International architects Henning Larsen have won a hard-fought competition to design a 16-acre masterplan for the mammoth mixed-use Belfast Waterside development in the Northern Irish capital. The firm will now develop the ambitious waterfront project to “repopulate the city of Belfast while reviving the potential of River Lagan – drawing inspiration from successful harbour front developments in Copenhagen.” It is set to become the single largest development in Belfast’s recent

Independent brewer BrewDog has revealed plans to build an immersive craft beer hotel and brewery expansion at its headquarters in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. To be called DogHouse, the hotel is scheduled to open in the first half of 2019 and will be marketed as the world’s first craft beer hotel. Featuring 26 bedrooms, DogHouse will feature beer taps in the rooms, a built-in shower beer fridge, and rooms will overlook

Noma, the two-Michelin-star restaurant regularly ranked as among the world’s finest, has reopened in Copenhagen last week after relocating to a new home designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Opened by chef René Redzepi in 2003, noma is known for its twist on traditional Nordic Cuisine, with people traveling from across the world to try the award-winning food. The success of the restaurant has led to the launch of international

International architects Snøhetta have unveiled their kitchen extension and garden redesign for the world-renowned restaurant The French Laundry, in Yountville, California. The three-starred Michelin restaurant, which was founded in 1994 by American chef Thomas Keller and named after one of the building’s former uses, is regularly listed as one of the best in the world. Snøhetta – working in collaboration with San Francisco studio Envelope A+D and Keller – aimed

Adare Manor, Country Limerick’s historic hotel and golf resort, has re-opened its doors after a multi-million-euro redevelopment, planned to establish a ”new legacy” as Ireland’s leading luxury resort. Led by ReardonSmith Architects, the large-scale project has included the creation of new buildings as well as the restoration and refurbishment of existing properties, joined by interconnecting spaces Meanwhile, the repair and enhancement of the surrounding 840-acre estate – complete with manicured

International architects Snøhetta have unveiled a concept design for the Arctic circle's first ever energy-positive hotel. Situated at the foot of the Svartisen glacier that runs through Meløy, northern Norway, the project, called Svart, will consume around 85 per cent less energy than a modern Norwegian hotel, and produce its own power. The design has been developed by Snøhetta in collaboration with sustainable tourism agency Arctic Adventure of Norway; engineering

Chicago developer Related Midwest has revealed the first renderings of the 680ft (207m) skyscraper it is planning for the city, which will include an Equinox hotel and fitness club. Details of the 58-storey project were revealed last week at a public meeting. The tower – which will flank the Kennedy Expressway at 725 W Randolph Street – will include 165 guest rooms, a spa and 370 rental apartments. At ground

Following the success of the Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun, Palace Resorts has opened its second Le Blanc Spa Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, designed by architect Roberto Elias of Elias Estudio, with interiors by Francois Frossard of Francois Frossard Design. The 373-bedroom resort includes four buildings that curve toward the ocean, and has been inspired by the unique flora and fauna of Los Cabos, as well as the climate,

An unremarkable office building in Fuzhou, China, has been transformed by the Yiduan Shanghai International Design studio into a striking restaurant set within “a magical bamboo forest”. The 2,000sq m (21,500sq ft) Shandao Restaurant features a dramatic and unifying tile facade designed to draw the attention of passers-by. Inside, winding pathways across five floors and a mezzanine level lead to dining areas separated by multi-layered bamboo partitions. A lobby, banqueting

Four Seasons will open a flagship hotel and spa in Philadelphia, US, in Q3 of this year. Set in the historic city’s tallest tower – the 60-storey Comcast Technology Center – the new Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center will include 219 bedrooms on the 48th to 56th floors. Above the hotel, the 57th-floor spa will include seven treatment rooms and an indoor infinity pool. The tower – a

Finnish architecture and firm Futudesign has won an invited competition to transform part of Eliel Saarinen’s Helsinki Central Railway Station into a hotel. Developer Exilion Management and hospitality operator Scandic Hotels are seeking ideas for how to breathe new life into the underutilised eastern administrative wing of the station, which was completed in 1914. Futudesign’s winning proposal, called ‘Hermes’, takes advantage of the grand, high interiors originally designed by Saarinen

The Chinese mainland has its first Hard Rock Hotel, complete with a huge vinyl mosaic, hundreds of red guitars hanging from the walls and a golden dragon made from drumsticks and 1,680 cymbals. Hong Kong practice CL3 Architects, led by William Lim, were commissioned by developer Mission Hill Properties to design the Hard Rock Hotel Shenzhen, combining the brand’s trademark references to rock and roll with local design flourishes. Vibrant

Architects Chad Oppenheim and Arthur Casas have collaborated to create a dynamic hotel nestled between dilapidated 1950s apartment buildings on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach. The Emiliano Rio has a distinctive façade of sculptural weatherproof panels which can be opened and closed from the bedroom balconies, resulting in a constantly shifting elevation. “Through these simple yet powerful spatial manipulations, the hotel optimises its beneficial attributes while subverting its negative forces,”

