The JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Venice, designed by Matteo Thun & Partners, has won the European Hotel Design of the Year prize. The announcement was made at the European Hotel Design Awards, which took place in a star-packed ceremony last night at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel in London. Matteo Thun and his team created a contemporary resort on the man-made Isola delle Rose island – located

The historic US embassy in London’s Grosvenor Square will be opened to the public as part of a £1bn hotel and retail development – with Westminster City Council granting planning permission for the David Chipperfield-designed project. Developers Qatari Diar will now transform the site, which has been home to US ambassadors to the UK since 1960, into a 137 bedroom hotel, spa and ball room for 900 guests. An operator

Boutique hotel operator Kimpton has opened the doors to its first Caribbean property, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, located along the famed Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. This marks the hotel company’s first foray into the international luxury resort market, as well as Grand Cayman’s first new hotel in more than a decade. Kimpton Hotels was acquired by InterContinental in 2014. Seafire includes an 8,500sq ft (794sq m) spa

Marriott International will open a W Hotel on Portugal’s Algarve coast in 2018. Developed in partnership with Nozul Algarve, the 134-bedroom hotel will overlook the coastline and will feature a 10,000sq ft (929sq m) spa. “This beachfront paradise is the perfect backdrop for the W brand’s tone-setting design, signature cocktail culture and dynamic spirit,” said Anthony Ingham, global brand leader for W Hotels Worldwide. “Located on one of the most

Inge Moore has called on hospitality designers to incorporate fun, interactivity and individuality into spa and gym design. The acclaimed interior designer – who is in the process of launching bespoke hospitality design studio MUSE after leaving Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) – told CLAD that spa and fitness spaces have been “totally neglected” in the past, but are now coming to be seen as essential parts of the hotel experience.

Hospitality giant Marriott International has opened its sixth experiential Moxy Hotel property in the heart of Berlin’s cultural epicentre. The 210-room Moxy Berlin, located in the Ostbahnhof district, is a design-led, high-tech contemporary space designed to encourage “fun, impromptu and playful” experiences. The concept is realised through the hotel’s colourful Living Rooms, game rooms and bar areas, which fuse bare concrete walls and other raw materials with bright colours, props,

Park Hyatt will follow Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Luxury Collection in opening a high-end hotel in the ancient Japanese capital Kyoto. Construction and architecture firm Takenaka Corporation have been appointed to design the 70-room property, which will be surrounded by several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Higashiyama ward, including Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Tony Chi and Associates will create the interior design. Park Hyatt Kyoto will be built as a low-rise structure

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Hollywood legend Robert De Niro and interior designer David Rockwell were on hand at a cocktail event in New York last night (7 November) to celebrate the soft opening of their latest Nobu hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Rockwell has overseen a multi-million dollar renovation and restoration of the 1950’s Eden Roc Miami Beach hotel building; a national landmark designed by architect Morris Lapidus. The Nobu Miami

Figures from the worlds of architecture, design, fashion and food have collaborated on a design-led hotel in the heart of Barcelona that “transports classicism to the present day.” The Midmost Hotel is located minutes from both the city’s famous Ramblas and the Sagrada Familia. Interior design firm Luzio Studio have refitted the building, which dates from 1919, using a fusion of styles, materials and concepts. Classical design touches, such as

Hotel operators have not developed a sophisticated understand of wellness and must do more to integrate it into their developments if they wish to succeed, according to Omer Isvan, president of international investment consultancy Servotel. Isvan, who was speaking at a session at the Global Wellness Summit in Tyrol, Austria last week, argued that investors are placing more importance on hotels and resorts that offer truly transformational experiences that boost

Designer Philippe Starck, architects Arquitectonica, hospitality group sbe and developer Related Group have joined forces to launch a “poetic” new hotel in Miami’s burgeoning Brickell neighbourhood. Arquitectonica have designed the building for the SLS Brickell – a 55-storey tower with a faceted bas relief pattern – on the bustling South Miami Avenue. Starck has designed its 124 hotel rooms and suites and 450 condo residences. “The materials used in the

Wellness in architecture was a key topic at the Global Wellness Summit in Austria last month, as a panel featuring two health and wellbeing specialists from global architecture and engineering firm Arup took the stage to discuss the ways in which building design affects everything from health to mood – and how quickly the space is changing. CLAD editor Liz Terry moderated the panel, which featured Ann Marie Aguilar, who

Hospitality giant Four Seasons has opened its own design studio, where decisions will be made on everything from table settings used in the group’s hotels to the layout of guest rooms and the outfits worn by hotel staff. The Four Seasons Research and Discovery Studio (R&D Studio) has been launched at the company’s headquarters in Toronto. Designed as “a workshop designed for experimentation” in which ideas can be explored in

Amy McDonald, owner and CEO of Under a Tree, Health and Wellness Consulting, has created a destination spa built on Mayan tradition for the upcoming Chablé Resort in Mexico. Operated by Hamak Hotels, The Chablé Resort is set to open next month in Chochola, Yucatan, and will feature 38 glass-fronted casitas and two villas designed by Jorge Borja of Grupo BV. “Although it is really high-end luxury it is thoughtfully

Six Senses is opening a spa in the ski-resort destination of Courchevel, France this December, catering to local residents, chalet owners, holidaymakers and other skiing enthusiasts. Located in the heart of Courchevel 1850, the spa is a part of Six Senses Residences Courchevel which houses 53 penthouses and apartments. Designed by Longo Palmarini Architecture & Partners, the spa will feature a bathing circuit designed with the skier’s needs in mind.

