Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing. Van Phu Real Estate Development JSC owns the property, which is set along the Son River in the UNESCO-listed landscape of Phong Nha–Ke Bang National Park. The site borders the world’s largest cave system by volume (38.5 million cubic metres), the Son

Hotel owner-operator MCR Hotels is inviting the public to provide feedback on development plans for London’s iconic BT Tower as a luxury hotel and mixed use project. Public access to the tower – for the first time in 50 years – will also be part of the scheme. In February 2024, British telecommunications company BT Group sold the BT Tower for £275 million (US$347 million, €321.3 million) to MCR Hotels.

Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.  The site will also have 60,000sq m of surrounding external space that will be developed as community gardens. Even compared to future sites in the Therme Group pipeline all over the world, the Manchester

Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary, with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s Southwest coast – the Calusa. The spa, which is set across three levels, was created by Champalimaud Design and uses a layered palette of natural materials, soft textures and luminous light to echo Naples’ shoreline. The reception features a hand-painted

Orient Express Sailing Yachts and beauty house Guerlain have announced that the newly launched luxury yacht, Orient Express Corinthian, will host a fourteen-day wellness retreat called Ocean Rebirth. Orient Express is part of Accor Group’s collection of luxury brands. In 2024, luxury goods conglomerate LVMH entered into a strategic partnership to grow the Orient Express brand. Accor and cruise liner developer Chantiers de l’Atlantique have since created sailing yachts Orient

Luxury members’ club Tramp has expanded into the fitness, health and wellness sector with the launch of Tramp Health, a 16,000sq ft high-end fitness and longevity club in London’s Mayfair. The new concept was created by Luca Maggiora, the entrepreneur who bought Tramp at the end of 2023 and represents a £10m investment. The new fitness, health and wellness club is being promoted by the company as the antithesis of the

Miraval The Red Sea has opened on Shura Island in Saudi Arabia as part of The Red Sea Project. The development is the first Miraval-branded property outside the US. This site is the fourth Miraval resort in the world – following US-based properties in Arizona, Texas and Massachusetts. Hyatt bought Miraval from previous owners Steve Case and investor KSL in 2017 and has also started putting its Life in Balance

Zannier Île De Bendor, a new island retreat, has been unveiled off the south coast of Bandol in Provence, France, with a wellness concept called Rēsonance. The 93-key destination has reopened after a five-year transformation, set across three areas. Luxury hospitality operator Zannier Hotels has worked with the family-owned holding and operating company Société Paul Ricard to modernise and restore the property. The destination was bought by French entrepreneur Paul

A wellness club opens on London’s River Thames in June, offering luxury facilities and personalised wellness protocols focused on recovery and longevity. Sæl Spa at Fulham Pier – London’s new lifestyle destination on the River Thames – will be set across four floors and has been conceived as a “modern British sanctuary.” Facilities include a 15-metre heated rooftop infinity pool and sun terrace and a movement studio with integrated infrared

Submersive, an immersive art bathhouse concept by Corvas Brinkerhoff, co-founder of experiential art company Meow Wolf, will open in the Bouldin Creek neighbourhood in Austin, Texas, US.  The bathhouse, which will open in Q3 of 2027, will combine ancient hydrotherapy traditions with art installations, with the help of international artists. The space will use the latest technology and neuroscience-informed sensory design to create transformative experiences. The flagship 20,000sq ft indoor-outdoor

Construction has begun on a new wellness destination in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, US, called The Shenandoah Nature Resort, which is due to open in January 2028.  The US$200 million (€184 million, £156 million) property has been designed to reimagine the traditional spa experience by blending ancient and modern wisdom in what is described as a “spiritually expansive and scientifically grounded approach”.  The resort has been created to address

The heritage-listed Department of Lands building in Sydney, Australia, has relaunched as a major cultural and events destination, as part of a mixed-use redevelopment of two iconic buildings known collectively as the Sandstone Precinct. Singapore-based Pontiac Land Group owns the property, as well as the building next door that was the former Department of Education building.  The two-phase restoration project has seen Pontiac turn the Department of Education building into

The €200m (US$221.3 million, £169.7 million) Pical Resort, Valamar Collection has opened in Croatia with the country’s first ESPA spa. Valamar Riviera, a Croatian tourism company and hotel operator has revealed the 514-key property in Poreč, Istria. The development of the Pical Resort represents Valamar’s largest investment to date. The accommodation is split into the following options: the Pical Hotel, the luxury all-inclusive Pical Family Hotel, the exclusive Pical Suites

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has revealed plans to expand its presence in Egypt with the renovation and operation of two historic hotel properties and the brand’s first-ever luxury river cruise.  In 2022, Mandarin Oriental announced it would open its  first Egyptian property, Mandarin Oriental Shepheard in Cairo. The hotel is undergoing a comprehensive renovation and is due to open in 2027. Ownership and development The river cruise, Old Cataract

