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

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island hotel has announced the submersion of what it claims is the world's first undersea residence, which will be completed in Q4 2018. Crown Company, which owns the hotel, has invested US$15m in The Miraka (meaning ‘coral’ in Dhivehi, the local language of the Maldives). The company’s director, Ahmed Saleem, is the named architect, and the project is being constructed by New Zealand aquarium technology firm

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) has opened its doors to the public following a transformation of the historic cruise liner into a tourist destination and hotel by the government of Dubai. The world-famous vessel, which was decommissioned in 2008, is now docked permanently at Mina Rashid in Dubai. Reimagined as a floating 13-deck attraction, it is welcoming visitors on board for the soft opening of some of its dining, accommodation

Boutique hotelier Ian Schrager is bringing his Edition brand to Tampa, with a 173-room property set to open in then Florida city in 2021. Real estate firm Strategic Property Partners (SPP) has struck a deal with Schrager and Marriott International, which owns the brand, to launch the Tampa Edition within a 26-story tower in the heart of the Water Street Tampa neighbourhood. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects and Nichols Brosch

Six Senses’ newest resort in Fiji has opened with a Six Senses Spa designed as a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Fijian village. Designed by New Zealand-based architect Richard Priest, Six Senses Fiji includes 24 pool villas and 60 residential villas located along a private sandy beach. The 60 residences and all facilities are 100 per cent solar powered by the largest microgrid in Fiji to use Tesla batteries. Surrounded

Kerzner International Holdings, the owner of One&Only Resorts, has plans to introduce a new line of One&Only Urban Resorts, the first of which will debut in Dubai in 2020. The One&Only Za’abeel will be set in the new One Za’abeel, which is being developed by Ithra Dubai, a subsidiary of Investment Corporation of Dubai. The two-tower, high-rise, mixed-use development of One Za’abeel – designed by architects Nikken Sekkei – will

Norwegian architect Reiulf Ramstad has revealed the design his firm have created for a hotel that will be blended into the landscape of the Alsace hills in France. Construction on the Breitenbach Landscape Hotel will begin in the next few months. Conceived to “gather the best of architecture, design, spa facilities and food culture in the region”, several distinctive architectural forms will be spread across the valley to create “a

Salone del Mobile, one of the world’s leading international design and furnishing events, has kicked off in Milan, with more than 300,000 visitors from over 165 countries expected to visit before the show closes on 22 April. More than 2,000 exhibitors from the worlds of furniture, lighting technology and bathroom and kitchen design are presenting their products and innovations to potential buyers across more than 200,000sq m. Several brands are also celebrating their new collections

The Ace Hotel Group has announced it will open its first property in Japan, with architect Kengo Kuma commissioned to design a “monument to the beauty and unique legacy of Kyoto”, transforming the city’s 92-year-old former Central Telephone Office. The company has partnered with the Japanese NTT Urban Development Corporation to open the Ace Hotel Kyoto in winter 2019. Located on the former grounds of the imperial palace, the project

Bjarke Ingels Group are designing a hotel next to their forthcoming Audemars Piguet watchmaking museum in the village of Le Brassus, Switzerland. As with that subtly spiralling attraction – which is due to open in 2019 – the new project, Hotel des Horlogers, will be integrated into the topography of the landscape. Five zigzagging room slabs will expand into a gently sloping exterior path, leading directly to the museum and

W Hotels Worldwide, owned by hospitality giant Marriott International, has opened a boutique property in Panama – the first W in Central America. The W Panama is situated in the newly-opened, 50-storey Evolution Tower located near Uruguay Street in the Panama City’s business district. The hotel’s design – created by Studio Gaia and the internal design team of W Hotels – was conceived to “blend centuries of history and culture

Those with deep pockets and a passion for the world of aviation have been presented a rare opportunity to own a piece of flight history, with the entire contents of Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 1 about to go under the hammer in London. Lots up for grabs include airport furniture, working baggage carousels, check-in desks, the terminal’s signage and clocks, and a series of large murals created in the 1950s by

The hospitality arm of luxury goods giant Bvlgari has announced plans to open a hotel in Paris in 2020, bringing its international collection to eight properties. Italian design firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Parisian architects Valode & Pistre are converting a historic building on Avenue George V – adjacent to the Champs Elysees in the famous and fashionable Triangle d’Or area of the French capital – into the 66-room

The Blue Lagoon in Iceland, one of the 25 Wonders of the World, has undergone a significant expansion with the opening of its first luxury opening, the Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland. A four-year endeavour, the Retreat is the result of a partnership between Blue Lagoon; Basalt Architects, the firm that designed the complex and made significant contributions to its interior design; and Design Group Italia, the agency that conceived