The Sheraton Grand London Park Lane in Mayfair, London, has been relaunched following a multi-million pound renovation and redesign by interior designers MKV Design and architects Woods Bagot. The two year project has seen the hotel's 303 guestrooms completely redesigned, and the addition of a new bar and restaurant at street level, a redesigned reception lobby and upgraded public areas including the famed Palm Court Lounge. The Grade II listed

Luxury hospitality group Dukes Collection has appointed design firm AHK to create a “quintessentially British” hotel on the man-made Palm Jumeirah archipelago in Dubai. The five star Dukes Dubai will open in December 2016 within a new tower complex. Inspired by its famous London counterpart, Dukes London, the hotel will contain 279 guestrooms and 227 hotel apartments spread over 15 floors. An outdoor infinity pool will overlook the ocean and,

International hospitality interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) have announced a major expansion into Western Europe with the opening of one new office in London and investment in another, which will focus on bespoke, high-concept boutique projects. In addition to opening the new division, the firm have also appointed a new principal to its main London office. Matt White, who has 25 years of luxury hospitality design experience, including

Shreyas Yoga Retreat in India has opened a new 20,000sq ft (1,858sq m) partially submerged spa, designed by Akshay and Aditi Heranjal from Purple Ink Studio. Anaha, the Spa at Shreyas includes a main building that descend below the earth, with the light and air movement planned from a series of sunken courts. Facilities include four dedicated ayurveda therapy rooms, two rooms for mud therapy, and a separate naturotherapy section.

Interior designer Andre Fu has completed a restaurant by a lagoon for Grand Hyatt’s new Sanya resort in Hainan, China. The design of the two-storey site, called Yu Cun, is inspired by the kitchens of the floating homes of the local Dan minority and creates a relaxed fine-dining experience. The layout includes three private dining rooms and eight private pavilions nestled along the lagoon. The structures are formed of bronzed

Italian architecture practice Studio Fuksas have completed the largest new building in Rome in over 50 years: a convention hall and hotel nicknamed The Cloud. Opening this month after nearly two decades in development, the New Rome/EUR Convention Hall will host exhibitions and conferences expected to bring in as much as €400m (US$437m, £358m) annually to the city of Rome. Located south of the city’s core, the complex is open

One of Singapore's few remaining 19th century luxury hotels, Raffles, will undergo a “careful and sensitive” restoration programme next year. The hotel’s owner, Katara Hospitality, has announced that the Singapore office of architecture firm AEDAS will lead the project alongside interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud. The renovation will take place over three phases beginning in January 2017. The first will see the Raffles Hotel Arcade undergo restoration works while other areas

World famous fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is moving into the world of hospitality design by launching his own hotel, restaurant and nightclub chain. Fashion company The Karl Lagerfeld Group has signed a deal with hotel operator Brandmark Collective BV to establish Karl Lagerfeld Hotels; a new brand that will open properties in “key cities and resort destinations” around the world. The German designer is well-known for his love of living

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier has spoken about the importance of good quality public space in cities, arguing that there should be incentives at government level for developers to incorporate public space into their projects. Speaking exclusively to CLAD, the Getty Center architect said: “The problem is that developers really have no incentive to create public space. It's rare that a developer is going to give up space on their

The James Beard Foundation (JBF) has announced that the call for entries for its 2017 Restaurant Design Awards is officially open. Architects, interior designers and restaurateurs have until 27 January, 2017 to submit their North American restaurants – which must have been opened since January 2014 – for consideration via an online portal on the JBF website. The restaurant design awards will be presented in three categories: 75 seats and

Following an extensive renovation, the acclaimed Freemark Abbey winery in California’s Napa Valley has reopened to reveal a total transformation of its century-old stone building, which now houses a high-end restaurant and visitor centre. San Francisco firms SB Architects and BraytonHughes Design Studio led the design of the project, which pays homage to Freemark Abbey’s past while introducing several complementary contemporary features. The original stonework dating from 1886 is highlighted

The Landmark London, one of the UK capital’s most famous Victorian-era hotels, is undergoing an extensive renovation overseen by design studio Alex Kravetz. Over the next two years, the hotel’s 291 guest rooms and Spa and Health Club will be given a facelift as the hotel fights to compete in the city’s increasingly competitive luxury hospitality market. In a bid to minimise disturbance, a small selection of guest rooms will