28 Mar 2024 Spa Business Handbook
 

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Spa Business Handbook - Development Pipeline

Spa projects

Development Pipeline


Standout spa projects and concepts

Taj Palace Marrakech
Marrakech, Morocco

Opening: Q3 2013

Taj Hotels is to enter Morocco with its latest resort – Taj Palace Marrakech – by mid 2013. Located in La Palmeraie – a peaceful district outside the centre – Taj Palace Marrakech features 161 guestrooms including 25 luxury suites.

Set on 136 acres (55 hectares), the hotel will house a Jiva Grande Spa with 14 treatment rooms and two hammams – one for men and one for women. Spanning 40,903sq ft (3,800sq m), the spa will offer Indian wellness therapies, such as ayurveda and meditation, blended with Moroccan practices. A fitness centre and yoga temple will also feature.

The resort was originally due to open in 2011 under the management of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The contract was withdrawn, however, and taken over by Taj.

The hotel has Moorish, Indian and Venetian architecture and will also house four traditional Moroccan riads, housing 1,668sq ft (155sq m) suites.

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has 93 hotels in 55 locations across India with 16 international hotels in the Maldives, Malaysia, Australia, UK, USA, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa and the Middle East.
Read more: http://lei.sr?a=o6G7e

 



There will be 25 luxury Taj suites
Sandton Skye
Johannesburg, South Africa

Opening: 2014

Simply Spas is set to manage the ZAR8m (US$8.6m,€6.7m, £5.7m) wellness spa at the five-star residential and hotel Sandton Skye development, opening in Johannesburg this June.

South African-based AMA Architects has designed the ZAR1.5bn (US$162m, €125m, £106m) lifestyle complex to accommodate more than 180 residential apartments – costing from ZAR1.7m (US$183,500, €141,300, £120,550) – within each of the three 15-storey towers.

The Gatsby International-managed complex – located in the capital’s financial hub and South Africa’s richest square mile – will offer guests and residents a contemporary 450sq m (4,844sq ft) spa designed along a combined African and eastern theme. It will have 12 treatment rooms, a fitness centre, and indoor and outdoor pools. A key attraction will be hydrotherapy and fish therapy treatments, complemented by those from product house TheraVine.

Hotel-styled facilities will include a front desk, restaurant, bar, library and conference rooms, and 3,500sq m (37,674sq ft) of landscaped gardens featuring a pool.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=2v0B3

 



The spa at Sandton Skye will combine African and eastern interior design styles
Resense Spa
Accra, Ghana

Opening: Q3 2013

Spa consultancy and contract management firm Resense Spa SA is to launch a new branded portfolio of full-service spas, with the opening of its first Resense Spa at The Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, Ghana, this August.
The 269-bed resort will be located near the Accra International Conference Centre, State House and National Theatre – attracting both business and leisure travellers, while the spa itself will be open to hotel guests, the day spa market and members.

The Resense Spa and 670sq m (7,211sq ft) health club will span 3,000sq m (32,291sq ft) over three floors, with a 25m (82ft) outdoor pool, yoga studios and four tennis courts.

On entering the Resense Spa, guests will be greeted by a health concierge in the Open Lounge, and provided with a designer robe, before being escorted to The Private Lounge to relax and socialise.

A key experience will be The Resense Bathing Kur – an 11-step spa journey to fully cleanse and revitalise the body, before culminating in a soap massage and relaxation time in the Slumber Suite.

Guests can also enjoy Inviion-supplied wet areas equipped with a hammam, and six single treatment suites, two double treatments suites, two scrub rooms and two Resense Slumber Suites, in addition to Resense’s Open and Private Lounges, a dining lounge, and a beauty salon offering hairdressing services.

The treatment menu will utilise the luxury Thémaé, Paris product line based on the natural healing benefits of tea.
Architects Looney & Associates based its design on a reinterpretation of classical baroque and modern European styles to create a colourful area, finished in rich natural tones, stone, wood and gold mosaics.

Resense Spas will open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the Cairo Royal Luxum hotel in Egypt later in 2013, and in Beirut in 2014.

Resense Spa SA was founded in 2009 as a joint venture between international hotel management group Kempinski Hotels SA and spa consultancy Raison d’Etre. The company’s portfolio of 39 spas encompasses two separate brands – 15 existing Kempinski The Spa facilities located in 14 countries and the four new Resense Spas.

The Resense Spa will be in selected hotels or as standalone spas, while Kempinski The Spa is a flexible concept located exclusively within Kempinski hotels.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=e3U3k

 



The new Resense Spa will span three floors at the Kempinski in Accra
KenGen geothermal spa
Hells Gate National Park, Kenya

Opening: Q3 2013

African energy company KenGen is constructing a geothermal spa next to its Olkaria II power plant on land that forms part of the Hells Gate National Park in Kenya.

The site, which is an hour’s drive from Nairobi, will reportedly feature four interconnected open-air lagoons with water temperatures up to 40°C, as well as steamrooms and saunas.

