CITY FOCUS
Coming soon: The Bulgari Hotel:
Bulgari Hotels and Resorts signed an agreement in February for T e Bul- gari Hotel in Knightsbridge, which is set to open by the second quarter of 2012. T e hotel is being designed by Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel & Partners, with Squire and Partners as the local architect. It will feature 85 bedrooms, a 2,000sq m (185sq m) spa and fi tness centre with a 25m pool, a restaurant and bar, a ballroom and a private cinema. T is is the third hotel for Bulgari Hotels and Resorts, follow- ing the launch of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan in 2004 and the Bulgari Resort in Bali in 2006.
London EDITION
In November 2010, Marriott Interna- tional announced that it had acquired the historic Berners Hotel in London and planned to redesign and redevelop it into an EDITION hotel. T e funky, boutique EDITION brand was con- ceived by Ian Schrager in partnership with Marriott, and the fi rst in the chain opened in Hawaii late last year. T e renovation will take 18 to 24 months.
InterContinental London Westminster InterContinental is to open its sec- ond site in London in early 2012. It will include 258 bedrooms and will be within walking distance of Buck- ingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. T e group’s fi rst London property – InterContinental Park Lane – reopened in 2006 following a £60m (us$96m, €68m) overhaul. It features a 3,230sq ſt (300sq m) spa with Elemis treatments.
The Shangri-La
Late 2012 will see the opening of the 202-bedroom Shangri-La in T e Shard. T e fi ve-star hotel will take up 18 fl oors of the 70-storey, Renzo Piano- designed Shard building on the bank of London’s River T ames. As well as two bars and a gourmet café, there will an indoor swimming pool and fi tness centre, both with panoramic views, but it will not include a Chi Spa – the com- pany’s signature wellness brand.
The treatment is very
professionally delivered, but the therapist had
to work very quickly to get through everything in the allotted time
The spa has a contemporary edge, but remains true to the brands Asian roots Mandara Spa at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge B
ali-based operator Mandara opened its first spa in Europe at the Park Plaza Westminster
Bridge Hotel in London in February. T e 700sq m (7,500sq ſt ) spa has a con-
temporary edge, but maintains a luxury Asian feel. T ere are nine treatment rooms and the spa will be the fi rst in the world to off er Mandara’s bath, body and home
product line alongside its body therapies, Elemis treatments and Bliss beauty serv- ices. Mandara is a subsidiary of Steiner, which also owns Elemis and Bliss T e Park Plaza Westminster Bridge,
which opened in early 2010, was one of the capital’s largest ever purpose-built hotels. T e £350m (us$561m, €398m) hotel has more than 1,000 bedrooms.
FIRST-PERSON EXPERIENCE: LIZ TERRY, EDITOR, SPA BUSINESS
London’s new Mandara Spa is several fl oors underground, but the high ceilings and very clever lighting create a very airy feel. The spa is reached by a lift
which opens onto a lobby with a reception for the health and fi t- ness area [pool and gym] which the hotel operates. T e dedicated spa reception is down another corridor with separate staff . It’s a little puzzling having two reception areas, but the set-up of the business has obviously led to this outcome with Mandara taking a management role of the spa. T e spa journey starts off with a fairly
LIZ TERRY
cakes and fruit on off er. The therapist offers a choice of four diff erent oils to customise the treatment and my Bal- inese massage begins. T e treatment is very
professionally deliv- ered, but it’s clear right from the start that it’s
an ambitious undertaking and the ther- apist is going to have to work fast to get through everything she needs to do in the allotted time. I wouldn’t say it was rushed, but she works very quickly. T e treatment is delivered very much
standard questionnaire in a stylish, mod- ern lounge with designer samavar, teas,
to a script, with no attempt made to customise it to my body. In the end the therapist manages all four limbs, back and chest, stomach and feet and a few ritual elements all in 50 minutes. I’m leſt with the impression of Man-
dara being a very organised, professional and commercial operator with well- trained staff which is good at delivering fairly-priced treatments eff ectively and in a very timely manner, but that it’s not somewhere to go if you need to have a specifi c physical issue addressed, due to the lack of customisation.
56 Read Spa Business online
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