Acclaimed interior designer Lyndon Neri has told CLAD that our notions of personal space should be challenged, and urged designers to celebrate the idea of community. “Sometimes our celebration of isolation makes us insular and I think that’s dangerous,” he said in an exclusive interview. “We’re trained to think that we need to be separate. When we come home from work, we close our front door, we make sure we

Hotelier Adrian Zecha, who founded luxury hotel brand Aman, has opened a new hotel in Luang Prabang, Laos, described as “the first chapter of a new story and brand of hotels.” Azerai Luang Prabang takes its name from a combination of Zecha’s initials, AZ, and the Persian word ‘caravanserai,’ which means a resting place with a central courtyard for travellers. The two-storey, 53-bedroom hotel building is the result of architect

Lux* Hotels is set to open a new resort and residences in Bodrum, Turkey next month, and has several projects in the pipeline, including new locations in the Maldives, Reunion Island and China. Lux* Bodrum is the company’s first resort in the Mediterranean, and has won the Silver Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design Category at Milan’s A’Design Awards. “Contrary to the traditional Mediterranean concept, we have taken

Blu Spas has collaborated with HKS/Hill Glazier Studio and Brayton Hughes for the spa design at the upcoming Four Seasons Hotel Tunis, due to open in late 2017. Perched along the hillside of Gammarth, the 200-bedroom hotel combines Arabic-inspired architecture and Mediterranean influences, with a series of pools, gardens and fountains that echo the design of the historic medina. Blu Spas first started work on the Roman-inspired spa almost ten

Global spa management company Resense is developing several new spas for hotel brand Kempinski in Asia, including locations in Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and South Korea. The Spa & Wellness Membership Club at Kempinski Hotel & Residences in Busan, South Korea, will include a 4,000sq m (43,056sq ft) health and wellness facility designed by HBA Singapore and spread over two floors. Designed as a ‘best in class’ private club, the facility

Inge Moore and her team at Muza Lab has completed the redesign of the Kanuhura in the Maldives, a private island retreat, taking her inspiration from the ‘gypset’ – people who enjoy the unconventionality of a nomadic lifestyle "with the sophistication and speed of the jet set." Muza Lab has redesigned the entire resort, including the 1,035sq m (11,141sq ft) Kokaa Spa, named after a local butterfly and designed to

International consulting firm Linser Hospitality has been engaged to develop the extensive health and wellness programming for the Kemeri Park project in Jurmula, Latvia. The development includes both a five-star luxury hotel – set in a grand, historically significant building – and a four-star medical clinic situated a few hundred meters away, as well as a regeneration of the surrounding village into a wellness community. Linser Hospitality will be responsible

Thirty years after it first opened, Center Parcs has unveiled its new Forest Spa concept at its 1,500sq m (16,146sq ft) Sherwood Forest location in England, showcasing 26 new spa experiences in a completely redesigned two-storey spa. “This is not just a refurbishment, but an evolution of our brand,” said Sue Goddard, group leisure manager. “We don’t want to wait until our spa concept shows its age – we want

Hospitality giant Hyatt’s plan to build the largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest is taking shape in downtown Seattle. Construction work is advancing on the 45-storey, 500ft tall (152.4m) Hyatt Regency Seattle, which will be composed of two primary volumes: a semi-detached, eight-floor podium and a striking “ethereal” tower housing the hotel’s 1,260-rooms. Designed by LMN Architects, the 1.4 million sq ft mixed-use building is inspired by a diverse mix

Dubai-based Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality and leisure arm of Emaar Properties, has announced plans to open six new hotels in the Middle East. The new properties in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Egypt will be operated under the Group's luxury brands – the premium luxury Address Hotels + Resorts and the upscale lifestyle Vida Hotels and Resorts. Among the new hotels will be the Address Marassi Beach Resort and Address

A 2,850sq m ESPA spa will be part of the One&Only Sanya, set to open later this year. The first One&Only in China, One&Only Sanya will open in Q4 2017. The 190-bedroom resort is designed by architect Jean-Michel Gathy and will be situated among 40 acres of palm trees with views of the South China Sea. The ESPA spa will be set in a secluded garden area, and include an

A gothic Victorian country mansion near Manchester has been restored and renovated as the second property for boutique hotel company Oddfellows. Over an 18-month period, Tim Groom Architects and interior designers SpaceInvader transformed Buntwood Hall – previously used at different times as an equestrian stud farm, a town hall, an office for a film company and a fashion designer’s studio – into Oddfellows On The Park; a Victorian-style hotel with

A landmark 1925 California hotel with a storied history will be reborn this summer, with new interiors created by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard – who has dreamed up glamorous homes for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Eva Mendes and Cher. When it first opened in 1925, the Hotel Californian was one of the first of a new wave of Spanish Colonial Revival style structures, but was open for little

Global spa consultancy Blu Spas has worked in conjunction with designers Yabu Pushelberg and KEO International to create the 923sq m (9,935sq ft) spa at the upcoming Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya, set to open in mid-2017. The two-level spa will have seven treatment rooms and two luxury spa suites, as well as a hammam, fitness centres for men and women, yoga studio, a beauty salon and barbershop,