It has been described as “the biggest natural spa in Africa” and will be designed to cater for up to 500 people. Being one of the only natural health spas in a national park on the continent, it is expected attract more tourists to the national park itself. Adjoining the spa, there will be a visitor centre and museum, but there are currently no plans for accommodation.

The spa, which is due for completion in mid 2013, is set to be Africa’s equivalent to Iceland’s Blue Lagoon and has the permission of the Kenya Wildlife Service which owns the park.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=f8Z1E in

Baccarat Hotel Rabat
Rabat, Morocco

Opening: 2014

Baccarat, the renown French crystal company, is moving into another luxury arena with ultra high-end residences, hotels and resorts with spas.

Originally founded in 1764 after a decree from Louis XV, Baccarat was bought by investment firm Starwood Capital in 2005. Over the years Baccarat has become famous for its innovative, beautiful crystal designs and attention to detail – and it’s this commitment to perfection in both design and service which will underpin its hospitality and spa brands. With Starwood as the driving force, Baccarat is to open six hotel/resorts/residences by 2016 – three of which will be located in Morocco. The spa concept in the facilities has been created by Swedish-based consultancy Raison d’Etre.

The 130-bed Baccarat Hotel Rabat, in the capital of Morocco, is being funded by a local private company. When it opens in 2014, its Baccarat-branded spa is expected to be one of the largest and comprehensive in the area and will target regular local clients, via an exclusive hotel membership, as well as hotel guests. Standout facilities include six Moroccan hammams (three for women, three for men) using semi precious stones – two cooler 35?C jade rooms, two warm 45?C amethyst rooms, and two hot 55?C crystal chromotherapy rooms. There will also be eight single treatment rooms, two VIP treatment suites, an alchemy area, an indoor and outdoor pool, a beauty and hair salon, a spa retail area, and fitness and yoga studios.

The Baccarat Spa Resort in Marrakech will offer a destination spa on a 5-acre (2-hectare) estate with 60 villas and two restaurants. The resort will launch in 2015 and the spa “will stand out because of its all-encompassing wellness offering and results-orientated programmes”. It will offer glamour, socialising, fun and relaxation as, say Raison d’Etre “healing doesn’t need to be boring: it can be fun, explorative, delicious and communal”.

A spa will also feature in Baccarat Resort & Residences Marrakech – a far larger project in the city that will offer four hotels, 80 hotel villas and 70 branded residences. It will be built in the exclusive Palmeraie district and is set to open by 2016.

To follow will be Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York (2014), Baccarat Hotel & Residences at Dubai Pearl (2016) and Baccarat Residences Shanghai in China.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=x3x1f

 



Morocco and New York sites will open in 2014 as part of the Baccarat crystal brand
Poseidon Undersea Resort
Fiji

Opening: 2015

Poseidon Undersea Resorts LLC and affiliated companies are to design, build and operate one of the world’s first luxury sea floor eco-resorts, located off a private island in Fiji.

Situated in a 5,000-acre (2,023-hectare) lagoon, the resort’s underwater portion – which will be 40ft (12m) below the surface – will consist of two 3,200sq ft (297sq m) underwater massage rooms with sea life views via thick acrylic windows. There will also be 25 suites, a 100-seat restaurant and bar/lounge and a conference/wedding chapel and theatre area.

Another 3,500sq ft (325sq m) spa will form part of the on-island resort complex which will feature 51 accommodation units (incorporating 76 bedrooms in total), including 24 beachside bungalows and 26 over-water bungalows. The new development will be a six star resort and the spa services will be commensurate with this level of service.

A reception building, fitness centre, five restaurants and six bars, two pools, tennis courts, a dive shop, and nine-hole golf course will also be shore-based. Uniquely, guests will have a chance to pilot one of four 1,000ft-capable three-passenger personal submarines.

The project is the brainchild of Bruce Jones, the CEO of two submarine companies – US Submarines and Triton. With the design and engineering of the subsea structures already complete, the next step is to secure the capital to begin construction. It’s estimated that completion will take two years once construction has begun.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=q6J8W

 



There will be two 3,200sq ft massage rooms, as well as a on-land spa
 


Guests will enjoy amazing sea life views
 
Six Senses Bhutan
Bhutan

Opening: Q1 2016

Six Senses is developing a travel circuit of five spas in the Buddhist nation of Bhutan – a country that is famously strict on development and tourism.

The spa lodges, located in Thimpu, Punakha, Phobjikha, Bumthang and Paro, will have a total of 90 bedrooms between them, and each will have between two to six treatment rooms.

The spa concept will be based on the country’s unique standard of living indicator. Instead of a gross national product, Bhutan uses a gross national happiness (GNH) index, focusing on the wellbeing of its people, to measure the its development as a nation.

