The 10,000sq ft (929sq m) vinotherapy-focused spa has opened at the five-star Spanish retreat Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine – an exclusive abbey hotel and winery dating from 1146. Designed by Marco Serra, the modern spa – called El Santuario – was built underground to maintain the property’s historic ambiance. Below the abbey’s original stables and within close proximity to the Duero River, Serra had to overcome the high moisture level of

Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Westin brand is set to feature for the first time in Mississippi, US, at The Westin Jackson – a public-private development costing US$60m (€54m, £39m), that aims to boost travel and tourism in downtown Jackson. ESG architects is working on the hotel’s design, focusing on Jackson’s reputation as the birthplace of several American musical styles including rhythm and blues and jazz. The design firm said: “The

A new £200m UK investment fund seeking opportunities to acquire leisure properties has completed its first three transactions and is on the hunt for further assets. Property investment company Otium Real Estate raised £200m in December 2014 for its leisure-focused fund Otium Leisure Ventures, which seeks to add value through active asset management. Exclusively targeting leisure real estate – such as leisure parks, city centre leisure blocks and stand-alone assets

Singaporean design and architecture enterprise Manor Group, which owns the upcoming Chiang Mai hotel in Thailand, has selected Thai wellness hospitality operator Akaryn Hotel Group to run the property. The resort is being launched to meet growing demand for five-star service and cash in on the region’s growth in tourism. The Akaryn Group owns and operates the Aleenta resorts in Phuket, Phang-nga and Hua Hin-Pranburi, as well as the Akyra

Peruvian tour operator Natura Vive is offering courageous guests the opportunity to climb 1,312ft (400m) up a cliff face or hike a trail along zip-lines to sleep in a transparent hanging bedroom. The sleeping capsules, created and designed by Ario Ferri, sit 1,312ft (400m) high on a cliff face in the Sacred Valley of Cuzco. They provide intrepid explorers with a 300 degree view of the beautiful landscape, as well

Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts will open a hot springs resort in Dabieshan, Anhui Province in central China at the end of 2018. Designed by AECOM, the dusitD2 Hot Springs Resort Dabieshan, Anhui, will feature 300 rooms and villas with private hot springs pools, as well as a Deverana Spa. Dabieshan is a major mountain range in central China, and the resort will be set in an area known for

A complex of early 20th century landmark buildings in South America are being transformed into a stylish development featuring a hotel and spa, private residences, high-end retail and entertainment venues. As part of the project, historic buildings at the centre of São Paulo, Brazil, are being converted into art galleries, theatre and cinemas by the owner of the three hectare site – Allard Group. At the heart of the development,

The five-star Naman Retreat in Danang, Vietnam, has opened a 15-room Pure Spa featuring lush, open-air gardens, lotus ponds and a “wall-less” ground floor. Designed by Ho Chi Minh-based MIA Design Studio, the 2,250sq m (24,219sq ft) spa includes a deep soak tub, cushioned daybed for two, male and female whirlpools, sauna and steamrooms, a gym and yoga pavilion. The hotel claims to “blur the lines between resort and spa,”

Great Scotland Yard, the famous former headquarters of London’s police force where criminals such as Jack the Ripper were investigated, is to become a five-star hotel having been bought by Indian billionaire Yusuffali Kader. As part of the £110m (US$171m, €154m) deal, developer Galliard Homes will sell the historic property to Kader’s retail, hospitality and property conglomerate Lulu Group International once it has carried out a ‘lavish’ £50m (US$78m, €70m)

Resorts World Birmingham, a £150m (US$234m, €213m) mixed-use leisure and entertainment complex is in the final stages of fit-out and is counting down to opening. Once complete, the seven-storey, 538,000sq ft (49,982sq m) resort will feature the 178-bedroom, five-suite, boutique Genting Hotel; an outlet shopping centre; an 11-screen Cineworld cinema, which will include IMAX and 3D screens; a casino; a wide range of internationally-themed restaurants and bars; and a multi-use

After a soft opening in March, the Matteo Thun & Partners-designed JW Marriott, Venice held its grand opening this month, along with the debut of its on-site 1,715sq m (18,460sq ft) GOCO Spa. The 250-bedroom hotel is located on its own private island, Isola delle Rose. The historic buildings have been sensitively refurbished by Matteo Thun & Partners to incorporate sustainable, modern and elegant design, the company said. “The main

Howard Backen and a team from Saulsalito, California-based Backen, Gillam and Kroeger Architects have designed a new 14,000sq ft (1,300sq m), all-suite spa spa for Meadowood Napa Valley, due to open in Q4 2015, with interior design by Leslie Hemmings from the same firm. Settled on a private estate in Napa Valley surrounded by a 250-acre valley, Meadowood includes 85 guestrooms, suites and cottages, along with two championship croquet lawns,

Hopkins Architects have designed a new £500m five-star hotel in Belgravia, central London, which is expected to to open in 2021 if planning permission is granted. The plans for the Peninsula London – which would be the first UK property for the luxury Asian hotel brand – feature a 190-bedroom hotel, with some of the rooms overlooking the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The hotel would also feature a spa, retailing,

