A 1,300sq m (13,993sq ft) spa has opened on the sixth floor of the new Hamburg Elbphilharmonie concert hall, a shimmering, glass-covered building designed by Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron. The elb spa features six treatment rooms on the upper floors of the Westin Hamburg, and has views of the spot where the port and city meet on the River Elbe. German skincare brand Babor has created exclusive

Mandarin Oriental will open a new hotel and branded residences in Honolulu in 2020. The new Hawaiian hotel will be the anchor of Mana ‘olana Place, a 36-storey, mixed use tower with gardens and public plazas, which is being developed by Los Angeles-based Salem Partners. It will include a Spa at Mandarin Oriental that will offer holistic rejuvenation and relaxation, with eight treatment rooms. Further leisure options include a comprehensive

Boutique hotelier Ian Schrager has won the 2017 Pioneer Award for “his outstanding impact on the hospitality industry” and his longstanding support for design-led hotels. The prestigious accolade is awarded each year by the the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) to celebrate the recipient’s active involvement in the industry, their contribution to hospitality, and their “personal qualities.” In its award citation for Schrager, the association said: “For over five

W Hotels Worldwide has announced it is planning to to open a property in Melbourne, Australia, in 2020 as part of an ambitious and controversial mixed-use scheme. The lifestyle hotel brand, now part of Marriott International, has partnered with real estate firms Daisho Development Melbourne and Cbus Property to open the W Melbourne within Collins Arch – the forthcoming mixed-use AU$1bn (US$765.5m, €713m, £613.5m) luxury development designed by SHoP Architects

Legendary South Florida retreat The Surf Club has been reimagined by Four Seasons and is slated to open early 2017. In the 1930s, the property was a favourite destination for world leaders, artists and Hollywood film stars, and now the iconic club has been brought back to life by architect Richard Meier and Paris-based architect and designer Joseph Dirand with 77 guest rooms, 119 private residences and a 15,000 square

Luxury hotel operator Aman will open a location outside of Shanghai in Q3 2017 that is the culmination of years of restoration and conservation efforts to preserve an ancient forest and historic Ming and Qing dynasty dwellings, and is described by the company as its “most ambitious project to date.” Amanyangyun, as the retreat will be called, gets its name from the phrase ‘Yang Yun,’ meaning ‘the nourishing of clouds,’

Situated in Tokyo’s business district, the latest offering from hotel and resort operator Hoshinoya Resorts, Hoshinoya Tokyo, features a spa and top floor natural hot spring. Designed by Azuma Architect & Associates and created by large-scale construction specialists Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei, the 17-storey, 84 room hotel is the city’s first luxury ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), offering traditional Japanese culture combined with high-level hospitality. Each floor of the hotel replicates a

Situated in the City of London in a former bank building designed by architect Sir Edwin 'Ned' Lutyens, The Ned hotel, spa and club will open in April 2017. The Grade I listed former Midland Bank Building will be refurbished to include 252 bedrooms, nine restaurants, a member’s club and extensive health and leisure facilities, with many of the building’s original features from the 1920s and 1930s having been retained.

In a move that illustrates the explosive growth of wellness tourism, Hyatt Hotels has acquired wellness resort provider Miraval Group for US$215m (€201m, £175m) from an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners. The deal includes Miraval’s flagship property in Tucson, Arizona, as well as the Miraval Life in Balance Spa brand; Hyatt will also continue Miraval’s plans to redevelop the recently acquired 220-acre Travaasa Resort in Austin, Texas and pursue the

Chinese architecture and design firm Golucci International have completed a Shanghai hot pot restaurant inspired by Asia’s spa heritage. Si-Pu Nabe, located in the Tianshan neighbourhood, has been designed as an intimate space where diners can choose either to reflect in isolation or socialise in a relaxed atmosphere. To provide a platform for contemplation, the restaurant has no public areas and instead consists of 27 private dining rooms of various

A major new spa designed by Blainey North has opened in Crown Towers Perth, Australia. Crown Spa boasts 13 opulent, aqua-hued treatment rooms, vitality pools tiled in gold and platinum, spa tables designed by Gharieni, marble showers and curtained relaxation zones. Reminiscent of traditional Roman bath houses, North drew inspiration from the refraction of light underwater when looking up towards the sun, to create an oasis and provide a relaxing

Situated overlooking the Hudson River and with sweeping views of Manhattan, urban spa resort and hotel SoJo Spa Club will welcome its first guests this month. Billed as an "eight-storey slice of heaven on the Hudson," the 240,000sq ft (22,297sq m) riverside retreat includes 60,000sq ft (5,574sq m) of wellness space spread over three floors. The spa itself features 17 treatment rooms across 7,000sq ft (650sq m): two couple’s rooms,

Dubai developer Nakheel and leading Thai hotel group Centara Hotels have signed a joint venture agreement to create a AED500m (US$136m, €129m, £112m) beachfront resort at Deira Islands in Dubai. The two companies will develop an upscale resort on a prime stretch of beach on Deira Islands – a new, 15.3sq km (5.9sq mile), world-class tourism, leisure, retail and entertainment hub that will include a spa and fitness centre. Nakheel’s

