Industry News

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts chain already having 15 curated resorts are known to expand them with 11 new properties until 2025. It is known that the development will be seen in North America, the Caribbean, North Africa, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.  With 49 open hotels and 29 more in the pipeline, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts offer a leisure experience and are aiming to offer the same cherished traditions to some most beguiling destinations in the world. Their mission is to expand the brand by providing some extraordinary resort experiences from Sanya to Los Cabos and Riviera Maya to Marrakech. It is expected that St. Regis Kanai Resort will be debuted by 2022 in Mexico. It will feature 124 guestrooms and suites along with 32 exclusive villas having private pools. While the St. Regis Los Cabos, located on Quivira, will offer 120 rooms with 60 residences having three dining experiences, a beach club, a golf course, and a spa. The brand also plans to grow its presence in Qatar and Oman in 2022, featuring signature Arabesque style and local cultural flair. By 2025, St. Regis is expected to launch Sanya Haitang Bay Resort in China and St. Regis Marrakech Resort in Morocco. Photo credits Blue Arauz

The Woodward, the recent addition to the Oetker Collection's acquisition of "Magnum Opus Hotels," is officially open. The property, which has only 26 rooms, is positioned on Lake Geneva, with glimpses of the ocean and Mont Blanc. The post-Haussmann-style structure, which dates from 1901, was renovated by architecture and interior decorator BEA SA and Pierre-Yves Rochon architects. Accommodations Each of Woodward's 26 residences has a unique design. The Luxury Hotel offers spectacular views from every room, as well as a personal dining room and pergola, and the Imperial Suite, which is reached by an exclusive elevator and built to mimic a Parisian apartment, is the gem in the crown. Wellness The Guerlain Spa at The Woodward is described as Geneva's "brand new, premier wellness destination" by Oetker Collection. The Guerlain Spa, which was also the first one in Switzerland, contains six spa treatments, one of which is a double room, all of them having a white onyx basin and an Italian shower.  Gastronomy Le Jardinier and L'Atelier Robuchon, two Michelin-starred restaurants in New York, are among the hotel's gastronomic offerings. L'Atelier Robuchon features an open cuisine concept and two pre-dining rooms with 36 seats around a counter. Likewise, Le Jardinier serves gourmet dishes that showcase French cooking methods, emphasizing small sources and vegetables purchased within 90 miles of the restaurant. Explore Geneva The bustling, energetic city provides visitors with memorable attractions like the Plainpalais market, a booming cocktail scene, and Carouge's artisanal workshops. It's worth noting for watch enthusiasts: The Patek Philippe Museum is regarded as one of the best horology museums globally, with exhibits spanning five centuries of timepiece history. Photo credits Donald Tong

The luxurious hotel chain growing within Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman, Shaza Hotels, has opened Mysk Moon Retreat in Sharjah. And it is set to become one of the most prominent destinations for desert adventure seekers, being an ideal destination for travelers who love exploring and immersing in nature. The hotel is located between the dunes of the Al-Faya mountains and Mleiha district in Sharjah. The Moon Retreat is a must-to-go destination when visiting Sharjah, as it showcases the cultural and traditional heritage of the emirate. Mysk Moon Retreat features ten domes and six tents and is located deep close to the Mleiha Archeological Centre. Most of the rooms contain barbecue terraces, temperature-controlled pools, and scenic views of the desert and sloppy mountains. Mysk Moon Retreat targets adventurous guests and encourages them to spend their trip in a relaxed way, offering different activities for day and night time. The range of leisure options include paragliding, horseback, dune bashing, and trekking in the daytime. At the same time, nighttime offers barbeque dinners with an immense touch of Arabic experience, coffee ceremonies, and stargazing.  The founders of Shaza Hotels explain that they have created the Mysk Retreat Brand to bring the guests together for an intimate experience. Their partnership with Shurooq aims to provide a world-class destination experience in a memorable way, with a Mysk Retreats chain planned to be developed in the future. The collection will consist of bespoke retreats offering immersive experiential destinations for curious seekers. Photo credits Ivan Rivero