The spas at each lodge will focus on a different strand of the GNH – covering everything from physical and mental wellness to environmental and social wellbeing – with a circuit of all five offering an extraordinary wellness experience that's unique to the country.
Details: www.sixsenses.com

 



Each lodge will have treatment rooms
Octave Living Destination Retreat
Suzhou, China

Opening: 2015

Work is underway on one of the first wellness communities in China. The Octave Living Destination Retreat is situated on the shores of Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, which is billed as the ‘Venice of the East’. In close proximity to the millions of city dwellers in Shanghai, the development’s target market is the city’s career professionals in their mid-30s to 50s.

A project of IMC Octave – the real estate and hospitality arm of Singapore-based diversified company IMC Group – the 69-bed hotel and 104 residential villas and 100 serviced apartments are being designed by NYC-based Tsao and McKown Architects and due for completion in early 2015.

GOCO Hospitality has worked on the feasibility and design of the 85,000sq m (914,932sq ft) wellness community, including an 8,000sq m (86,111sq ft) destination spa, integrated medicine and an executive health centre. The retreat will contain 69 treatment rooms and two aquatonic pools – one indoor and one outdoor – which offer experiences such hydromassage stations using therapeutic jet streams, micro-bubbles and geysers to relieve stress and promote healing.

A thermal area by Deckelmann Wellness will offer male and female sections, plus a co-ed area with an indoor aquatonic pool and up to five other thermal experiences.

Elsewhere, a mind-body centre will offer activities like yoga and pilates, meditation spaces, and a fitness suite, along with an outdoor yoga area and meditation garden.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=a0s6J

 



One of China’s first wellness communities will have 69 treatment rooms
 


The retreat is on Yangcheng Lake and targeted at Shanghai city professionals
 
 


The retreat is on Yangcheng Lake and targeted at Shanghai city professionals
 
Shaolin Chi Resort
Song Shan, China

Opening: to be confirmed

Wellness and design company Schletterer has been approached by the Shaolin monastery to design its very first resort and spa on the holy mountain of Song Shan, close to the headquarters of the Shaolin monks. The initial plans are for a 119-bedroom hotel and a 5,500sq m (59,000sq ft) spa and medical wellness centre with extensive relaxation gardens with temples, meditation areas and water features. The spa will offer a combination of eastern and western practices and mind, body and spirit techniques.

Details: www.schletterer.com

 



Shaolin Chi has been commissioned by the Shaolin monk monastery
The Brando
Tetiaroa, French Polynesia

Opening: Q3 2014

Deep Nature, a French-based spa and thalassotherapy consultancy, is working on the spa element of The Brando – an eco-resort on the Tetiaroa atoll, French Polynesia. The 12-island atoll was bought by the actor Marlon Brando in 1965, who fell in love with it while scouting for film locations around Tahiti for his movie Mutiny on the Bounty.

The Brando is owned and will be operated by Pacific Beachcomber, which already has seven hotels in French Polynesia including four InterContinentals. It will have 35 villas with a strong focus on the environment – all of the energy it uses will come from renewable sources like solar panels, deep ocean-cooling technology and coconut biofuel.

The spa will be located in a large planted area partly built over a tropical pond. It has a village style with facilities – three double treatment rooms, two steamrooms, a cold bath, relaxation area and tea lounge – housed in separate bungalows for a sense of tranquility, privacy and exclusivity.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=8j1g6

Capella Niseko Resort
Hokkaido island, Japan

Opening: 2013

Capella Hotels & Resorts is preparing to launch Capella Niseko Resort on the Japanese Island of Hokkaido in 2013.
The resort has been designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando with a 70-suite hotel and 149 residences. Capella worked with spa consultant Sylvia Sepielli to develop the treatments at Auriga Spa. They will incorporate Chinese and Japanese practices and reflect phases of the lunar cycle. Other facilities at the spa include onsens, a yoga studio, fitness centre and spa café.

The Capella will form part of the 462-hectare (1,142-acre) Niseko Village ski resort, which YTL Hotels bought from US company Citigroup in March 2010 for a reported JPY6bn (US$67m, €50m, £42m) (see SB11/3 p46). YTL is to create a world-class, year-round village resort, with private residences and high-end leisure facilities.

Alongside it is an existing 506-bed Hilton Hotel – included in the original sale – and the 200-bed Green Leaf Hotel which reopened after renovation later in 2010 with a 100sq m (1,076sq ft) spa and onsen.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=R3m1O

 



Sylvia Sepielli is the spa consultant
Desaru Coast
Johor, Malaysia

Phase one Opening: Q4 2014

The goal of Destination Resorts, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad which is the investment arm of the Malaysian government, is to put Malaysia on the international tourism map by funding and creating world-class leisure and residential developments across the country (see SB12/2 p32).

Its largest project is Desaru Coast in Johor, a 17km (11mile) beachfront integrated resort. The MYR3bn (US$982m, €754m, £608m) development will include four luxury hotel and spa resorts, private houses for sale or lease, plus a retail mall, convention centre, two golf courses and three theme parks. The development of Desaru Coast will be in three phases, with the first phase due to open by the end of 2014. The hotel and spa resorts will be a combination of one six-star branded site managed by Amanresorts, one five-star branded Sheraton Hotel & Resort, and two five-star properties managed by Malaysia’s Archipelago Hotels & Resorts.

