Luxury restaurant brand the Ivy Collection is to open a new brasserie located next to London’s famous Tower Bridge. The new Ivy will become the first flagship restaurant of the One Tower Bridge development – a mixed-use scheme, masterplanned by architects Squire and Partners, featuring apartments and 80,000sq ft (7,400sq m) of leisure and cultural space. While architectural details have not yet been released, One Tower Bridge developer Berkeley Homes

Uber is quite literally propelling itself into new transportation markets with the advent of its new helicopter service, UberChopper. Eager to expand into forms of transport beyond its usual car service, Uber has been experimenting with helicopters, boats and even rickshaws in recent years. UberChopper has been offered at several high-profile leisure events in the last six months, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival,

Lifestyle brand Virgin Hotels will open its first California location in Palm Springs in late 2018. The hotel will feature 150 bedrooms, multiple restaurants, a rooftop terrace and pool, and a spa – likely similar to its first spa location in Chicago, where clients can completely customise treatments. Designed by local architect Chris Pardo, the hotel will be located in the heart of downtown Palm Springs and surrounded by historic

Tree-loving Italian architect Stefano Boeri has lined up his next forest-inspired project: a resort property in China’s Guizhou province. The Cachet Hotel Group has announced Boeri will partner with acclaimed local artist Simon Ma to build the centrepiece of Cachet Wanfeng Valley – its first resort development in Asia. The group has unveiled renderings of the pair’s design for a striking “lifestyle destination” with trees on every terrace. The building

The Ritz-Carlton is opening a new hotel and spa near Scottsdale, Arizona with a focus on fitness, health and wellbeing. The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, developed by Five Star Development Resort Communities, will include a 10,000sq ft (929sq m) spa with ten treatment rooms, in addition to a residential component. Designed by Peter T. Mason of California-based Mason Architects, the Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley will be spread over 20 acres and consist

Multi-national conglomerate Virgin has announced its first branded hotel has achieved LEED Gold Certification, with the company outlining ambitious plans to create a zero carbon footprint hotel business. Virgin Hotels Chicago, located in the US city’s Loop district, has been awarded the accreditation by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), which analyses the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. CEO of Virgin Hotels Raul Leal pledged the

The worlds of architecture, art and fashion have collided at Sexy Fish, a lavish new Asian seafood restaurant in London opened by British restaurant magnate Richard Caring. Aquatic-themed artworks by Damien Hirst, architect Frank Gehry and Vanity Fair style editor Michael Roberts decorate the extravagant interiors, which have been designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio to emulate “the style and sophistication of a mid-century brasserie.” The eye-catching collection of art

Andrew Gibson, vice president of spa & wellness for FRHI – parent company of hotel brands Swissotel, Raffles and Fairmont – has said wellness in hotels is beginning to move beyond the confines of spa. Speaking last week at the London Health Show about design trends in the spa industry, Gibson highlighted how everything from air quality to lighting to building materials can affect the experience of guests. “This is

The Italian interior designer and architect Matteo Thun has told CLAD about the challenges he faced in transforming a ruined collection of buildings on a Venetian island into a luxury home for the recently-opened JW Marriott Venice Resort + Spa. Speaking in an exclusive interview in the latest edition of CLADmag, Thun revealed he was drawn to the project by the “fantastic challenge” of creating a contemporary resort while respecting

The iconic London venue where the Rolling Stones made their musical debut will unveil its latest incarnation on 28 January when it is reopened as a new lounge, bar and dining space. Restaurateur D&D London – which has have operated two previous restaurants on the site of the former Marquee Club in the city’s Soho district – is relaunching the venue as 100 Wardour St: “a destination celebrating creativity, talent,

Luxury Italian fashion design house Versace has finally opened its long-awaited Palazzo Versace Dubai Hotel, billed by the brand as “the most luxurious hotel the Middle East has ever seen.” Located along the shores of Dubai Creek in the centre of the city’s Culture Village, the hotel’s opulent design is inspired by a neoclassical 16th century Italian palace. The company’s artistic director and vice-director Donatella Versace has designed the interiors

Some of the world’s best-known hospitality operators are vying to open hotels in a new multi-million mixed-use waterfront destination in Oman, which will regenerate one of the oldest ports and market districts in the Arab world. Brands including Hyatt, Hilton, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Banyan Tree and Viceroy have declared their interest in opening hotels in the Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront Project, which will enter the first phase of construction

W Hotels Worldwide has today (20 January) announced it will open its first alpine retreat in North America: a chalet and cocktail bar in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. The hotel – located at the foot of Aspen Mountain – is being designed by New York design firm Nemaworkshop, Denver-based Rowland+Broughton Architecture and W’s in-house design team. In a bid to make the most of the dramatic surrounding scenery, the design team

A former fortress and concentration camp on an island in Montenegro is set to be turned into a luxury resort and spa after a controversial planning proposal was accepted by the government. Local news reports state that the five-star development – located on Lastavica Island, better known as Mamula, in the Adriatic Sea – will include a hotel complete with a marina, wine bar, restaurant, VIP terrace, open air dance

