Chinese interior designer Ronger Kane has designed a minimalist hotel to showcase his “less is more” approach to creating spaces where people can feel truly at ease. The White Sail Hotel at the Seven-Star Bay Yacht Club, located in the Chinese city Shenzhen, is a restrained, white-clad building dedicated to sports and leisure. “Leisure resides in physical and mental relaxation and pleasure,” said Kane. “Our designs focus on how to

Mandara Spa will operate a spa at the Lotte Hotel in Saint Petersburg, Russia, set to open in mid-2017. The five-star property is situated near Saint Isaac’s Square, and constructed on the historically significant location of Yakunchikova’s mansion, built in 1849. The original building design was drawn up by the French architect Adrian Robin and has reportedly housed famous historical figures such as John Quincy Adams, the first US ambassador

Australian architects Crone Partners and Japanese studio Kengo Kuma & Associates will build a luxury hotel for Wanda in Sydey’s Central Business District. The pair have won an international architecture competition to design the Wanda Sydney, whose Chinese developer wants it to become one of Australia's most luxurious hotels. Located in the city’s Circular Quay, the building will feature a pixelated facade of sandstone, cascading green walls and large windows

A photographer to the stars has launched a Kickstarter campaign to open a design-led hotel chain he believes can change the world. Jeremy Cowart – who has photographed celebrities including Taylor Swift, the Kardashians, Britney Spears and Sting – wants to raise US$347,000 to begin the design process for his first ‘Purpose Hotel’ in Nashville, Tennessee. Cowart’s idea is to create a global hotel chain whose profits sponsor children in

ReardonSmith Architects have collaborated with interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon to create two new suites at The Savoy in London, as the hotel aims to enhance its reputation as a glamorous destination for the rich and famous. The architects previously oversaw the hotel’s four-year restoration and rebuilding programme from 2007 to 2010, and were invited back to reimagine the Royal Suite and create a new Savoy Suite. “Returning to The Savoy

Tracy Lee of consultancy TLee Spas is working on plans for a destination spa at the upcoming Auberge Chileno Bay Resort & Residences in Los Cabos, Mexico, set to open in December 2016. The resort is set in the 1,200-acre community of Chileno Bay, and offers a “modern active and outgoing spirit in its design and lifestyle,” the company said. The signature spa will include ten treatment rooms, a couples

Actor Brad Pitt traveled to Croatia last week to tour the site of a proposed €1.5bn (US$1.7bn, £1.3bn) resort development near in the coastal town of Zablace, local media are reporting. The plans are to transform the city of Zablace into a “modern ecologically-responsible planned community,” People magazine reports, complete with a flagship luxury hotel, shops, villas, a school and clinic. Swiss-based investment company TFI Holding has invested €60m (US$68m,

Spa consultancy and management company Duniye Spas will operate the spa the the upcoming Hurawalhi Resort in the Maldives, an eco-conscious resort set to open 1 November. The 600sq m (6,458sq ft) spa will feature five overwater treatment rooms with outdoor baths and glass floors – designed for clients to watch fish and ocean creatures as they have a treatment, said Renate Hermes, group spa director for Duniye Spas. Treatment

Destination spa Rancho la Puerta is opening three new Villas Cielo, or ‘Heavenly Villas,’ this October. The private villas – Azul Terra and Verde – are designed with wellness and relaxation in mind, and are designed to be highly customisable. Designed by Nicole Petersen of Petersen Design Management, the villas aim to capture the spirit of Mexico through artisan decor and Mexican-inspired art and custom furniture. Each casita is themed

Joyce Wang Studio have designed an atmospheric new restaurant in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, with charred walls and coppery furnishings evoking the head chef’s love of grill cooking. The design team aimed to create “a relaxed and refined space” by modelling their vision around the passions, menu and culinary stylings of chef Nathan Green. Shou Sugi Ban, a traditional charred cedar wood cladding used in Japanese vernacular architecture, has

Starwood Hotels has expanded its Latin American portfolio with the opening of the 119-bedroom W Punta de Mita in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit. Owned by Fideicomiso Los Veneros, the new hotel is part of the multi-use oceanfront development Los Veneros. Designed by ASET/AOMA in collaboration with Oakland, California-based design firm Mister Important Design and Starwood’s in-house design team, the concept is inspired by the local bohemian surf culture found on Mexico’s

Hotel brand Wyndham Garden has launched a new global design prototype that it believes can help hospitality operators save money, improve efficiency and forge a closer connection to nature. Nine prototypical hotels, designed for business travellers, are already under development in Texas, Indiana and West Virginia. The design – developed with hospitality design firm Krause+Sawyer – is inspired by gardens, using natural materials, abundant daylight and flora and fauna to

The US$4.2bn (€3.7, £3.2bn) Wynn Palace has opened in Cotai, Macau, with a 4,497sq m (48,403sq ft) room spa – one of Macau’s largest. Designed by TAL Studio and inspired by the royal residences of China’s most fabled dynasties, the 22-treatment-room spa is designed to honour the grandeur of the imperial court. Guests arrive at the Grand Court, where a solid brass Foucault pendulum is suspended in the air, its