Luxury wellness hotel operator Six Senses will open its first city hotel in Singapore this year as part of a restoration of two buildings in the heart of the city-state’s Chinatown. Six Senses Singapore is split across two buildings within walking distance of each other, Six Senses Duxton and Six Senses Maxwell, and will celebrate local Singapore culture and history while adding a touch of playfulness to the heritage properties,

Katherine Lo, daughter of Langham Hospitality Group chair Ka Shui Lo, has transformed the group’s Eaton brand into Eaton Workshop – a global lifestyle business including a wellness component. Lo used her background in activism, anthropology and film to create Eaton Workshop, which includes four distinct parts: hotel, house, media and wellness. The first hotel is set to open in Washington DC early this year, with locations to follow in

Belgian architect Jean-Michel Gathy has been commissioned to create the first Aman Resort in the US, within New York’s landmark Crown Building. The principal designer of Denniston International specialises in 'ultra-luxury' hospitality design, having worked around the world with companies such as Banyan Tree, Mandarin Oriental and One&Only. He has previously collaborated with Aman for resorts in Venice, the Indonesian island of Moyo and Sveti Stefan islet in Montenegro –

Italian design studio Network of Architecture (noa*) have been inspired by the world of the theatre for their latest hotel project: a glass and timber structure looking out towards the Dolomites. The family-run Valentinerhof hotel is situated 1,200m above sea-level in the commune of Castelrotto, South Tyrol. The architects were commissioned by the owners to design two new guest buildings offering views from every point of the nearby Schlern mountain.

Luxury hotel operator Aman is set to open its fourth location in China on Monday (8 January) – the culmination of an ambitious 15-year conservation initiative which saw the relocation of an entire forest and the reconstruction of a historic village. Kerry Hill Architects have restored 50 disassembled antique houses in order to create Amanyangyun, integrating contemporary comfort into the 400-year-old fabric of the buildings. The story began in the

Luxury hotel group Jumeirah has set out plans for an ambitious expansion which will see it enter three new markets during 2018. Jumeirah will open five new resorts during the year, including its first properties in Bahrain, Indonesia and Oman – signalling the group’s intention to enter emerging tourism markets with its luxury offering. The five properties, each featuring large spas, are Jumeirah Royal Saray, Bahrain; Jumeirah Sa’adiyat Island, Abu

Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne has opened the final hotel in its portfolio, the Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence, a medical wellness centre offering physical and mental wellbeing through a ‘Healthy by Nature’ concept. Designed by Italian architect Matteo Thun, the five-star Waldhotel features a team of multidisciplinary physicians, using cardiology, internal medicine, dermatology, orthopaedics, psychosomatics, dentists to nutrition and gastroenterology to treat and prevent health concerns. The physicians

An eco-friendly resort set on the coast of the Greek island of Rhodes will open in May 2018. Designed by Dimitris Melenos & Partners, the 266-bedroom Gennadi Grand Resort will be part of Lindos Hotel Group, and will focus on experiential travel along with an emphasis on immersive surroundings. Melenos has used a design ethos focusing on simplicity and functionality, with buildings creating small 'neighbourhoods' and internal green courtyards and

A US$2.6bn (€2.2bn, £1.9bn) arts and design district in Kowloon, Hong Kong, has reached a major milestone with the completion of the 66-storey mixed-use tower at its heart. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects, the K11 Atelier building is located on the Tsim Sha Tsui harborfront, replacing a long-derelict warehouse terminal that was once integral to Hong Kong’s famous port. It is the high-rise centrepoint of the Victoria Dockside scheme,

The studio of Richard Rogers have been commissioned to design a luxury hotel and residences for hospitality group Mandarin Oriental in the fashionable heart of London’s Mayfair district. Due to open in 2021 between Bond Street and Regent Street on Hanover Square, the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is described by developer Clivedale London as “an intimate, boutique property”. Architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners – who last year redesigned the entrance

Rosewood Hotel Group has launched a new hotel brand, Khos, with a focus on the modern business traveller and inspired by “the energy, art, innovation, creativity, style and dynamism of modern-day Asia”. Derived from the Mongolian word meaning 'pair', Khos will be a global brand, with locations in capital cities, urban portals, business centres and resort destinations. The first Khos hotels will be announced in 2018 and opened later in

The Montreal hotel suite where John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their iconic Bed-In protest in May 1969 has been redesigned to celebrate 2017’s International Day of Peace. The pair spent seven days of their honeymoon in the bed of Suite 1742 at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel in their unconventional push for peace. The bed was also the recording location for Lennon’s first solo single, ‘Give Peace a

Spread across a 100-acre site near the town of Cancun in the eastern state of Quintana Roo, the Hilton Cancun resort and the Waldorf Astoria Cancun are set to open in 2021. Design firms SB Architects, EDSA and HBA have been hand-selected to create “a fluid transition between indoor and outdoor spaces” throughout both buildings and will take inspiration from the surrounding area's natural elements. The design of both properties

The Four Seasons Tunis has opened with a lavish spa inspired by Tunisia’s historic sites and traditions. Located just a short drive from the ancient Roman ruins of Carthage, the resort includes 203 bedrooms and a Roman-inspired spa which was 10 years in the making. Created by spa consultancy Blu Spas – which collaborated with HKS/Hill Glazier Studio and Brayton Hughes for the design – the spa includes 11 treatment