Archipelago will own and manage the Datai Desaru Resort, which will offer 64 suites and 35 pool villas set on a hilltop. It will also own and operate the 384-bedroom Plantation Hotel, which is a new hotel concept being created by Destination Resorts and Archipelago that will cater to the family and theme park market.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=4A4Q5

 



Desaru Coast will have a six-star development managed by Amanresorts
 


It has the backing of the investment arm of the Malaysian government
 
Amble Resorts & Residences
Panama

Opening: 2014

A boutique jungle resort and spa built between old growth trees to blend in with the natural surroundings is being constructed on a Panamanian tropical island.

Amble Resorts’ Isla Palenque resort is situated off Playa Palenque (the island’s largest volcanic beach) and will offer 16 bedrooms, including 10 in luxury tented suites. The main part of the resort is expected to open in mid-2013, while a simple, open-air pavilion spa will follow in 2014.

In line with the resort’s philosophy of completely connecting with nature, the bijou spa will use products made from locally sourced mineral clays, aromatic oils, and fresh botanicals. While other ranges will be supplied by local company Cloud Forest Botanicals.

Treatments will include an arrival day massage to replenish travel fatigue and a morning massage to ‘align’ the body. Also available will be pre- and post-hiking and adventure massages as well as couple massages and wraps featuring natural ingredients and techniques inspired by local wellness practices.

The Isla Palenque resort represents the first phase of a 10-year development process. Upon completion of all phases, the site will have 220 homes on more than 400 acres (162 hectares).

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=q2c8R

 



The resort is being designed to blend into its lush, natural surroundings
Pro Natal Wellness
Mexico City, Mexico

Opening: Q4 2013

Pro Natal Wellness, a centre designed to promote a healthy and happy pregnancy, is set to open in the Santa Fe, a major business district in Mexico City, this September.

It will offer one of the first medically supervised maternity wellness programmes in Mexico and will be delivered by acupressure specialists, homeopathy experts, nutritionists and wellness coaches.

The 900sq ft (84sq m) facility is an extension of the Medical Maternity Centre and will be located in the penthouse of the Bite Medical Hospital. Facilities will comprise three treatment rooms, including a double room for couples, a relaxation lounge and a spa retail boutique. A standout experience is a steamroom infused with medicinal herbs from the Sonora desert which emulates a traditional Mexican temazcal. With a therapist monitoring the duration and temperature, the sessions are used to detoxify the body before pregnancy and to soothe the pelvic floor after the baby is born. 

The treatments have been designed for each phase, before, during and after pregnancy, aiming to sooth and alleviate swollen feet, sore lower backs, swollen breasts, sciatic nerve pain and other general aches, which may be brought on by pregnancy.

Gynaecologist Dr Jesus Lujan, who is director of the Medical Maternity Centre, along with his wife Alexandra Volin have participated in the creation of the maternity wellness treatment menu in coordination with the consulting firm Mestre & Mestre Spa.

Unique educating programmes and seminars for breastfeeding, fertility and connecting with new born babies will also be key to the spa’s offering.

All massage therapists will receive on-site specialised training on prenatal and postpartum by the hospital’s medical team, allowing the staff to help with pregnancy related issues.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=l3H5U

Kittitian Hill
St Kitts

First phase opening: Q4 2013

To be run by Sedona Resorts – the developers of Mii amo in the US – the US$300m (€228m, £191m) Kittitian Hill development is spread over a 400-acre (162-hectare) hilltop with views over the Caribbean Sea. The architecture, interior and landscape design of the project is being created by Bill Bensley – the Asia-based architect responsible for iconic designs such as the Four Seasons Tented Camp in Thailand and the Coqoon Spa in Phuket.

Built around a village core, it will feature a mix of residential and holiday let cottages (90), villas (69) and townhouses (74), as well as a hotel. A 20,000sq ft (1,858sq m) 15-treatment room spa will be located on the edge of the resort, with a tropical rainforest backdrop. Due for completion this November, the first phase of construction by Terra Forma Developments will include all 90 one-bedroom cottages, 15 villas and a par-72 golf course.

The second stage, which is already underway, will focus on construction of the spa and village components – including the restaurants, shops, a golf clubhouse, a beach house, tennis courts, outdoor hot tubs and the remainder of the villas – and is due for completion in the fourth quarter of 2014. The entire project expected to be finished by 2016.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=d9D6F

 



The first phase of Kittitian Hill will be complete by 2014
 


The US$300m development has been designed by Bill Bensley and will be run by Sedona
 
Baha Mar Resort
Bahamas

Opening: Q4 2014

The US$3.5bn (€2.66bn, £2.29bn) Baha Mar Resort mega development will cover 400 hectares (988 acres) along the white sandy shores of the Bahamas.

