Architects Bertil Harström and Johan Krauppi have created a free-floating hotel on one of Sweden's longest rivers, with the micro-destination featuring a spa among its offerings. Owned and conceptualised by the architectural duo, the circular Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa will float on the Lule River during the summer months, with the structure frozen in place through the winter. It's set to open in Harads on 15 January 2020. The

The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah Ubud resort, Bali, is undergoing a change of management and a rebrand, with the handover scheduled for 1 January 2020. Owned by Singapore-based General Hotel Management (GHM), the 20-villa-property will be taken over by hotel management group, Hadiprana, and rebranded as Tanah Gajah, a resort by Hadiprana. The group is named after the late Hendra Hadiprana, the acclaimed Indonesian architect, art-collector and designer, who designed

SHA Wellness Clinic has announced the second phase of an ambitious global expansion plan, with SHA Emirates at AlJurf in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in partnership with Abu Dhabi-based place-maker IMKAN. The property will be the third SHA Wellness Clinic, following the company’s inaugural facility located in Spain and its second recently announced opening in Mexico in 2021. In addition to the resort’s 120 suites, SHA Emirates at AlJurf will also

Alberto Apostoli is designing a new four-level spa for the Formentin Hotel that is inspired by the Aurora Borealis and the icebergs of the Northern seas. A historic thermal hotel built in 1911, the Formentin Hotel is located in the centre of Abano Terme, an ancient thermal area located between Verona and Venice. The 840sq m (9,042sq ft) spa will include a swimming pool on the ground floor, a thermal

Rosewood Hotels and Resorts has launched its Asaya wellness destination concept in the 27-storey Rosewood Hong Kong hotel, designed by New York interior designer Tony Chi. Originally launched at Rosewood Phuket, the Asaya wellness concept is founded on five pillars – Emotional Balance, Fitness and Nutrition, Physical Therapies, Skin Health and Community. The 3,716sq m (40,000sq ft) Hong Kong space spans two floors and includes private harbour-view marble hydrotherapy pools,

The celebrated Chiva-Som International Health Resort in Hua Hin, Thailand, has reopened after the most recent phase of a five-year renovation that has seen accommodation and facilities upgraded, with a new Qatar presence also announced. Designed by Designrealization, the renovation masterplan was aimed at bringing a "modern and fresh take" to the resort, with teak, Thai silk, and bamboo complemented by a light colour palette of natural hues. As part

Destination spa Canyon Ranch has opened its first retreat model, Canyon Ranch Wellness Retreat – Woodside, set on 16 acres of ancient redwood forest in California, US. The property is designed as a “true retreat to nature” that will offer an inspiring landscape for self-reflection, along with community-driven, introspective, and nature-infused sojourns designed to complement the offerings found at Canyon Ranch Wellness Resorts. “The opening of our first property in

Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos (SMA) have created a branched, undulating design for Chablé's planned Sea of Cortez spa resort that blends with the natural landscape and gives guests both privacy and ocean views. Located on the Baja California Peninsula just north of La Paz in northwest Mexico, the resort will cover an area of 64,900sq m (698,700sq ft). The site is set on the coast between two hills in a sparsely

SHA Wellness Clinic, a destination spa in Spain focused on integrated medical and holistic wellness, has announced plans to take its concept worldwide, with the opening of two new properties on different continents within the next three years. Building on the success of the original clinic in Spain, SHA Mexico will open in 2021, and a second location will be announced imminently, with longer-term plans to open properties across all

Upwards construction of Aston Martin's first real estate project is now well underway, with eight levels expected to be complete by Christmas and four floors of amenities planned among the tower's upper floors. Developed by G and G Business Developments, Aston Martin Residences will rise 818ft (249m) and 66 storeys in its Miami location. It will contain around 390 apartments ranging from 700sq ft (65sq m) to 19,000sq ft (1,765sq

Hotel operator Aman has opened a third resort in Japan that has been designed by the late architect Kerry Hill and his team to capitalise on its lush forest surroundings. The 26-room Aman Kyoto, announced in February, is situated in a hidden garden close to Kinkaky-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, near the centre of the prefecture. The 80ac (32ha) Aman Kyoto site comprises 72ac (29ha) of permanent forest

Architects Hesselbrand have designed the 120-room Acquarossa Spa & Hotel in the Swiss Alps with elements for sustainability and fostering a sense of community among both guests and residents of the local area. The Acquarossa is aimed at bringing people together in a social and relaxed atmosphere based on their mutual interest in wellbeing and experience-based tourism. Located in the village of Acquarossa in Ticino, Switzerland, it provides views of

Six Senses has opened Six Senses Gangtey, its fourth Himalayan guest lodge in Bhutan, designed by Habita Architects and built with traditional techniques and offering 180-degree views of the area's nesting cranes and the mountains and valley below. The eight-suite lodge is part of the multi-location Six Senses Bhutan project, which is composed of five satellite lodges designed to take guests on a journey through the Kingdom of Bhutan. Six

Pullman ’s Maldives Maamutaa Resort will open two villas with underwater bedrooms this November, allowing guests to see the island’s vibrant marine life up close during their stay. The resort, designed by Blink Design Group with interiors by Miaja Design Group, opened at the end of September and is spread across 18 hectares of landscaped garden in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll. It has 122 villas that are either beachside or