The giant Baha Mar resort complex slated for the Bahamas will resume construction in September, following a new agreement with the Bahamian government and the Export-Import Bank of China. Bahamas Prime Minister Perry G. Christie said the US$3.5bn mega-resort – which is to include a Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, Rosewood at Baha Mar, Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar and SLS LUX at Baha Mar – will be completed and

The Grand Velas Los Cabos is set to open in Mexico in late 2016, with a two-level, 35,000sq ft (3,252sq m) spa that will include a guided water journey. Architect Ricardo Elias, principal of Elias and Elias Architects in Guadalajara, has designed the hotel with traditional Mexican architectural details, and also worked on the interior design, along with Ernesto Vela and interior designer Melin Castro. The spa will include 16

Exhibition designers Casson Mann have designed a colourful story-filled restaurant for five-star London hotel One Aldwych. The restaurant, called Eneko, opens on 1 September in the hotel’s former basement. Museum interior specialists Casson Mann were selected to work on the project, their first restaurant design, because of their storytelling expertise. The brief called for the design to tconvey the story of its Michelin starred chef, Eneko Atxa, and his Basque

Hotel, train and river-cruise operator Belmond will launch “Ireland’s first luxury rail experience” on 30 August, with 10 sleeper carriages designed by James Park Associates to evoke Dublin’s Georgian architecture. The Belmond Grand Hibernian – which can carry up to 40 passengers in 20 en-suite cabins - will transport guests on three-day journeys across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, stopping in Dublin, Belfast and Cork. Belmond purchased the

The 1,400sq m (15,069sq ft) Resense Spa at Kempinski Hotel Summerland Beirut in Lebanon is set to open on 5 September with a visually impressive circular building in the resort garden. The standalone day resort spa, which is spread over two floors, will house one double spa suite, six single treatment rooms and two scrub rooms, as well as separate male and female relaxation lounges and a spa cafe. “This

Hollywood star Robert De Niro will build his planned luxury hotel in London’s Covent Garden after the deputy leader of the local council hailed the design as “one of the finest schemes we have considered in years”. Permission for the The Wellington Hotel has been granted, enabling the star of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to increase his burgeoning hospitality portfolio. Architects Kohn Pedersen Fox have designed the 83-room hotel,

A forthcoming Fairmont hotel in Austin, Texas will be filled with trees, plants and landscape design features to form an extension to a neighbouring park. San Francisco studio Warren Sheets Design have designed the interiors of the 37-storey hotel, which will include two 24ft (7m) high Heritage Oak trees and a geometric topiary garden. The close proximity of the Fairmont Austin to the city’s Palm Park inspired designer Warren Sheets

Guests at a new resort in the Maldives will be able to sleep under the stars, with a retractable roof built into every master bedroom. The roofs at the Soneva Javi resort, which will have its soft opening in October, can be opened at the touch of a button. Described by Sovena as “an evolution of the water villa experience”, the retractable feature is one of several unorthodox additions the

Middle Eastern developer Nakheel and Spanish hospitality giant RIU Hotels & Resorts have officially kickstarted development on an 800-room resort and waterpark at Dubai’s artificial Deira Islands. Planning advisory firm Dar Al Handasah have been appointed to oversee the design, engineering and construction of the AED900m (US$268m, €219m, £190.3m) project. Nakheel and RIU signed a joint venture agreement in Palma, Mallorca, in February this year to develop an affordable family

Thematic entertainment design and construction firm Sanderson Group have been named as masterplanners for a US$5bn (€4.47bn, £3.87bn) development in Bali, Indonesia, dubbed a “new wonder” by its founders. Margarana Dream City – which covers 2.5sq km (0.95sq m) – follows a theme of “innergy”, with a pyramid-like tower at the heart of the development “drawing the positive 'chi' into a green city”. The mixed-use development offers a variety of

Spa and wellness consultancy and management company GOCO Hospitality is developing a GOCO Retreat on the dramatic German island of Rügen. Located on the Baltic Sea coast and known for its sandy beaches, quiet lagoons and dramatic peninsulas, Rügen is Germany’s largest island. The GOCO Retreat Kaiserhof Rügen will be located on a hill in the southeastern part of the island, on a site originally owned by the Prussian statesman

A spa themed after Paris’s La Belle Epoche will feature at the upcoming The Parisian Macao – the latest property from developer Sands China – which is set to open 13 September 2016. The 1,264sq m (13,606sq ft) Le Spa’tique will include 12 treatment rooms, including four doubles; male and female vitality lounges with sauna, steam room, experience showers, vitality pools and relaxation loungers; a barbershop for men; hair boutique

ReardonSmith Architects have received planning consent to renovate three historic London buildings as hotels. The London studio, who specialise in hotels and resorts, last year won the Best Adaptive Re-Use Prize at the European Hotel Design Awards for their work on the city’s Beaumont Hotel near Buckingham Palace. They have also previously renovated the Georgian Lanesborough Hotel property in the capital. Work on the three new projects, listed below, will

Hilton is partnering with Miami hospital Baptist Health South Florida to open a 184-bedroom hotel with a wellness centre and farm-to-table restaurant on the hospital campus. Operated by Interstate Hotels and Resorts, the Hilton Miami/Dadeland will include 34 bedrooms tailored to guests staying for long periods. CallisonRTKL Inc., the architect for the hotel, has fused best practices from healthcare and hospitality design with an aim to create a welcoming, compassionate