Four hotels totalling 2,200 bedrooms and a significant residential element will be built on the extensive complex scheduled to open in December 2014, as well as two spas and a large casino.
The property will centre on the 1,000-bed Baha Mar Casino & Hotel created by Kravitz Design offering a 100,000sq ft (9,290sq m) casino and a 30,000sq ft (2,787sq m) ocean-view destination ESPA spa. A villa and nightclub will also be designed by Kravitz Design – the creative firm of singer Lenny Kravitz.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® will run a 200-bed hotel, including 87 residences, as well as an ‘intimate’ Rosewood Sense® spa. Other hotel operators will include Mondrian and Hyatt.

The 20-acre (8-hectare) Beachfront Sanctuary will offer more than 14 pools and an eco-water park filled with Bahamian flowers and native trees, flamingos, sea turtles and stingrays.

Baha Mar is fully funded with US$2.45bn (€1.86bn, £1.61bn) in financing from the Export-Import Bank of China.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=v3G3l

 



There’s a Rosewood, Mondrian and Hyatt hotel, plus one by Lenny Kravitz’s design team
Oil Rig Platform Resort & Spa
Gulf of Mexico

Opening: Unconfirmed

Oliver Douglas, the principal and director of design for Morris Architects, has confirmed that the Oil Rig Platform Resort & Spa concept is still a ‘live project’ that’s open to investment opportunities.

Back in 2008, the Houston-based team won the Radical Innovation in Hospitality design competition for its concept of transforming a decommissioned oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico into an eco-friendly resort and spa.

The proposition, based on deep sea, wind, solar and geothermal energy solutions, includes 300 small bedrooms – where sofas turn into beds to capitalise on space – a state-of-the-art spa and fitness centre and seawater swimming facilities. It also has a focus water-based activities such as boating, snorkelling and diving. The target audience will be passengers on board cruise ships travelling between Mexico and the Caribbean.

In the next century, up to 4,000 oil rigs will no longer be used in the Gulf of Mexico. Removing them is an expensive process and involves sea life harming explosives.

Morris Architects initially had three clients approach the firm about developing the project, but Douglas says interest dried up in the economic downturn.

Details: www.morrisarchitects.com

 



The rig spa needs to attract investment
Mobilona Space Hotel™
Barcelona, Spain

Opening: Unconfirmed

US firm Mobilona is to invest €1.5bn (US$1.9bn, £1.3bn) in a development featuring Europe’s tallest hotel on a man-made island off the shores of Barcelona, Spain. The Barcelona Island project will feature a first of its kind Mobilona Space Hotel™ which promises to offer guests an “out of this world” experience by using immersive displays – virtual reality galleries providing panoramic impressions of the universe – throughout the building.

The 984ft (300m) Galaxy Tower, will house a hotel with 2,000 suites and residences. Prices will start at €300 (US$386, £256) a night. Among the highlights will be the first zero-gravity spa. Guests will be taken in a Space Glider to the spa inside a high altitude park and tropical garden. Afterwards they can visit the Space Observatory for views of stars.

Mobilona, a young firm, is planning two other Space Hotels in Los Angeles and Hong Kong with an estimated value of US$6bn (€4.7m, £4m). It will also create immersive technology centres to supply the surround experiences in the buildings.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=O8V8x

 



There will be a zero-gravity spa
Huhtiniemi spa resort
Lappeenranta, Finland

Opening: Q1 2014

Work has started on Huhtiniemi, a €70m (US$91m, £56m) spa hotel and villas in
Lappeenranta, eastern Finland.

The property will be owned in a joint venture between two Finnish property investment companies – Ultivista and Conte Invest.

The resort will feature three interconnected parts – a 14-storey 350-bed hotel, a 4,000sq m (43,056sq ft) spa; and a 7,000sq m (75,347sq ft) space for 150 spa villas. Exact details of the spa facilities have not been disclosed, but it’s believed that there will be a range of indoor swimming pools, a sauna world and a relaxation area offering views across Lake Saimaa.

The development will be built by Buildia, a construction company set up by the joint venture to deliver the project.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=J6v0P

 



The 4,000sq m spa will overlook Lake Saimaa; there’s also room for 150 spa villas on-site
 


The hotel will have 350 bedrooms
 
Floating Gardens
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Opening: 2014

It is estimated that up to €9m (US$11.7m, £7.3m) will be spent on transforming a competition-winning sustainable floating spa concept into a commercial business.

Originally thought up by Dutch architect Anne Holtrop and Studio Noach (see p51) for a futures design competition for the Netherlands Architect Institute, Floating Gardens is due to open on lake IJmeer near Amsterdam’s city centre in 2014.

The designers have also revealed what facilities will be featured. The ground floor will boast five saunas, two of which will have panoramic lake views; five pools and two restaurants/bars (one dry and one wet). The top floor will house three treatment rooms and a large area for group therapy such as hot yoga.

Innovative treatments are likely to include elements of psychoneuroimmunology – which looks at how emotions and health are linked.

