The storied history of Champagne – one of the world’s great wine regions – will take on another dimension this summer with the launch of the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa in the French countryside. The hotel will make its debut as the destination’s first contemporary luxury hotel, which embraces the lush bounty of the wineries and the surrounding Unesco World Heritage Site. Guests will have exclusive access to private

Architecture studio Conran and Partners have designed an immersive Anatolian restaurant in London’s Mayfair. Rüya, which has opened this month, is described as “the first of its kind in Europe”. Run by restaurateur Umut Özkanca and the Dogus Restaurant Entertainment and Management Group, it is a showcase for the cuisine of Anatolia – the region in Turkey that forms the westernmost protrusion of Asia. Housed in The Grosvenor House Hotel,

Italian chef Carlo Cracco has unveiled his newest culinary enterprise in Milan – the restoration of Italian architect Giuseppe Mengoni’s 19th century Galleria. The landmark building, previously known as ‘Milan’s Parlour’, is one of Europe's oldest active shopping malls, and its distinctive for its large glass dome. Now called "Cracco in Galleria", the chef has brought one of his branded restaurants to the site, and has also introduced a café, patisserie,

According to media reports in Israel, the country’s government is planning to expand and upgrade the neglected Dead Sea resort area into “one of the world’s top tourism destinations.” National newspaper Haaretz reports that the District Planning Committee for the south has agreed to invest 1bn shekels (US$276m, €236m, £208m) in the scheme, which will upgrade the main hotel zones of Ein Bokek and Hamei Zohar, and link them as

David Chipperfield Architects and Stephen Williams Associates have transformed Hamburg’s former Ministry for Urban Development building into a culinary and cultural hub and hotel, called Tortue, for the emerging Stadthöfe Quarter. The studios have converted the six-storey landmarked building – which dates from 1888 – while retaining its imposing redbrick façade. Inside, restored columns, soaring ceilings and wrought-iron marquees feature alongside mosaic tiled flooring, tall arched windows and original frescos

The newest Bulgari Hotel has opened in Shanghai, featuring a 2,000sq m (21,500sq ft) spa created with the guidance of spa and wellness consultants GOCO Hospitality. Designed by Italian firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, the sixth Bulgari hotel includes a 48-storey tower that adjoins the restored Chamber of Commerce Shanghai building, which was originally completed in 1916. “Shanghai is one of the most vivacious cities in the world and we

The star attraction at Disney and Center Parcs’ new Villages Nature development outside Paris has been completed. The practice of French architect Jacques Ferrier have completed the 9,000sqm (96,875sq ft) AquaLagoon, which houses one of the largest indoor waterparks in Europe. The tiered pyramid structure contains wave pools, water slides and an active river alongside an open-air geothermal lagoon. Other attractions include an interactive farm, hanging gardens and adventure play

Interior design studio 21 Spaces have completed an extensive refurbishment of one of Dublin’s most established hotels, The Alex. The 105-room hotel dates from 1990 and played an important role in the growth of the city. It is situated in Merrion Square, adjacent to the former industrial area. These historical references have been evoked in the new renovation, which has “playful and informal” bespoke design and detailing throughout. Floor tiles

Zaha Hadid Architects’ (ZHA) hotly-anticipated flagship hotel for the City of Dreams resort in Macau will open tomorrow (15 June). Conceived as an “urban window connecting the hotel’s interior communal spaces with the city”, Morpheus is notable for the series of sculptural voids carved through its centre – inspired by the fluid forms within China’s rich traditions of jade carving. Linked at ground level with the surrounding three-storey podium of

Zaha Hadid Architects’ (ZHA) hotly-anticipated flagship hotel for the City of Dreams resort in Macau will open tomorrow (15 June). Conceived as an “urban window connecting the hotel’s interior communal spaces with the city”, Morpheus is notable for the series of sculptural voids carved through its centre – inspired by the fluid forms within China’s rich traditions of jade carving. Linked at ground level with the surrounding three-storey podium of

He's created everything from hotel and restaurant interiors to Olympic torches and outdoor gym equipment. Now, multitasking French designer Philippe Starck has his most otherworldly commission yet: the interior of a luxurious space station for tourists. Space exploration company Axiom Space has announced it is launching its first space tourism programme in 2020, which will take its high-paying guests on expeditions to the International Space Station (ISS). Starck was asked

MKV Design, the principal designer in the reinvention of Switzerland’s Bürgenstock Resort, has been recognised by Hospitality Design as winner in the wellness category for its design of Bürgenstock’s Alpine Spa. Perched on the mountainside 450 metres above Lake Lucerne, the 10,000sq m, three-level spa was a key element in the recreation of Bürgenstock Resort. The main challenge for the designers was how to make such a large spa feel

A former tuberculosis sanatorium designed by the iconic Finnish architect Alvar Aalto has gone up for sale. The clean-lined Paimio Sanatorium, completed in 1933 in a large woodland site 30 km (18 miles) east of Turku, Finland, brought Aalto international recognition and put Finland on the international map of modern architecture. The Functionalist building has been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts thousands of Aalto enthusiasts

