The on-again off-again merger of Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International looks set to go ahead after shareholders of both companies voted en masse for the proposed deal. Marriott's cash-and-stock acquisition of Starwood, valued at US$12.41bn as of Thursday (7 April), will create the world’s largest hotel company. Holders of more than 97 per cent of Marriott shares and 95 per cent of Starwood shares voted in favour of

Bangkok-based interior designer Bill Bensley, UK hospitality designers G.A. Design and international architects Gensler are among the creators of the latest property opened by hotel brand St Regis: a luxury resort in Malaysia’s UNESCO-protected archipelago Langkawi. The St. Regis Langkawi Resort, which opens today (6 April), is the first new high-end resort in the 99-island chain in a decade. It is owned by Indonesia’s Rajawali Property Group. The concept of

A combination of Scandinavian design and “socially conscious hyperlocalism” has been used for an art-filled new hotel in New York, created by Anda Andrei Design and Danish studio Space Copenhagen. Located in New York’s artistic SoHo district, the hotel, called 11 Howard, is owned by art collector Aby Rosen and features works from prominent US artists including Jeff Koons and Dan Attoe. The design team gutted a “characterless” 1960s structure

The Park, a brand new entertainment district in Nevada, offers visitors a new way to soak up the famous Las Vegas Strip, according to developer MGM Resorts International. The Park, which opened on 4 April and cost US$100m (€88m, £71m), is a dining and entertainment zone located in landscaped gardens beside the 20,000-seat T-Mobile arena. The pedestrianised area offers a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the busy Strip.

Public consultation is imminent for a new David Chipperfield-designed luxury hotel and spa on the famous site of the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. The embassy will soon relocate from the Mayfair location to a new site at Nine Elms, and real estate developer Qatari Diar has commissioned Chipperfield’s studio to breathe new life into the building it leaves behind: a mid-20th century listed structure designed by iconic Finnish

The Bavarian American Hotel – a landmark Cold War building which once housed judges and prosecutors at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals – is set to reopen as a renaissance-inspired Park Plaza hotel. British architects Scott Brownrigg have drawn on the lives of local cultural icons, including painter Albrecht Dürer and explorer and globe-maker Martin Behaim, to “bring a fresh energy” to the Bavarian city. The hotel, which

The consortium lead by Anbang Insurance Group has withdrawn its proposal to acquire Starwood, paving the way for the Marriott/Starwood merger to move ahead. Anbang dropped its offer “as a result of market considerations” and does not intend to make another proposal, Starwood said in a statement. The statement also said that Starwood’s board of directors continues to unanimously support the existing merger with Marriott. A special meeting of Starwood

The 436-bedroom Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro has opened in Brazil, complete with a 1,150sq m (12,379sq ft) Atiaia Spa, named after the indigenous tupi-guarani word for luminosity. Created by interior designer Yabu Pushelberg with local assistance from Brazilian design firm Anastassiadis Arquitetos, the hotel aims to have a relaxed, care-free coastal living experience, with large balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows, along with stones and fabrics authentic to Brazil. The hotel

The Chinese consortium led by Anbang Insurance Group that is trying to buy Starwood has upped its offer, making it “reasonably likely to lead to a ‘Superior Proposal’ as defined in Starwood’s merger agreement with Marriott International,” Starwood said in a statement. Marriott agreed to buy Starwood in November 2015 for US$12.2bn, but a rival offer from Anbang on 18 March threatened the deal. Marriott then came back with a

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano is designing the Andaz Am Belvedere hotel, set to open in Vienna’s new Quartier Belvedere district in 2019. The project is a joint venture between Hyatt Hotels and Signa, who previously collaborated on the Park Hyatt Vienna. The hotel will be located opposite the 21er Haus – formerly the Museum of Modern Art – and Vienna’s Schweizergarten, next to the Belvedere Palace. The 300-room Andaz

A nine-suite boutique hotel located in a converted 16th century farmhouse opens tomorrow (24 March) near the historic city of Lecce in southern Italy. Masseria Trapana has been designed to create “a luxury getaway” for guests, who will be surrounded by authentic design features from the 1500s, including vaulted ceilings, murals and fireplaces carved in local Tufo and Piertra Leccese stone. Owner Rob Potter-Sanders has spent two years renovating the

Shangri-La is opening a 145-acre resort on Sri Lanka’s southern coastline on June 1, 2016, complete with a with a 12-treatment-room Chi The Spa, an 18-hole golf course and an artisan village. Hirsch Bender Associates have designed the spa and suites, and Singapore-based designers Chao Tse Ann Partners have worked on the restaurant interiors. The beachfront resort will include 300 bedrooms – including 26 suites with private butler service –

At the upcoming design-led, all-white hotel Mar Adentro in Los Cabos, Mexico, spa consultant Bonnie Baker, co-founder of Satteva Spa & Wellness Concepts, is creating a spa in stark contrast – a dark, cave-like area inspired by local cenote swimming holes that aims to focus on the concept of water and reflect a sense of the internal. A signature hotel for Mexican architect Miguel Ángel Aragonés, Mar Adentro (“The Sea