The development is being built using GreenRexwall, a type of recycled polystyrene which is stronger than steel and provides excellent insulation. It is also buoyant, which allows it to float. Botanical artist and engineer Patrick Blanc, has also come up with a way of coating the design in vegetation – using vertical gardens – so that it will breathe oxygen.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=R6u6E and http://lei.sr?a=M7R1s

 



The €9m construction will use a type of buoyant polystyrene that allows the spa to float
Bath Hotel & Spa
Bath, UK

Opening: 2014

YTL Hotels, the hospitality division of Malaysia-based infrastructure conglomerate YTL Corporation, is to take on the development of a 98-bed spa hotel in the UK spa town of Bath.

YTL Hotels has acquired the project from Bath Hotel and Spa Limited (BHSL) – a joint venture between the Trevor Osborne Property Group and CP Holdings – for an undisclosed sum.

To be developed in a vacant hotel building, the new spa hotel will be one of the first in the country to use natural thermal water when it opens in 2014.

An initial development had already been undertaken by BHSL and construction began in 2012. YTL Corporation – which owns local water supply company Wessex Waters – has started drilling a new borehole to source water from Bath’s natural hot springs. Meanwhile, Trevor Osborne, a co-owner of BHSL, is to provide ongoing advice as the project moves forward.

This development is the UK debut for YTL Hotels (see SB11/3 p46).

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=Z3h0z

 



The spa hotel will use natural waters
51 Spa Residences
Leukerbad, Switzerland

Opening: 2015

The Swiss Development Group has started work on a residential, hospitality and spa project in Leukerbad, in the heart of the Swiss Alps, where the Valais mountain’s thermal waters have bubbled at 51?C since Roman times.

Situated 1,402m (4,600ft) above sea level, the site, designed by US architects Michael Graves & Associates, is set to host 28 luxury apartments boasting their own natural thermal whirlpools and outdoor ‘moon bath’ pools. It will also include a five-star resort hotel operated by Kempinski.

Meanwhile, US spa consultancy Under a Tree will be developing Spa 51?, a contemporary luxury interpretation of Russian and Alpine spa traditions. The 15,000sq ft (1,400sq m) spa is set to feature a fitness centre and outdoor lap pool, plus up to 10 treatment rooms which will connect to a European-style bathhouse with substantial hydrothermal experiences.

Bathhouse facilities will comprise a traditional Russian sauna – a high heat chamber that can reach temperatures of 100?C – a cooler tepidarium, an inhalation room, steamroom, plunge pool and resting area which lead to an indoor mineral pool joined by a swim-through passage to an alfresco hydromassage pool and gardens with views over the picturesque valley.

There will also be a separate expansive Banya Suite available for private bookings which will have its own Russian sauna, tepidarium, plunge pool and deluge shower, plus a lounge, dining facilities and treatment room and outdoor space with naturally-heated soaking barrels and cold plunge pool. In a recreational twist, the Banya Suite will be accessible to an on-site night club via a secret entrance.

Spa treatments and personal care services will be rooted in the theme of lifestyle wellness, leveraging the therapeutic effects of mineral water. Contrasting thermal experiences will be used to promote relaxation, aid detoxification and to help with sports conditioning and stress management.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=g4X5k

 



The 28 apartments will feature thermal water ‘moon bath’ pools
Buxton Crescent & Thermal Spa
Buxton, UK

Opening: Q4, 2015

The development of the UK’s “first genuine spa hotel” for more than 100 years in Derbyshire, has moved forward with the signing of a landmark agreement.

Landowners High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council confirmed that an historic deal with the Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa Company (BCHTS) for the scheme was secured on 2 April 2012. BCHTS has been created to deliver the development by the Trevor Osborne Property Group and CP Holdings, owner of Danubius Hotels.

The £35m (US$56m, €44m) Buxton Crescent project includes restoring the listed Crescent building and Natural Baths and Pump Room. A 79-bed spa hotel incorporating the Natural Baths is at the centre of the plans. There will also be a 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) natural thermal water spa, with thermal peat wrap and inhalation facilities.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=v0V8i

 



It will be one of the UK’s first genuine spa hotels in more than 100 years
 


Buxton’s listed Crescent building is to be fully restored
 
Café Royal
London, UK

Opening: Q3 2013

London’s historic Café Royal – the once renown restaurant and meeting place frequented by famous people such as Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf and George Bernard Shaw – reopened as a luxury 159-bedroom hotel (including six historic suites) in December 2012 and a spa follows in the third quarter of 2013.

After a reported £90m (US$145m, €112m) lease deal and three-year refurbishment, the Regent Street property relaunched as the second member of The Set – a new hotel collection established by property entrepreneurs Alfred and Georgi Akirov.

The hotel has been designed by London’s David Chipperfield Architects and Donald Insall Associates. The 1,200sq m (12,900sq ft) two-storey Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre day spa will have its own entrance at street level.

