the way people think about sea

Asian hotel interiors specialists AB Concept, co-founded by Ed Ng, have designed restaurant, bar and lounge areas for the new the new Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur. Yun House, the main restaurant, has a decadent courtyard-style reception with an elaborate pewter back panel. Its high ceilings and natural light reference Malaysia’s longstanding tradition of socialising in gardens. The design of Yun House was inspired by legends of Canton voyagers, according to

Three concepts have been shortlisted as finalists for the 2018 Radical Innovation Award, a hospitality design award that calls for the “best and brightest” concept ideas. Italian practice Network of Architecture (noa*) have been shortlisted for their striking concept – a hotel designed especially for single or separated parents and their children. With a proposed location in Sirmione, on the south coast of Lake Garda, Le Colline Incantate (the Enchanted