Starwood has broken ground on Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort, in Los Cabos, Mexico, designed by Mexico City-based Sordo Madaleno Architects. The 131-key resort, owned by Quinta del Golfo de Cortez, will span 33 acres and is slated to open in June 2017. Situated at the southern tip of Baja California Sur, the property features five distinct six-floor buildings. In designing the building, Sordo Madaleno collaborated with landscape architects Gabayet

The new 39-storey, 286-bedroom Reverie Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam has soft-opened, with an official opening scheduled for September. Designed by architect Kent Lui of Kent Lui Tactics, the hotel combines couture style with bespoke, Italian design. Unique design elements abound, including a colourful ceiling installation of individual pieces of hand-blown glass in the street-level lobby, which, intertwined, echo the geographic silhouette of Vietnam. Each of the 286

Scottish destination property Portavadie is opening a 1,991sq m (21,431sq ft) spa and leisure centre in the coming months that takes full advantage of its views over Loch Fyne on Scotland’s west coast. Designed by Largs, Ayrshire-based Stewart Associates, the spa uses glass, local stone, white oak and walnut to create a natural setting that is “sympathetic to the view at all times,” and creates a feeling of “understated luxury,”

The estimated US$72m (€65m; £47m) Playa Largo resort in Key Largo, part of the Marriott Autograph collection, is set to open late this year and will be the first new-build property on the island in 21 years. The Florida Keys property, owned by Shaner Hotel Group, will include a 6,000sq ft (557sq m) OceanSpa. Prime Hospitality are the architects for the project, while The Gettys Group are responsible for the

The Proper Hotel in Austin, Texas, is slated to open in 2017 and will include a 243-bedroom hotel, 100 residences, and a spa. The location is part of a new line of hotels unveiled this year by Proper Hotels CEO Brad Korzen, the creator and former CEO of the Viceroy Hotel Group. Proper Hotels aims to design, brand and operate “bespoke hospitality experiences that bring a modern approach to a

Swissotel has opened a new resort on a private beach in Turgutreis, just outside Bodrum, Turkey. Designed by Gokhan Avcioglu of Turkish design studio GAD International, The Swissotel Bodrum Beach includes 66 bedrooms and suites along with 72 private serviced residences. Avcioglu has used sweeping lines in his design to fuse the Aegean coast’s rolling landscape with the local tangerine gardens, blending the structure with the natural landscape by using

Design Hotels’ latest property aims to offer an authentic and quintessential Italian experience having secured the services of designer Alessandro Agrati. Filario Hotel & Residences is located by Lake Como, in Lezzeno, Italy, and features 21 rooms and apartments, each with their own private terrace. In creating the hotel’s décor, Agrati implemented his signature style of “dressing” interiors with textiles and light and strong-tempered objects. Guestrooms have been designed to

An up-and-coming designer has created the perfect canvas for drinkers seeking to paint the town red: the world’s first completely black and white bar. Everything in the new Bulmers #LiveColourful Bar in London is strictly monochrome, with the walls, all of the furniture, pictures, art, ping pong table, board games, bar food and even the staff completely stripped of all colour. The bar was created by Alexandra Toomey – who

Six Senses will open its first resort in Europe next week, located in the Portuguese UNESCO World Heritage area of the Douro Valley. Set on 22 acres and designed by New York-based Clodagh Design, the 57-bedroom, 19th century Six Senses Douro Valley is surrounded by sloping vineyards and pays homage to its surroundings through several nods to the grape, including wine-themed spa treatments. Designed with an interior palette of light

A new US$5 million, 10,000-square-foot spa designed by AHA Universo has opened at Grupo Vidanta’s Riviera Maya in Mexico with a 100sq ft (9sq m) salt cave for halotherapy. “Spatium is an ultra-luxurious spa, which offers an unrivalled experience in an environment infused with relaxing natural elements,” said Norma Suárez, director of the Grupo Vidanta Riviera Maya. Suarez said the philosophy behind the 10-treatment room spa is “to create a

The Wanda Group, China's largest commercial property company, is to build a 134-room luxury boutique hotel and spa alongside 193 residences and new public gardens on prime Beverly Hills real estate. "Beverly Hills is known worldwide as a city of sophistication and style. We believe building this project will complete the western gateway to the city," said David Shu, General Manager of Wanda Beverly Hills Properties. Designed by Richard Meier

A new multi-sensory restaurant, theatre and dance venue, created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté and renowned culinary masters Ferran and Albert Adrià of elBulli fame, has opened in Ibiza, Spain, with a gastronomic concept designed to merge food, music and art. Heart Ibiza, located inside the Ibiza Gran Hotel, is divided into three spaces – the terrace, supper and club. The restaurant and entertainment complex has a capacity

Planning permission has been granted for a major mixed-use development in Edinburgh, UK, which will see a luxury hotel, 30 restaurants and a multi-screen cinema created. Allan Murray Architects and BDP masterplanned the £850m ($1.3bn, €1.2bn) Edinburgh St James scheme which is located in a World Heritage Site at the Scottish city’s St James Quarter. The five-star hotel, designed by London-based Jestico & Whiles as the centrepiece of the project,

The Mi Xun Spa opens this month in a restored monastery at Swire Hotels' The Temple House – an urban hotel in Chengdu, China. The spa includes 11 treatment areas, a gentleman’s barbershop, and a teahouse, as well as a retail spa shop. This is the third in Swire’s House Collective portfolio, following The Opposite House in Beijing and The Upper House in Hong Kong. The hotel is located in