Well Home Away from home
Japanese and Scandinavian hospitality combine at Yasuragi near Stockholm
A winner in the 2018 World Luxury Spa Awards, the Yasuragi spa near Stockholm blends the tranquillity of Scandinavian minimalism and Ryokan traditionalism to create a truly relaxing retreat.
The spa, which overlooks the Stockholm Archipelago, is serious in its approach to wellness, offering a range of activities including yoga, Zen meditation and Qi Gong. On arrival, guests are encouraged to take part in the spa introduction, which involves bathing in traditional Japanese style.
The hotel, which has 191 rooms, is also dedicated to sustainability, and holds a number of environmental certifications. In 2015, it became the first hotel in Scandinavia to receive certification from the Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Councils for sustainable wild harvested and cultivated fish.
The hotel’s entire energy use is fossil fuel free and food waste is collected to make bio gas.
Equinox to break new ground with first fitness-focused hotel
null,Exercise lovers will be happy to hear that high-end fitness giant Equinox, which recently revealed plans to launch a fitness hotel in Chicago’s West Loop, will be opening its first property in New York City at the emerging Hudson Yards neighbourhood in 2019.
The new hotel will focus on wellness, with extensive facilities, including indoor and outdoor pools and a state of the art gym and spa, alongside hotel amenities such as restaurants, bars and a super club. The development will also include thousands of square feet of space for luxury apartments.
Equinox’s dive into the multi-billion dollar wellness hospitality sector will be a significant addition to Hudson Yards, which has been described by the developers as “the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States”. Equinox – part of Related – is building a hotel business based on fitness and wellbeing.
Swissôtel Vitality Rooms allow guests to relax and work out
Swissôtel’s Vitality Room was developed in collaboration with Wallpaper magazine and offers wellness features such as black-out blinds, dedicated space for exercise and relaxation, air purification system, lighting and scent options in the shower, a Vitality snack bar with fruits and superfoods, and circadian lighting features. A ‘wellbeing wall’ gives guests a choice of three training modules in a compact space, with simple, self-explanatory equipment and a cyber-trainer.
The rooms also feature a clean, calm material palette and a reconfigured layout to optimise views and improve functionality.
Vitality Rooms will soon be developed in North America, Asia and the Middle East, with reports of hotels in Singapore and Dubai being next to add the concept.
Sleep well, dream well at the Preidlhof Hotel
Set in the picturesque mountains of the South Tyrol in Austria, the Preidlhof Hotel is already an escapist’s dream.
However, its new suite, the Dream Well, goes a step further, aiming to offer guests the perfect night’s sleep and ultimate ‘private spa experience’.
The room uses an array of electronically-generated soundscapes to give guests the best possible sleeping experience. Dreamers can choose to be soothed by a variety of fine-tuned sonic waves, all of which simulate the sights and sounds of nature in combination with remote-controlled lighting.
The Dream Well suite is the brainchild of Sonomi AG’s CEO Daniel Lathan, an engineer who’s spent decades researching the physiological and psychological benefits of acoustics-based therapies.
The suite is not the first of time Sonomi AG has create sound therapy space for Preidlhof. In 2016, the company was also commissioned to design Preidlhof’s ‘Deep Sea’ relaxation room .
Six Senses Fiji garners greatest places listing from Time magazine
Without question, Oceania – with its azure seas and sparkling beaches – is one of the world’s most beautiful regions, but a Six Senses resort on Fiji takes the region’s natural beauty to a whole other level. The Malolo Island-based retreat, which was recently included in Time magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list, merges high-end gadgetry with environmentally friendly wellness programmes.
Powered by its own off-the-grid solar panels, the resort also provides energy for the mind and body with an extensive team of on-hand beauticians, massage therapists, and gourmet chefs. Wellness-seekers also need not worry about family arrangements, as the hotel offers numerous multi-room suites and residences, as well as activities like scuba diving, yoga lessons, and surfing.
A wellness immersion at Wyndham Hotels
Stress is inevitable, but Wyndham Hotels Group is hoping to change that by combatting stressors with superior interior design.
In April, during the company’s global conference at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, executives announced that Wyndham would implement a coordinated aesthetics-centred strategy in its hotels to help customers reduce their stress levels. The group has employed a number of techniques, including changing the company’s colour scheme and redesigning room furniture to maximise comfortability.
Wyndham will also be collaborating with international wellness innovator Delos. Delos has agreed to help the group transform 10 per cent of its hotel rooms into Stay Well Rooms, which come with wall-mounted air purification systems, circadian lightning, customised ambient noise technology, and built-in aromatherapy options to ensure a healing night’s sleep.
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