Spa designers Sparcstudio have completed a £14m ($17.2m, €15.8m) refurbishment of the Cottonmill Spa at Sopwell House Hotel, which has seen a three-storey glass-fronted extension and a private spa garden added to the Georgian property. The spa boasts bright, spacious rooms, Tom Dixon lighting, bespoke furniture, and a warm palette of natural tones complemented by the turquoise accents of the Onice Smeraldo marble which is used. At the heart of

The chain of 19 islands forever associated with Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species will soon be home to a Six Senses resort, due to open in 2021 in Cerro Verde on the northeastern coast of San Cristobal Island. UNESCO recognised the Galápagos Islands as a World Heritage Site in 1978 and a Biosphere Reserve in 1985, and development is only permitted on three percent of the total area. In accordance

Continuing the overhaul of its high-end hotel portfolio, Raffles has reopened Cambodia's Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, following a six-month refurbishment. The property is the second flagship to receive investment, following Aedas and Alexandra Champalimaud's extensive overhaul of Raffles Singapore, which reopened in August this year. Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, which opened in 1932, was originally designed by French architect Ernest Hébrard, who incorporated elements of Khmer architecture, art and furniture,

Spa consultancy Raison d’Etre has collaborated with hotel and tour operator Metropolitan Touring to create an eco-friendly spa at the Finch Bay Hotel in the Galapagos. Built from locally-sourced volcanic rock, the spa has a minimalist, contemporary design throughout with large glass windows to let plenty of natural light in. The building has been created to emphasise the unique flora, fauna and landscape of the Galapagos. A yoga room on

Waldorf Astoria has taken on a hotel and spa built on the beach and into the foot of a hillside at the tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula that is only accessible by the privately owned Dos Mares Tunnel. Formerly known as The Resort at Pedregal, the 25-acre resort, situated at Pedregal in Los Cabos, has 119 guest rooms and suites, all of which have ocean views, private plunge pools

A new spa experience in Montegrotto Terme, Italy integrates spa treatments, ayurvedic medicine and fitness, along with traditional experiences from as far away as South America and Japan. Neró Spa, located a few kilometres from Padua and Venice, will have an official opening from the 24th to the 27th of October 2019, which will involve four days of meetings, readings and music dedicated to health and wellbeing. The new spa

Swedish architect Martin Brudnizki has revealed plans for the new Six Senses Kitzbühel alpine resort and residences. The resort, owned and developed by Walther Staininger, is scheduled to open in December 2021 and will include a Six Senses hotel with extensive spa and wellness offerings, apartments and chalet residences. Playful elements will see residents able to dine in an igloo. Six Senses Kitzbühel is located in the Austrian Hohe Tauern

The Majestic Hotel, a new US$850m, 620ft tall Las Vegas hotel that will begin construction in May 2020, will feature a focus on health and wellness. The brainchild of Las Vegas native and developer Lorenzo Doumani, The Majestic Hotel is slated for completion in early 2023, and will include a four-level, 70,000sq ft fitness, nutrition, and medi spa facility. Serving as a state-of-the-art medical wellness destination, it will not only

Destination spa brand Canyon Ranch has opened reservations for stays beginning on 1 November for their newest brand extension, Canyon Ranch Wellness Retreat – Woodside. The company’s first retreat model sits among the Redwood forest in Woodside, California, near Silicon Valley. The retreat includes 14 guest rooms in the main retreat lodge encircled by 24 treehouses, and offers 16 acres of grounds designed for self-reflection with lawns and trails throughout.

The Oberoi Group will open its newest resort in Marrakech on 1 December 2019. Located on 28 acres of landscaped gardens with citrus orchards, olive groves, the new resort hotel has views of the Atlas Mountains. The new property was designed by architect Patrick Collier of Collier and Partners, who worked closely with Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi, executive chair of The Oberoi Group, on the project. The 84-bedroom resort features

The Emerald Collection is expanding its portfolio with the development of three new resorts – the newly-opened five-star Emerald Maldives Resort and Spa and two further properties in Zanzibar. The company, which is based in Italy and owned by the Scarapicchia Group, designs, develops and operates its own resorts. The 20-hectare, 120-villa Emerald Maldives Resort was designed by Edward David Poole, an American architect currently living in Singapore, using natural

The Rosewood Guangzhou has opened in the heart of Guangzhou's Tianhe District, complete with a large spa and wellness facility spread over two dedicated floors. Located on the top 39 floors of the 108-story CTF Finance Centre – designed by American architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox – the 251-bedroom hotel has been designed by Yabu Pushelberg as a ‘sky-high urban oasis’. At 2,628 square meters, Sense, A Rosewood Spa is

The JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa is set to open this autumn on the island of Vagaru, Shaviyani Atoll, in the Maldives. With architectural design concept, interior design and art consultancy from Miaja Design Group, the resort takes design inspiration from nature and fauna, with a distinct emphasis on organic elements and modern lines. The interiors focus on comfort and lightness combined with unique experiences in a genuine Maldivian