Ritz Carlton has opened its second property in Langkawi, Malaysia, with the launch of an oceanfront resort designed by Philippe Villeroux of Kuala Lumpur-based Tropical Area Architects. Ritz Carlton Langkawi has been created to “immerse travellers in the island's natural ecosystem and local culture”. Reflecting the architecture of the nearby traditional villages – which are known as Kampongs – the resort is set in a tranquil private bay and surrounded

One of China’s largest real estate developers has joined forces with hospitality company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to open a luxury property in the northeastern city of Dalian. Luneng Group has appointed architects NBBJ Shanghai and designers Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) to create the Four Seasons Hotel Dalian on a site within the Donggang East Harbour. The hotel will be housed in a new mixed-use tower overlooking Dalian’s historic

Spa consultant Diana Mestre of Mestre & Mestre Spa and Wellness Consulting is creating a 12,000sq ft (1,115sq m) sunken spa for the upcoming 1 Hotel Los Cabos in Mexico, which is set to open in 2019. Designed with the purpose of revitalising the senses, the Seed Spa will use recycled and organic materials along with water, music, aromas, light and living plants with an aim to create an environment

Adria Lake of wellness and spa design company A.W. Lake Design has created a new Balinese spa for the Radisson Blu Uluwatu – the first Radisson Blu in Bali, which is set to open in December. The 633sq m (6,814sq ft) SpaEsc will include seven treatment rooms, including two doubles with private steam showers and two express massage rooms. A beauty area, “floating” courtyard relaxation room, fully equipped gym, yoga

Construction is underway for a mountaintop retreat in Utah focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. Summit Powder Mountain, near Eden, is a ski village planned by architects and environmental designers Studio Ma to include residences and leisure communities that will host a year-round community of creative professionals and social entrepreneurs. The project is taking shape on a 10,000-acre public site surrounded by ski slopes. The centrepiece of the village will be

Property developer Qatari Diar has announced the appointment of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts as the operator for a new hotel opening within London’s former US Embassy building in Grosvenor Square. The selection follows a lengthy process in which a series of international hotel companies submitted proposals for how they would run an “ambitious world-class hotel, retail and event space” with 137 bedrooms, five restaurants, six flagship retail units, a spa

Dubai developer Nakheel has unveiled a pipeline of new leisure developments across the emirate, collectively worth AED4bn (US$1.08bn, €908m, £806.8m). The company used last week’s Cityscape Global real estate convention as a platform to announce the new projects, which are all phased additions its previous leisure schemes. These include a luxury high-rise beachfront residential complex on Palm Jumeirah; a residential, mall, hotel and health resort at Discovery Gardens; a unique

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, together with Astir Palace Vouliagmeni SA, will spend €100m ($US119m, £88m) to transform the iconic Astir Palace into the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens. Due to open in early 2018, the resort will be the first Four Seasons in Greece. The 1960s hotel is undergoing extensive upgrades, with interiors by designer Meyer Davis, and, when complete, it will include 300 bedrooms and a wellness

A new leisure development next to London’s Tower Bridge is set for completion this month, featuring an Ivy restaurant and a brand new theatre established by acclaimed director Nicholas Hytner. Designed by architects Squire and Partners, One Tower Bridge has a prominent riverside location on Potters Fields Park, adjacent to the Grade I listed Tower Bridge. The masterplan – conceived as a “lasting new piece of the city”, which articulates

A major adventure resort offering a wide variety of physical, thrilling and wellness activities, a 100-bedroom hotel and 400 luxury lodges on a 480-acre (194-hectare) Welsh site will be project managed by AECOM. Afan Valley Adventure Resort will offer a mix of healthy and exhilarating pastimes, including water sports, mountain biking, survival training, trampolining, surfing and zorbing, in response to rising demand for British holidays with a stronger emphasis on

Hospitality giant Hilton has announced an agreement with real estate firm Ithaafushi Investment to manage its new-built resort in the Maldives. Spanning three islands on the South Male Atoll, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives will be the second hotel in the Maldives for Hilton and will join 10 other Waldorf Astoria properties which are already open, or currently under development in the Asia Pacific. While few design details have been released,

A group spa industry veterans have come together to create a new hospitality and real estate company, Civana, based around sustainable wellness through an affordable travel and lifestyle platform. Led by Kevin Kelly – who was former Canyon Ranch president and chief branding officer, and most recently was CEO and co-owner of California’s Two Bunch Palms – Civana will bring together wellness programming, sustainable design and hotel asset and property

Plans for a multi-million pound hotel complex complete with a rooftop swimming pool, nightclub, restaurants and retail outlets have been unveiled for Newcastle city centre. Local firm Space Architects are designing the scheme, which will encompass nine existing neoclassical buildings – seven of which are Grade II listed – along the city’s Grey Street The studio have been tasked with creating a new visitor attraction for the North East region,

Boutique hotel group The Hoxton has debuted its fourth property, with the new opening inside an 18th century Paris townhouse once home to Louis XV’s main courtiers. The Hoxton, Paris – located on Rue du Sentier in the French capital’s 2nd arrondissement – occupies three buildings and has 172 bedrooms, two courtyards, a modern French brasserie, an intimate bar, seven meeting rooms and a communal pantry kitchen. The building, originally