The upper floor will have a yoga and pilates studio and gym. The lower level includes a 19m (62ft) pool, five treatment rooms – three with whirlpools – private and public hammams, sauna and watsu pool. Elemental Herbology is the product house, and 4SeasonsSpa will provide the wet spa facilities.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=N8m2v

 



Akasha will have a street entrance
Mohammed bin Rashid city
Dubai, UAE

First stage opening: 2014

A new city is to be built in Dubai which will feature the world’s largest mall, a theme park complex, 100 hotels and a number of spa and wellness resorts.

Plans for the new Mohammed bin Rashid city were revealed by prime minister and ruler of Dubai, sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

As well as the gigantic Mall of the World, the city will also contain 100 hotels, a 455-acre (184-hectare) park and an international family attraction in collaboration with Universal Studios.

Located between Emirates Road, Al Khail Road and Sheikh Zayed Road, the development will be overseen by Dubai Holding, a global investment holding company owned by the sheikh, and Emaar Properties, the developer of the Burj Khalifa. Dubai-based real estate company Meraas Holding will develop the project with the first stage expected to be completed in 2014.

Plans for the new city are largely divided into four themes – family tourism, retail, art galleries and a “unique area that will provide an integrated environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in the region.”

Read More: http://lei.sr?a=w0z2F

 



The first phase is due in 2014
Saadiyat Island
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Opening: 2015

Two spa and wellness facilities are still to open on Saadiyat Island, the 27sq km (10sq mile) mega-resort off the coast of Abu Dhabi.

Scheduled to launch by June will be a DNA Integrative Medicine & Wellness Centre at the existing St Regis complex. The centre will be the global flagship for US-based DNA Health Corp which specialises in science-based personalised lifestyle medicine. It will offer holistic health and wellness programmes based on a combination of western medicine, advanced diagnostics, clinical therapies and centuries old eastern health traditions.

Meanwhile, hotel management firm Rotana is set to oversee a 354-bed and 13-villa beachfront property which is due to open in 2015. The resort will feature the group’s signature Zen, the spa at Rotana and Bodylines health club.

There are already three spas open on Saadiyat Island. These include a two-treatment room spa as part of SBM’s Monte-Carlo Beach Club which opened in 2010 and an Atarmia Spa with nine treatment rooms which forms part of the 360-bed Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas that opened in 2011.

Last year saw the arrival of a 3,500sq m (37,674sq ft), 12-treatment room Iridium Spa at the 377-bed St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. Iridium is the in-house spa brand for St Regis.
Saadiyat Island is being masterplanned by the Abu Dhabi-based Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC). It has been designed as a cultural destination with a number of museums – including a Guggenheim and Louvre; as a beach getaway for tourists; and also as a business hub for international commerce. It will also feature exclusive waterfront homes for residents and one of the Gulf’s first ocean front golf courses.

Details: www.saadiyat.ae

 



The mega-resort already has three spas and at least two more are being built
Water Discus Hotel
Dubai, UAE

Opening: Q1 2015

Plans are moving forward on a futuristic underwater hotel project in Dubai, which will allow guests to sleep with fish swimming outside their bedroom windows.

The Water Discus Hotel will have 21 submerged rooms, as well as 30 above the surface, a dive centre, luxury spa, two restaurants, a swimming pool and a helipad.

According to Bogdan Gutkowski, CEO of Big Invest, which is one of the partners in the project, the design concepts are now being finalised, talks are ongoing with investors and he is confident the hotel could open as early as 2015.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=z1a4j

 



The ambitious Water Discus Hotel will offer 21 underwater rooms
Alila Jabal Akhdar
Jabal Akhdar, Oman

Opening: Q4 2013

Alila Hotels and Resorts is on track to launch the first luxury resort in the remote mountainous Jabal Akhdar region in Oman by December 2013. Omran, the government-owned tourism investment, development and management company, announced that it has passed the 60 per cent construction mark of its hilltop project, the Alila Jabal Akhdar Resort.

The project is currently 8 per cent ahead of schedule and Nasser Al Maqbali, COO of Omran said he expects the resort to become a pinnacle in the region’s tourism sector and attract local and international visitors.

Set 2,000m (6,600ft) above sea level, the property will feature 78 bedrooms, six suites and two royal villas. Designed by P49 and with architectural consultancy by WS Atkins, the resort will also house a large luxury spa, a health and fitness club, a cliff-side restaurant and events space.

Exact details of the Alila Spa have yet to be confirmed but the treatment menu will follow the Alila philosophy of mixing locally-sourced ingredients with products from international brands.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=W6X2d

 



The resort has a dramatic hilltop location
 


The resort is designed by P49 and will include a large luxury spa and a fitness centre
 
Marilyn Monroe Spas
USA

Opening: Q3 and Q4 2013

Niki Bryan, founder of Niki Bryan Spa Management Company, has partnered with ex-president of worldwide operations at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, Al Weiss, to launch Marilyn Monroe Spas.

The themed concept will include spas, salons, nail boutiques and “other concepts” located around the world through a licensing agreement with Authentic Brands Group. Several openings are planned for Q3 and Q4 this year, though leases are still to be finalised before further details are released.