Starwood has received a new bid from the Chinese consortium that wants to buy it and has notified Marriott of its intention to terminate the merger agreement it had with the rival hotel firm. The Chinese consortium, led by Anbang Insurance Group, has upped its bid by US$2.00 per share from its original proposal on 10 March, making its offer a “superior proposal” to Marriott’s. Marriott has until 28 March

Hyatt Hotels has opened the Grand Hyatt Chengdu in the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Spanning floors 10 to 39 of the 166m (545ft) high Chicony Square, the 390-bedroom hotel is situated on the historic Chunxi Road, also known as Hundred Year Gold Street, in the heart of Jinjiang district. The hotel will include a 1,274sq m (13,713sq ft) Huan Spa, which is not yet open, designed by

Italian architect Stefano Boeri has told CLAD how the ‘vertical forest’ model of architecture promotes wellness and creates sustainable urbanisation in our towns and cities. Boeri is a specialist in the field of green design, having created tree-topped towers in Switzerland and Italy, and in an exclusive interview he explained how his “continuous experiment of cohabitation” – in which he covers structures in flora and fauna – can change the

Marriott International will bring its eponymous brand to the Balkan nation of Macedonia in the capital city Skopje this year. Set to open in May 2016, the Marriott Skopje will include a 500sq m (5,382sq ft) spa. The nine-floor hotel includes 143 bedrooms and 21 suites, as well as a fitness centre, and will be located in the city square near the Stone Bridge, which represents the connection between Skopje’s

Global hotel giant Starwood has received a surprise US$12.8bn (€11.5bn, £8.9bn) takeover offer from a group led by China’s Anbang Insurance Group, which could scupper its planned merger with Marriott. In November 2015, Marriott announced that it would buy Starwood Hotels & Resorts – whose brands include St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W and Design Hotels – in a US$12.2bn (€11.4bn, £8bn) stock and cash transaction which would create the

At the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin this week, Starwood announced its continued expansion in Europe with a record 18 organic hotel openings in 2015 and more than 30 hotels under development and expected to open in the next five years. Starwood will be launching the Tribute Portfolio brand in France, diversifying its brand footprint in Italy and expanding its mid-market brands in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Russia

International architecture studio AW2 have won the Asia Hotel Design of the Year award for their work on Phum Baitang resort in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The Paris-based firm won the top prize at the Asia Hotel Design Awards, which were held today (10 March) at The South Beach hotel in Singapore, with over 400 industry figures from the region in attendance. Phum Baitang – which was also named the Resort

Pulitzer Amsterdam, the 45-year old waterside hotel in the Dutch capital’s canal district, has announced that phase one of its extensive restoration project is complete. 80 redesigned guestrooms and suites and a restaurant and bar are now open once more to guests staying at the hotel, which is spread across 25 interlinked buildings over 400 years old. The renovations, which were led by interior designer Jacu Strauss, showcase a design

The Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre – an intimate, boutique-style hotel in the heart of Dubai’s business district – is set to open this month, complete with a private rooftop spa, fitness and leisure ‘oasis.’ With 106-bedrooms, the Four Seasons DIFC is located within the 45 hectare (110 acre) DIFC, which also hosts the Ritz Carlton DIFC. The new Four Seasons DIFC features interiors by New York-based Tihany

Interior designer Inge Moore and her studio, The Gallery HBA, have redesigned an island safari lodge in Botswana, creating a luxury getaway inspired by the diverse wildlife of the Okavango Delta. The old Belmond Eagle Island Lodge was completely dismantled and many of the materials reused to create a contemporary space sensitive to both the ecology and aesthetics of the delta. Twelve 62sq m (667sq ft) tented guestrooms – their

Italian luxury fashion house Fendi has opened seven private designer suites above its flagship store in the heart of Rome. The luxury hotel and boutique shop are both located in Palazzo Fendi, a five-storey 17th-century residence overlooking Via dei Condotti and the city’s famous Spanish Steps. Each suite covers over 1,000sq ft (92.9sq m) and features original Karl Lagerfeld photographs and fur made by the brand’s own artisans. The design,

The Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain, a resort in America's Paradise Valley, is in the final stages of developing its Spa House, a 3,500sq ft (312sq m), four-bedroom private mountain home dedicated to wellness. Set to open in April 2016, the Spa House – designed by Arizona-based interior design firm Testani Design Troupe and architecture firm MoD A+P – features three king bedrooms and one guestroom with two double beds. The

Aman’s first Japanese hot springs resort, Amanemu, has opened in the idyllic setting of Ise Shima National Park on the shores of Ago Bay. Providing a rural complement to Aman Tokyo, and continuing Aman’s journey within Japan, Amanemu has adopted a classic Japanese aesthetic in the ryokan tradition with each of the 24 suites and four two-bedroom villas featuring their own onsen. Designed to be a relaxed, peaceful and contemplative

A German artist and a Zurich hotel specialising in creating “special experiences” have collaborated to send guests on a voyage to outer space. Michael Najjar and the Kameha Grand Zurich Hotel have opened an exclusive Space Suite on the hotel’s fifth floor, with the highly-detailed interiors designed to make those who stay feel as though they are embarking on an intergalactic journey. The two-person room features a floating zero gravity