In a surprise move, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is exhibiting his first original works in France at a luxury department store in Paris. The show, named Er Xi, Air de Jeux (Child’s Play), features more than 100 bamboo and silk kites and 3D structures depicting mythological creatures from Chinese legend. The exhibition at Le Bon Marché – which will run to 20 February 2016 and is promoting a store

The 2016 grand opening of North America’s longest-running ice hotel took place last night (15 January) in Quebec, Canada. A fireworks display and concert marked the official unveiling of this year’s Hôtel de Glace, which has opened every winter in the city since 2001. The hotel was originally inspired by Sweden’s famous Icehotel – which recently re-launched for its 26th year and is now launching an extension that does not

The iconic Rosewood Little Dix Bay resort in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, will close for 18 months beginning in May in order to undergo a complete renovation – the most substantial upgrade since it was founded by Laurance S. Rockefeller more than 50 years ago. New York City-based Meyers Davis Studio will lead the renovation and oversee the overall design concept for the resort. The Sense spa will remain

International developer Triple Five has moved a step closer to realising its vision of creating North America’s largest mega-mall after submitting a planning document to Miami-Dade County. The hugely ambitious American Dream Miami scheme – described by Triple Five as “as an evolution in retail and entertainment” – includes 6.2m sq ft (576,000sq m) of leisure, retail and dining space located on a greenfield site at the intersection of the

An iconic brutalist building on Israel’s Mediterranean coast has been transformed into a vast arts complex featuring a hotel, galleries, concert halls, restaurant, spa and wellness centre. The 1960s structure – formerly known as the Mivtachim Sanitarium – is formed by a series of modular, concrete units located on Mount Carmel Ridge in the village of Zichron Ya’akov. It was was created by the late Israeli architect Ya’akov Rechter, who

The Viceroy Hotel Group will open a “mischievous, provocative and rebellious” hotel in San Francisco which is designed to celebrate the city’s tradition of counter culture. Hotel Zeppelin will be located in a renovated hotel building near the city’s Union Square when it opens in Q1 2016. Seattle studio Dawson Design Associates have been appointed to design the interiors, which Viceroy said will “foster innovation, collaboration and an inspirational experience

The recently-completed Shanghai Tower, designed by Global architecture firm Gensler, has been officially recognised as the world’s second-tallest building. Located in Shanghai's Pudong business district, the 632m (2,000ft) spiralling structure – which contains a hotel, cultural facilities, a six-storey retail zone and an observation deck – has been designed to symbolise China’s global emergence and is now the tallest building in the country. According to the Council on Tall Buildings

Marriott International is preparing to open a luxury hotel in Minsk, Belarus within a wider sports and leisure complex developed by the investment fund of Qatar's Ministry of Defence. The five-star Minsk Marriott Hotel will be located alongside a 4,500 capacity sports arena and a health club featuring a gym, wellness centre and spa. The complex, called the Falcon Club, has been designed by Belarusian studio Varabyeu Partners – who

Greece’s Miraggio Thermal Spa Resort is set to open in May of this year in Halkidiki, with a 3,000sq m (32,291sq ft) Myrthia Thermal Spa, and plans for a medical wellness section to be added in 2017. Owned by Med Sea Health, the resort is designed by Greek architecture firm DLP, owned by Michel De Landtsheer and Eleni Pletsa, and will feature 300 bedrooms and suites, 48 with private pools.

Hotel brand Renaissance will open New York City’s “first digitally enhanced hotel” in Manhattan’s famous garment district in Q1 2016. Designed by local studio Jeffrey Beers International, the 348-room Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel will feature several large-scale digital attractions created to celebrate the history and glamour of the location, which is a centre of clothes manufacturing and home to many of New York’s fashion designers. A digital tapestry the

The year ahead promises much excitement in the world of leisure architecture and design. New designs will be unveiled, ongoing projects will take shape and we will have our first look at completed buildings from the likes of Snøhetta, Thomas Heatherwick, Renzo Piano, Bjarke Ingels Group and David Adjaye. To celebrate the New Year, we have compiled a list of 12 projects scheduled for completion in 2016 that we are

A 117-bedroom Nikki Beach Resort and Spa will open in Dubai in spring 2016. Developed in partnership with Meraas Holding, this will be the third property in the Nikki Beach Hotel and Resorts portfolio. The Dubai property will be located on the waterfront of Pearl Jumeira and will also include 15 villas and 61 lifestyle residences, with units ranging from one to four bedrooms. The resort will feature private pools,

Hard Rock International has revealed its plans to build a 372-room music-themed hotel in Berlin adjacent to Checkpoint Charlie and displaying a section of the Berlin Wall. According to project partner the Trockland Development Group, the hotel will form part of a 2.5 acre multi-use project commemorating the history and symbolism of the checkpoint; which was the best known crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.