Bryan said: “Matching the allure and glamour of Marilyn Monroe with the beauty and spa industry is a natural fit and I’m thrilled to join Al Weiss on this venture.” A range of Marilyn Monroe spa products are under development too.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=e9F8w

 



Screen icon Monroe exuded beauty
Disney – A Senses Spa
Saratoga Springs Resort, Florida, USA

Opening: Q3 2013

Magical Manicures and Princess Pedicures are staple treatments for Disney – a Senses Spa: the new family-friendly in-house spa concept for Walt Disney World which took over the responsibility of owning and running all of its spas from contract-operator Niki Bryan this January.

Developed by Walt Disney Imagineering, the design arm of Disney, Senses – a Disney Spa is a concept that aims to engage all the senses and is themed around three spa journeys: relax, renew or imagine.

The ‘relax’ journey begins with a strawberry elixir, has blue chakra lighting in the treatment rooms, incorporates lavender essential oils in the therapy and culminates with a strawberry basil anti-oxidant jelly.

The senses are further heightened with a signature scent of citrus and botanicals, a mix of wet and heat experiences and healthy snacks in the relaxation areas such as nutritious cupcakes and cucumber and basil water.

The product houses, Éminence Organic as well as the SpaRitual nail brand, have been selected for their high quality ingredients, natural approach and their eco-friendly offerings.

The second Senses spa will open at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort at Lake Buena Vista Florida in July. It will feature 10 treatment rooms, steamrooms, whirlpools, relaxation lounges and a nail salon.

The first made its appearance at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort last December. Other Disney owned and operated spas include six in health club locations and three salons. Ginger McLean, the group director of Senses spas says: “Owning and operating our spas, salons and fitness centres presents an exciting opportunity to provide legendary guest service… We will also be able to integrate spa experiences into vacation planning for guests more seamlessly.”

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=1C2M1

 



The Senses Spa brand has been created by Walt Disney Imagineering
Whole Foods Health Resort
Austin, Texas, USA

Opening: 2016

John Mackey, the co-CEO of US natural grocer Whole Foods Market chain, has told USA Today – the country’s national newspaper – that the company wants to develop a resort and spa where people can go to learn about leading a healthier lifestyle.

Mackey suggested that the resort will be near to the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas which it is hoping to expand in the next three years. It is looking to partner with a hotel chain to operate the resort which, if successful, may be rolled out.

The inspiration for the resort came from a successful employee programme that the 346-store Whole Foods Market chain introduced to help improve eating and lifestyle habits, Mackey said.
The transition from selling healthy foods to promoting a healthy lifestyle is a natural evolution for the chain.

However, this is not the first time it’s tried to penetrate the wellness market – back in 2006 it opened five pilot Whole Foods’ Wellness Clubs in select stores. The education-based outlets offered yoga classes, cooking demonstrations and lifestyle consultations, but failed to get high enough footfalls.

Details: www.wholefoodsmarket.com

The Greenbrier
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, USA

Opening: Q1 2014

A cutting-edge medical complex is to be built at The Greenbrier, a luxury, health-focused resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, USA. The Greenbrier Medical Institute will be developed in phases in the 6,750-acre (2,732-hectare) grounds.

The initial US$250m (€191m, £159m) stage will include a sports-medicine centre, a cosmetic surgery and lifestyle enhancement academy, a sports performance and training facility and a boutique hotel. It will also comprise the relocation and expansion of the Greenbrier Clinic, a facility that’s been offering preventative healthcare programmes to top executives since 1948.
The concept has been created by orthopaedic surgeon Dr James Andrews and healthcare developer Jack T Diamond.

The resort, which boasts 710 bedrooms, already has a 40,000sq ft (3,716sq m) spa, a casino and three golf courses. At the centre is a sulphur water spring which guests have sought out for medicinal purposes for more than 200 years.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=U9R7z

 



The medical resort will include the relocation and expansion of the original clinic
Miraval Natirar
New Jersey, USA

Opening: 2014

Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona has kicked off expansion plans with the announcement of its second destination at the Natirar estate in New Jersey, an hour from New York City.

Miraval chair Philippe Bourguignon previously told Spa Business to expect up to six new spa resorts (see SB12/4 p60). He said: “We invested in a total redesign to create the new Miraval Life in Balance Spa with Clarins. Now we have the ideal product, our plan is to duplicate Miraval. We need to go to upstate New York, south-east USA, southern California and northern California/Oregon – and maybe one more.”

The second luxury resort, expected to open in 2014, will have an 86-bed hotel, a 20,000sq ft (1,858sq m) spa, a 10,000sq ft (929sq m) wellness pavilion, a 4,000sq ft (372sq m) yoga centre and a Miraval spa cuisine restaurant.

Miraval is co-owned by AOL founder and former chair Steve Case.

Read more: http://lei.sr?a=P2N9a

 



Miraval Tucson will be replicated

Originally published in Spa Business Handbook 2013 edition

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