Holistic design and architecture practice Mendil + Meyer, based in Arizona in the US, has introduced a new division called Lām Concepts to integrate and align wellness goals for projects before they reach the design stage. Ben Meyer, architect and co-founder of Mendil + Meyer, told Spa Business exclusively about the new division: “Lām comes from the word loam, meaning fertile ground – the place where conditions are right for

Wilderness, an operator of 60 safari camps across eight African countries, has unveiled the second spa under its new concept called The Sanctuary, at Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda. The Sanctuary is a concept that pairs design and wellness with raw, restorative landscapes. The offering at the Rwandan property follows the opening of a different interpretation of The Sanctuary’s concept at Wilderness Mombo in Botswana. Read more about that property here.

Design firm 4a Architekten has shared details of the recently-completed extension to the wellness facilities at destination spa park Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa in Germany. The upgrades to the leisure pool facility, which has been in operation since 1984, included the addition of a thermal spa and sauna in a new building that integrated sensitively into the landscape. Commissioned by the facility’s operator, utility company Stadtwerke Bad Dürkheim, the

Andrew Barnard, CEO of BodyHoliday, has exclusively shared plans with Spa Business to be involved in the development of 10-15 BodyHoliday properties around the world over the next 15 years, with its upcoming Portuguese resort as its proof-of-concept “showroom”. In the latest edition of Spa Busines s, Barnard says he has his eye on locations in Europe, the Middle East, Costa Rica and Belize for future BodyHoliday developments. He and

A new floating wellbeing destination with a public park, residential and wellness facility is planned for a 12-hectare stretch of water within London’s Royal Docks, in the UK. The development is part of a wider regeneration of the Royal Docks to create a diverse waterfront, backed by £5 billion (US$6.35 billion, €5.85 billion) of investment over the next 20 years. The aim is to make the area a mixed-use development

Janu, a brand by the Aman Group, will open its second location in 2027, in Dubai, UAE – with a wellness and fitness space measuring 1,700sq m and a separate inaugural private members’ Janu Club. Developed by Dubai-based developer H&H, the 150-key hotel and 57 private residences will be located in a mixed-use development that measures 1.3 million sq ft in the heart of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Six Senses Place, a members’ club, has debuted at the brand’s first major urban hotel – Six Senses London – to provide a space for both social life and serious wellness. The hotel, which has 109 guestrooms and 14 branded residences, is housed within the historic Whitely building. The site, which used to be a department store dating back to 1883, is undergoing a £1 billion (US$1.4 billion, €1.2 billion)

Aman’s nine-deck superyacht, Amangati, is taking bookings for its debut season of Mediterranean voyages in Q2 2027. The 180-metre yacht has been designed by Sinot Yacht Architecture and Design and is currently under construction.  When it sets sail, it will accommodate 94 guests across its 47 suites. Each suite will have a footprint of 68sq m to 354sq m and its own terrace. Aman Spa The design for the Amangati’

Terme Preistoriche Resort and Spa in Motegrotto Terme, Italy, has opened a thermal treatment centre designed by Studio Apostoli. The new facility marks the most recent collaboration between Studio Apostoli and the resort.  The architecture and design firm designed the property’s existing 1,200sq m spa called Neró Spa, which opened in 2019. It also created a collection of zero-emission suites in 2023 and is redesigning the 47 guestrooms. The new

Hilton’s first luxury resort in Greece, Conrad Corfu, will open in the serene beachtown of Molos on the Greek island of Corfu in Q2 this year, with a design that celebrates the waterfront location with a series of lagoons and pools. The 136-key hotel, which will have its own 200m of beachfront, will be operated as part of a franchise agreement between the Greek hotel-owning Troulis family and Hilton’s Conrad

Saudi Arabian developer Midad Real Estate has signed an agreement with the state-owned developer Diriyah Company to invest SAR 3.1 billion (US$827 million, €760 million, £652 million) in the creation of Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Diriyah. The property's footprint will measure 235,938sq m in the historic town of Diriyah on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.  Diriyah is becoming a heritage and tourism destination because

Family-owned Alpine resort Hotel Lürzerhof in Austria’s SalzburgerLand has revealed plans for a €10 million (US$10.9 million, £8.5 million) expansion. The resort will be closed for four months from April before reopening in July 2026 with two new floors and a redesigned spa. The new floors will rise from the existing main building, with design by architects Köck and Bachler.  Harald Habersatter, owner, Hotel Lürzerhof, told Spa Business exclusively: “This

A social third space called Lore Bathing Club has opened in New York City’s NoHo neighbourhood, offering a contrast bathing membership model. The business has been set up by two co-founders: entrepreneur James O’Reilly, who is a co-founder of the co-working membership club NeueHouse, a company that has now been bought by Convene Hospitality Group after filing for bankruptcy late last year.  Lore’s second co-founder is hospitality concept creator and