Avani Hotels & Resorts is continuing its expansion in Australia with the development of Avani Central Melbourne Residences, its second property in Australia. Due to open this year, the 456-bedroom, 55-storey hotel will draw inspiration from the brands contemporary design and will include an indoor swimming pool with floor-to-ceiling windows as well as two outdoor spas. The hotel also will include a sauna, steamroom and a dedicated yoga room. The

Avani Hotels & Resorts will open a property in Dubai in 2020, to include both hotel suites and branded residences, as well as an AvaniSpa. Developed by real estate firm Alfahim, the 48-storey new-build property will be the third Avani in Dubai and will represent the launch of Avani residences in the region. Avani Hotel Suites & Branded Residences will be located directly overlooking the famous Palm Jumeirah, adjacent to

New York-based hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany has revealed details of the newly-renovated spa at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental is due to open in May this year and was overseen by Tihany and his design studio. The new spa is designed to create a luxurious and peaceful atmosphere to aid relaxation, and provide guests with ‘a haven of tranquility’. It unites traditional Chinese elements

Design firm HBA London has completed the interiors of The Orient Jerusalem by Isrotel Exclusive Collection – a hotel that doubles as “a timeless love song to the city.” Situated at the entrance to Jerusalem’s historically rich German Colony district, The Orient is formed of two 19th Century Templar houses, which have been restored and reinvented as a collection of 39 luxury guestrooms. These are joined by a new, modern

Remote holiday specialists Off the Map Travel have created another of their mobile semi-transparent glamping cabins, designed to be towed into the remote wilderness of the Arctic Circle so that guests can experience the Northern Lights from the comfort of their beds. Three rooms, each set on skis, have been made available for booking until mid-April 2018. They are situated in the Aurora Wilderness Camp, six kilometres east of Kilpisjärvi,

After the debut of Chablé Resort & Spa Yucatan in 2016, Hamak Hotels has announced it will operate a second Chablé Resort on Maroma Beach, Mexico. Scheduled to open in Q3 2018, Chablé Maroma will include an expansive 17,000sq ft (1,579sq m) spa created by Bonnie Baker, co-founder of Satteva Spa & Wellness Concepts. Baker also worked on the Chablé Yucatan’s spa, alongside Amy McDonald of Under a Tree Spa

Surrealist hospitality designer Henry Chebaane has completed his latest project: a hotel room concept that puts his expectedly unexpected twist on British popular culture. The project, called Hip Pop Britannia, has been launched this week in three “rockstar rooms” at The Megaro, a colourful boutique hotel next to London’s King’s Cross station that is best-known for featuring the city’s largest graffiti mural over its 19th-century facade. Chebaane’s rooms feature recurring

Italy-based spa consultants Wellness & Spa Solutions have helped to transform the spa at the Aleph Rome Hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, from an opulent 1930s bank building into an Arabian-style spa. The Aleph Spa is located in the basement and includes a thermal whirlpool, Finnish sauna, emotional showers, a heated indoor pool, massage cabins and an elegantly gilded hammam with marble mosaics. A contemporary gym with

Oscar-winning actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio is investing in a planned eco-certified hotel in Herzliya, Israel, according to several media reports in the country. The hotel, located in the Herzliya Marina, will be designed by David Rockwell and will include 180 suites spread across two six-storey buildings, with a swimming pool in between. The project is being overseen by Hagag Real Estate Development, with DiCaprio named as a partner

French designer Philippe Starck has joined forces with hospitality giant The Hilton Group to create a surreal, 14-storey hotel in Metz, France. The property will be operated by Hilton's Curio Collection under a new brand, called Maison Heler. Envisioned as a monolithic and monochromatic tower, topped by an 18th-century style Alsace traditional house, Starck has described his plan to create “a habitable, surreal and poetic work of art that will

The Lux Grand Gaube in Mauritius has reopened after a US$32m renovation by London-based designer Kelly Hoppen and Mauritius designer Jean-Francois Adam, who have reimagined the resort in a “simple-yet-refined” style. With over a hectare of land dedicated to wellness, the resort’s spa includes African-style huts and is designed to connect guests to nature. A new hydrotherapy pool, aromatic steamroom and sauna have been added, along with an Artis Technogym

Architect Claudio Carbone will oversee a complete renovation of Switzerland’s Grand Hotel Quellenhof in Bad Ragaz as part of an extensive investment programme of around 40m Swiss Francs (US$42m, €34m, £30m). Part of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, the five-star wellbeing and medical health resort first opened in 1869, and includes 106 suites, which have hosted film stars, statesmen and royalty. CEO Patrick Vogler said the forthcoming renovations will “complete

The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts will open its first hotel in Baja California Sur in June of this year, complete with a 10,000sq ft (929sq m) spa. Solaz Resort will be operated by Qunta del Golfo de Cortez, and will include 128 hotel bedrooms and 21 residences on 34 acres overlooking the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. The Ojo de Liebre Spa will offer 10 private treatment rooms and