Hospitality giant Four Seasons has opened a new hotel in Kuwait City, created by architects Gensler and designers Yabu Pushelberg. The 284-room Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya is located in one of two soaring glass towers in Kuwait City. The second tower, set to open in 2018, will provide high-tech corporate headquarters for employees of hospitality company Alshaya’s retail franchise business. The hotel’s design concept has been crafted around a

Conran and Partners have redesigned the 267 guest rooms at the Andaz London Liverpool Street, two decades after the architecture practice first worked on the hotel – originally built in 1884 as one of the city's original railway hotels. The renovation – commissioned by Andaz owners Hyatt – has updated the rooms to reflect changes in the surrounding City of London and the district of Shoreditch, and includes contributions from

Hospitality giant Hilton has opened its first Curio Collection property in the UK, renovating a landmark hotel in London's Trafalgar Square as a “sanctuary of style” in the heart of the city. The Trafalgar St. James has 131 bedrooms and 15 suites. Each has been designed by British studio Shh Architects with Art Deco flourishes and references to the history of the building, which once housed the offices of the

Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), one of the world’s largest hospitality interior design firms, has launched its seventh subdivision, HBA Resorts, which will specialise in the creation of bespoke luxury resort properties. Headquartered in Bali, Indonesia, HBA Resorts provide tailored interior design, architecture and landscape services, with staff collaborating with artisans in Southeast Asia to create “indigenous and authentic design projects for the world’s most treasured resorts.” Explaining the decision to

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ first resort in China has officially opened on Hainan Bay, set within 40 acres of landscaped gardens overlooking the South China Sea. Rosewood Sanya, which welcomed its first guests yesterday (21 August), features 246 guestrooms, 25 of which have balcony plunge pools; a Rosewood Sense spa; a health club; an indoor yoga studio and an outdoor yoga pavilion; five restaurants and lounges; and a 110m long

Hong Kong’s Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel has opened its newest and largest suite, designed as the “ultimate retreat for socialising” by Joyce Wang and her studio. The 2,250sq ft (209,000sq m) Entertainment Suite has been conceived as “a welcome respite from Hong Kong’s hectic streets”, with a subtle, nature-inspired colour palette and soft custom-designed furnishings created by Wang – including hand-chiselled cabinet doors adorned with hand-painted art and a chandelier

The colours of the changing seasons in Japan have inspired architect Sun Tianwen to design an eye-catchingly luminous restaurant in the city of Changchun, China. The concept for the 1,300sq m (14,000sq ft) restaurant, called Setsugekka, derives from the ancient Japanese art and design tradition of the same name, which celebrates the motifs of snow, moon and flowers and the passage of time throughout the year. Sun’s restaurant, therefore, features

European real estate investment platform Henderson Park has acquired two Hilton-operated hotels in London and Birmingham – signalling the group’s entry to the rapidly-growing UK hotel market. The deal, believed to be worth around £500m (US$646m, €545m), will see Henderson Park take control of two of the UK’s largest hotels. The Hilton London Metropole is the capital’s second largest hotel by room count and one of Hilton’s flagship hotels, housing

The Pritzker winning architect Thom Mayne has criticised the majority of hotel designs as “generic and unmemorable” in an interview with CLADglobal. Mayne, the founder and creative director of US practice Morphosis, argued that architects and designers working in the hotel sector are too often failing to create a space that wows the guests who will occupy it. “I’m a person who lives in hotels and I have done for

Zanzibar’s accelerating development boom has taken yet another step forward, with the announcement of a new resort billed by its backers as “the largest premium hospitality investment and resort in East Africa” and featuring its own dedicated private airport. The Zanzibar Amber Resort has been conceived by real estate firm Pennyroyal Gibraltar Ltd. Development and South Africa’s Pam Golding Property group as a “luxury tropical community”, traversing 411 hectares developed

Japan-based Okura Hotels & Resorts has announced plans to open its third spa hotel on the island of Taiwan. The company has signed a deal to operate the Okura Prestige Taichung, set to open in 2021, through its subsidiary Okura Nikko Hotel Management. Situated in the heart of Taichung, the 250-bedroom hotel will include a luxury spa, indoor swimming pool and health club – as well as a range of

Singapore-based Alila Hotels & Resorts will open its first North American resort property in California’s fabled Big Sur region in autumn 2017. Transformed from the Ventana Inn into 'Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort', the multi-million-dollar revitalisation is being led by San Francisco-based interiors firm BraytonHughes Design Studios and architecture firm Parks & Associates of Carmel, California. Included in the development will be 59 revamped guest rooms, suites and villas;

An exclusive hotel anchoring a new sports and leisure district in Green Bay, Wisconsin, opened on Wednesday (19 July). Lodge Kohler is one component of Titletown, the 34 acre district being developed by US National Football League (NFL) franchise the Green Bay Packers. Designed by developer Kohler Co’s in-house design team, the hotel has 134 bedrooms, 10 suites and views of the Packers' 81,400-capacity Lambeau Field. It is also the