W Hotels Worldwide has launched a new concept for its European and North American hotel properties: a private music studio, writer’s room and lounge for musicians and producers to use while on the road. The W Sound Suite will soon open at the W Seattle, allowing hotel guests “to book the studio and live out their rockstar dreams.” The first of the suites opened at the W Bali Seminyak last

The Winkler Hotel in northern Italy's Dolomites is adding a 3,500sq m (37,674sq ft) spa with an extensive sauna area, mountain lagoon and Kneipp tunnel. Built with an investment of €3.2m (US$3.4m, £2.7m), the spa is part of a new addition to the hotel that also includes luxury suites and restaurants designed by architect Astrid Steinwandter set to debut this summer. The interiors and the spa have been designed by

The sweeping Dolomites mountain range in northeastern Italy has inspired a dramatic new hotel designed by architecture firm Network of Architecture (noa*). The irregular, asymmetrical silhouette of the Hotel Tofana in the town of St. Kassian is designed to evoke one of the tree-lined mountain peaks that dominate the region’s Badia Valley, complete with plants lining the building's terraces and façade. Guests can “ascend” the hotel as if it was

A new spa has opened at the historic Grand Hotel la Cloche in Dijon, France. Housed in a Haussman-style building dating from 1884, the 88-bedroom hotel is part of Accor’s M Gallery by Sofitel brand, and has recently been renovated by interior architect Frederic Grosjean. “The unique point of this spa begins with the historical location in Dijon, combined with its intimate atmosphere,” Lindsay Madden-Naddeau, director of well-being for Raffles,

Luxury hotel and restaurant group Nobu Hospitality has announced the opening date of the first property in its new Ryokan Collection. Nobu Ryokan Malibu, located above the famous Carbon Beach along California’s Pacific Coast Highway, will welcome its first guests on 28 April. Studio PCH and Montalba Architects have transformed a 1950s vintage beach motel “into an exclusive destination retreat reflecting the cool elegance of the California coastline.” The property

This autumn, the famed Blue Lagoon in Iceland will open a subterranean spa, a 62-bedroom luxury hotel and a restaurant celebrating the country’s culinary heritage, all designed by Reykjavik-based Basalt Architects. Blue Lagoon managing director Dagný Pétursdóttir called this is an “important milestone.” “We are evolving and expanding our horizons,” said Pétursdóttir. “Our foundation is the unique geothermal seawater, our stunning environment, and the commitment of our employees to provide

The 16,000sq ft (1,486sq m) Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach in Miami has been re-imagined with a fresh redesign, modern fitness facility and destination-inspired therapies. Located in Miami Beach’s historic Art Deco district, the landmark Art Moderne hotel was originally designed by famed architect Morris Lapidus in 1953. To celebrate the spa opening, a sage-smudging ceremony was performed to cleanse and purify the spa of its past and welcome

Following on the heels of the resort's opening late last year, the 19,000sq ft (1,765sq m) Six Senses Spa Zil Pasyon in Félicité, the fifth largest island in Seychelles, is now open. Created by Six Senses Architecture and Design team and Richard Hywel Evans of Studio RHE in London, the spa is immersed in the private island’s rocks, boulders, jungle and the Indian Ocean. It is designed to be an

A new 900sq m (9,688sq ft) Eagles Spa by Elemis is set to open near the birthplace of Aristotle, in time to celebrate the great philosopher’s 2,400th birthday. Located in Halkidiki, Greece, the spa is part of a larger expansion of the five-star Eagles Palace resort, which also includes the addition of Eagles Villas. The 42 villas, designed by architects 3sk Stylianidis, are nestled into a green hilltop and feature

Rwandan fashion entrepreneur Teta Isibo has been appointed by ecotourism operator Wilderness Safaris to bring “a vibrant Rwandan flair” to the interior design of its Bisate Lodge, which is due to open in one of the country’s remote mountain valleys on 1 June 2017. Isibo, who is also the founder Rwandan studio Inzuki Designs, is collaborating with Nick Plewman Architects, interior designer Caline Williams-Wynn, local textile experts and the country’s

Boutique hospitality group Sereno Hotels has announced the opening of Il Sereno Lago di Como – an “intimate, design-driven” hotel designed by Patricia Urquiola on the banks of Italy’s Lake Como. The picturesque location is a popular beauty spot, drawing tourists with its dramatic vistas of the southern Italian Alps and idyllic small towns, and George Clooney, Madonna and Donatella Versace have all snapped up properties on the lake. Il

The British seaside town of Bognor Regis looks set for a major leisure-led regeneration, with members of the district council throwing their weight behind a mixed-use scheme worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Initial concepts developed by regeneration consultancy Urban Delivery, architect Kay Elliott and multidisciplinary practice Arup visualise an expansive linear park connecting a car park near the train station to Regis Centre. The focal point of the development,

It has been open less than a year, but Canyon Ranch’s first location outside of the US will soon change hands, with Six Senses taking over management of the property in May 2017. The Canyon Ranch Kaplankaya opened in July 2016 on the Turkish Riviera near Bodrum, and includes 141 bedrooms and a 107,000sq ft (9,941sqm) spa, fitness and Health & Healing Centre with 38 treatment rooms. Canyon Ranch Kaplankaya