Global luxury brand JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts has debuted its Marco Island Beach Resort in southwest Florida, USA, following a $320 million (€303m, £260m) renovation and conversion project. Two phases of a three-part makeover have been completed at the 726-room Balinese-styled resort, which features two championship golf courses, indoor and outdoor dining and a spa. In autumn this year, the hotel will open an adults-only tower offering a rooftop

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group have commissioned interior designer Joyce Wang to lead a multi-million-pound restoration of its European flagship, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. Wang – who previously oversaw the recent renovation of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong – will create the overall design concept for the Edwardian hotel’s 181 rooms, suites and public areas. She has taken her inspiration from the building’s park-side location, the glamorous

The iconic Swiss hotel Waldhaus Flims Alpine Grand Hotel & Spa has reopened after a four-month renovation, which has seen both bedrooms and suites redeveloped, along with a new 2,800sq m (30,139sq ft) spa. The new spa is part of a CHF40m (US$40m, €36m, £28m) revamp by Hong Kong-based interior design firm Peter Silling & Associates, which aims to maintain the property’s Belle Epoque heritage while enhancing the resort to

German skincare brand Babor will be the exclusive brand for a new spa in a high-rise building that claims to house the largest number of billionaires under one roof. The Babor spa in Porsche Design Tower will feature three treatment rooms, including a hammam-style vichy shower, as well as a hair salon. “To create this vision, we reached out to Babor to assist in the planning and development of the

Over the last twelve months, some stunning spas and wellness facilities have been unveiled around the world. Here are some of the projects – including both independent spas and those integrated into larger resorts – that have particularly caught CLAD's eye in 2016. No such list can ever be truly comprehensive of course, especially when the design standard is increasingly so high, so please let us know your own favourite contenders

Wellness resort operator Miraval Group today announced it has acquired the 220-acre Travaasa Austin Resort in the Hill Country of Texas, which it will redevelop and expand into a 120-bedroom destination wellness resort, its first in Texas and the American South. The purchase, from a wholly owned subsidiary of Amstar Group LLC, closed today following the approval of Miraval’s development plans. The project is expected to be completed by January

Luxury lifestyle hotel brand 1 Hotels has announced it will add a New York property to its portfolio in February 2017. 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, designed by local architecture studio Incorporated, is located at Pier 1 on Brooklyn Bridge Park, just south of the iconic river crossing. Designed following LEED guidelines to reflect the brand’s commitment to “environmentally responsible hospitality,” the 10-storey property features extensive use of reclaimed materials, including

China Oceanwide and Kerzner International Holdings have announced plans to develop a multi-million dollar mixed-use resort development in Hawaii, with the expansive 642-acre project the latest in Kerzner’s global expansion of its Atlantis brand. Located in Ko Olina, the mega-development will be the first Atlantis-branded resort in the US, following on from the landmark The Palm in Dubai and the upcoming Sanya Hainan in China, which opens in 2017. Overlooking

The Shores Resort & Spa, located in Daytona Beach, Florida, has been acquired by US real estate investment company Uhon. Uhon has plans to upgrade the resort hotel to match the local history of Daytona and to improve the hotel for long term ownership (pointing to a buy and build strategy). Renovation plans are still in early stages and thus full details of what will be on offer are currently

Hotel giant JW Marriott has opened its first hotel in Singapore across several buildings brought to life by designer Philippe Starck and architects Foster + Partners. The high-profile creative team have designed two new hotel blocks and restored three heritage buildings to create the 634-room Singapore South Beach hotel, which is located in close proximity to the city-state’s Marina Bay entertainment and business districts. Contemporary architecture, restored heritage and a

Hotel operator Minor Hotels is to open a new hotel under its Anantara brand in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in which “spa and wellness will be a major focus”. An extensive selection of wellness journeys will be available as part of Anantara’s ‘Balance’ programme including detox, de-stress, weight management, anti-aging and rejuvenation. Also on offer will be therapies such as ayurveda, hammam and reflexology. Guests can tuck into wellness cuisine and

The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi in Malaysia, due to open in July 2017, has released details of its spa to CLAD. On top of a range of conventional treatments and features, the spa’s standout offering will be its five floating cocoon-shaped spa pavilions, shaped to resemble Malay Bubus, which are intricately woven fish traps that have been used for centuries by local fishermen. The pavilions will float above the Andaman Sea and

Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts has opened its first Vietnamese resort – a luxury development in Hoi An, on the country’s central coast. The Four Seasons Resort at the Nam Hai, Hoi An is home to a 14,018sq m spa, with eight lake villas complete with overwater relaxation pavilions with their own crystal singing bowls. The Heart of the Earth Spa’s treatment suite has an entire octave set of alchemy

Spa by Clarins has marked its Indian debut, opening at the new W Hotel in Goa. Spread over 14,000sq ft of land, the Spa by Clarins at W Goa houses eight treatment rooms, special couples’ rooms, a heated indoor vitality pool and a wet section complete with steam, sauna, and experience showers. There is also a relaxation area and waiting lounge in the premises. Treatments will incorporate Clarins’s lengthy range