Hospitality architects working in ecologically sensitive parts of the world have a responsibility to ensure their projects are sustainable, even after building work has completed, Wong Chiu Man has told CLADglobal. “Guests increasingly seek out the special and the meaningful, and they are drawn to remote places with the potential to host unique leisure spaces,” said the WOW Architects founder. “The question and responsibility facing hoteliers and designers is how

Marriott International’s W Hotels brand has re-entered the Australian market with the opening of the W Brisbane, a new hotel that features fast-paced urban style and modern design with a “decidedly cheeky Aussie point of view”. Owned by Shayher Group, the 312-bedroom W Brisbane is located riverside in the city’s central business district. With interiors from Nic Graham & Associates, the hotel embraces Brisbane’s connection to Australian identity and uses

Architects Woods Bagot are transforming an abandoned sugar factory in Zhuhai, China, into a cultural, tourism and leisure park that celebrates the city’s industrial heritage and welcomes visitors with a sweet tooth. The Hongqi Zhen Sugar Factory was opened in the 1960s and became a key pillar of Southern China’s sugar plantation and processing industry. However, the industry eventually fell into a decline and the complex closed its doors in

Marriott International has announced plans to debut its Westin brand in the UK, with Westin London City scheduled to open in 2020. Owned by 4C Hotel Group and managed by RBH, The Westin London City will boast a prime riverfront location in the heart of the City of London. The company said the hotel signing illustrates that the demand for wellbeing continues to propel Westin’s growth. Westin also has upcoming

Boutique hotelier Ian Schrager’s Edition brand – created in partnership with Marriott – will make its debut in the Turkish Riviera in June. The Bodrum Edition, which Schrager said he has designed as “refuge,” with “everything you need and everything you want”, houses a spa facility complete with 14 treatment rooms. The spa also includes a Turkish hammam, salt treatment room, sauna, steam room and plunge pool. Inspired by local

Costa Rican architects Studio Saxe have completed a hotel that steps down a steep coastal hillside, formed of a series of terraces that can be completely opened up to the elements. The firm – self-declared creators of ‘tropical architecture’ – have blended a European design aesthetic with Costa Rican craftsmanship, while opening up the building to allow the verdant landscape to invade from almost all directions. The Swedish owners of

A new restaurant brand from the creator of the hugely popular Paper Moon chain has launched in the heart of Milan’s Golden Rectangle, housed within a 200-year old mansion. Palazzo Reina, which was commissioned by the noble Milanese Reina family and built in 1830 by architect Nicola Dordoni, has been carefully restored and converted by Ed Ng and Terence Ngan of AB Concept especially for the first Paper Moon Giardino

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is to expand its luxury estate in the UK after securing a deal to rebrand and operate 13 upscale hotels. IHG will operate the properties on behalf of French real estate group Foncière des Régions (FdR), which acquired the hotels from an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group for a reported US$1.1bn (£830m) earlier this month. The deal will see IHG introducing its boutique brand, Kimpton Hotels

The James Beard Foundation (JBF) has held its 2018 Restaurant Design Awards, presenting a hat-trick of prizes to the new eateries it judges to be the best-designed in North America. New York-based concept, design and branding studio The MP Shift have been recognised for their work designing De Maria in the city, which was named the best new restaurant with a capacity of 75 seats and under. The New York

Self-proclaimed “designer of whimsy” Henry Chebaane has completed the guest rooms and public areas of the new Hyatt Centric Gran Via hotel in Madrid, taking inspiration from Spanish surrealism and the history of radio. Tasked with converting the partially-listed spaces behind the historic facade of a 1920s-era building on the upscale Gran Via shopping street, Chebaane and his studio – Blue Sky Hospitality – looked to the cultural life of

International design and engineering practice John Portman & Associates have triumphed in the international design competition for a hospitality and leisure complex for a major port in Shenzhen, China. Situated next to the waterfront’s cruise ship terminal, the Prince Bay development will feature a 5-star hotel tower with 350 guestrooms, encompassing a total area of 40,000sq m (430,560sq ft), and a retail and leisure podium with a landscaped roof overlooking

Ground has broken on the US market’s latest Four Seasons hotel – a ‘civilised jungle’ in Fort Lauderdale with a third of the property dedicated to green space. The 22-storey Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Fort Lauderdale has been planned by Miami architect Kobi Karp, with 90 private residences, 130 guest rooms and “unmatched access to a lifestyle of leading amenities, services and design.” The interior architecture and design

Architects MnM Studio, Maria Brightei and Marcello D'Orsi were named as joint winners of the Celia Thomas Prize at this year's Bespoke Access Awards. Now in its second year, the Bespoke Access Awards is an international design competition run in association with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The Celia Thomas Prize, named for Baroness Celia Thomas, is designed to champion accessible hospitality design to make the hotel experience

Philippine property firm Revolution Precrafted, which specialises in producing modular pavilions and homes, has struck a deal to build at least 85 design-driven prefabricated holiday villas on the island Miyako in Okinawa, Japan. The company’s range of boutique luxury properties – ranging in size from 23-60sq m (247.5-645.8sq ft) – are designed by some of the world’s best-known architects and designers, including Daniel Libeskind, Christian Portzamparc, Marcel Wanders, Jean Nouvel