Wyndham Resorts & Hotels and CLC World Hotels & Resorts, one amongst Europe's leading independent valuable businesses, are teaming together to promote 12 resorts in Spain, the United Kingdom, the Canary Islands, Turkey, and Austria. The facilities will be turned into Wyndham Residences, Wyndham Grand Residences Wyndham, Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham, and Ramada Residences by Wyndham, and will launch in November. The new acquisitions will bolster Wyndham's network of over 300 hotels throughout Europe.    The Canary Islands On Tenerife's southern shore, Ramada Residences by Wyndham Tenerife Costa Adeje (181 apartments) and the Wyndham Residences Tenerife Costa Adeje (89 apartments) are positioned beside each other. The hotels will include two pools and on-site restaurants with local specialties and other cuisines.   Austria The Austrian Ramada Residences by Wyndham Saalfelden will have 37 apartments and outdoor pursuits like motorcycling, hiking, fishing, and boating.   Turkey The Wyndham Residences Kusadasi Golf & Spa in Turkey will feature 410 villas and suites and a professional 18 hole course including a club, a spa, dining options, and pools. The Aegean Sea is visible from the beach of the Ramada Residences by Wyndham Milas Bozbük. There are 67 2-bedrooms villas with terraces and glimpses of Bozbuk Bay available.   Spain The Ramada Residences by Wyndham Costa del Sol Fuengirola and Wyndham Grand Residences Costa del Sol Mijas are located in a semi-tropical garden with far more than 20 pools and amenities like restaurant chains, a gymnasium, and numerous kids clubs.   The U.K. In the U.K., Trenython Manor is a grand home with 24 acres of the property facing St Austell Bay on England's Cornish Riviera. With glimpses of Cornwall's shoreline, the facility will feature 27 bedrooms, 32 cottages, a bar, a patio, and a restaurant. A spa with aromatic treatments will also be available.   Photo credits Thorsten technoman

Maldives is welcoming a new resort from the world renowned French-born hospitality brand. Located on Thilamaafushi of Lhaviyani Atoll, the property features 141 charming villas and a variety of epicurean and leisure experiences. Easily accessible by a 35-minute seaplane journey north of Velana (MLE) International Airport, Malé, the natural island is covered with abundant flora and fauna, with a lagoon and coral reefs bursting with vibrant marine life, including pods of Manta Rays and turtles.  Designed in a contemporary "clean chic" style, the resort offers a selection of accommodation, with one, two and three-bedroom villas, all offering a muted color palette and a contrast of renewable materials that fosters simplicity, openness and functionality. Food and drink options are available in six restaurants and bars, showcasing international cuisines and locally harvested produce. The signature Tabemasu offers a teppanyaki counter and a private open-air pavilion where guests will enjoy an expertly curated Japanese menu. The resort's adults only beachside bar, Riviera, is a framed by an oceanfront infinity pool and private shoreline and vivid sunsets.  Waves Café is a mindful eating space that fosters a healthy and nourishing approach with a focus on organic farm-to-table ingredients.  Velaa Bar + Grill, situated poolside, features signature cocktails and light dishes to savour in the summer sun, and grilled seafood, meats and wood-fired delicacies to indulge in once the last ray's fade. The Le Méridien Hub, a social gathering place, serves custom-brewed, barista-crafted coffee beverages, while Turquoise, a beachside marketplace, serves local dishes from breakfast to dinner. Guests relax and rejuvenate at two infinity pools at the resort or indulge into pampering at the Explore Spa by Le Méridien. 

Accor has confirmed Raffles The Palm Dubai will open its door to eager travellers on October 1, 2021. Flanked by a 500 m private beach. Inside the property will be a 3,000 sq m Cinq Mondes Spa with 23 treatment rooms, two spa suites and what is being called Dubai’s largest indoor swimming pool. Accor also confirms the resort will have its own cinema. The property’s managing director Ayman Gharib, says: “It’s with pride that we announce the official opening of Raffles The Palm Dubai, Raffles’ newest luxury resort in the UAE. The five-star property invites guests to discover one of the world’s most exciting destinations through the gracious lens of a Raffles resort. Raffles The Palm Dubai will ensure that every stay is exceptional with everyone arriving as a guest, leaving as a friend and returning as family.” Once open, Raffles the Palm Dubai will have 389 keys, with a range of rooms, suites and villas, each with a balcony and sea-view terrace. It will also offer eight F&B venues.

Designed as a nature immersive wellbeing retreat island, the first of its kind in the Maldives, JOALI BEING offers completely personalised and results-driven transformative programmes, with the ultimate aim for guests to return home feeling renewed, uplifted and inspired, with a new sense of ‘weightlessness’. The retreat will offer an array of finest wellbeing facilities and unique transformational spaces, including hydrotherapy, movement, and sound healing experiences.   The Picture-Perfect Setting JOALI BEING resides on the secluded natural island of Bodufushi in Raa Atoll, an easy seaplane flight away from Male International Airport, with the option of a private transfer. The retreat is home to a total of 68 private exquisite beach and water villas, each with their very own personal butler or “Jadugar”, meaning ‘skilled magician’ in Dhivehi. Each accommodation come with private pools and a variety of special inclusions, such as customized mini-bar setups, tuned meditative balancing musical instruments, wellbeing games and more. JOALI BEING also features unique four-bedroom fully equipped exclusive overwater villa with a magnificent uninterrupted ocean view, a wellbeing room, and a movement room.   With the island’s wild forest remaining untouched, JOALI BEING has been built using Biophilic design principles, a scientific system of integrating architecture and design with nature, aiming to achieve harmony by eliminating negative vibrations and enhancing the energy flow of the island. The architectural concept of the retreat was guided by an architect Cuneyt Bukulmez from Atolye4N Architectural Design Studio and an interior design studio Autoban – both also led the design concept of JOALI Muravandhoo island.