n Sign up for your free digital subscription to spa opportunities magazine: www.spaopportunities.com/green Trio of Mexican spas for Hard Rock


Hard Rock International (HRI) has confirmed plans to open three branded hotels in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Maya, Mexico, over the course of 2012. It follows the signing of an agreement with Palace Resorts LLC for the conversion of the prop- erties into Hard Rock Hotels, commencing with Hard Rock Cancun early next year. The 601-bedroom Hard


Rock Cancun will boast a spa with outdoor palapa-style massage areas and an “expansive poolscape”. Hard Rock Puerto Vallarta is also due to


Facilities at Aventura Spa Palace include a spa with 75 treatment rooms


open during the first half of 2012 and is to include two swimming pools; a spa area; four restaurants and a Moon Lounge. Elsewhere, Hard Rock Riviera Maya will


combine two Palace Resorts properties - Aventura Cove Palace and Aventura Spa Palace - and is due to open in the second half of 2012.


Te 489-bedroom Aventura Cove Palace will be transformed to boast a dinner theatre venue; swimming pools; four bars; and family-friendly facilities such as a teen club. Meanwhile, the 777-bedroom adults-


only Aventura Spa Palace, which will also be rebranded, currently incorporates a spa with a total of 75 treatment rooms and offering the signature Temazcal treatment.


Waldorf Astoria to enter The Netherlands


Hilton Worldwide has con- firmed that it will open its first Waldorf Astoria-branded property in Te Netherlands, aſter securing a new agree- ment with Dijkhuis Vastgoed Management. Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam


will launch in 2013 and will see six historic buildings along- side the Herengracht canal combined in order to house the 94-bedroom hotel. Facilities will include a


Payne will head a new management arm at Topaz


Former Champneys MD Ray Payne joins Topaz


Ray Payne, former managing director of Champneys Health Resorts, has joined spa consultancy and management company, Topaz. Payne, who spent 12 years at the helm of Champneys, has been tasked with leading a new division for the company, Topaz Management Services (TMS). TMS will focus exclusively on the hos-


pitality, spa and wellness sectors to offer a contractual management service along with management and marketing consultancy services. Payne said his decision to leave Champneys came as he felt it was time to “offer his experience and expertise to other businesses in the industry”. “I had originally planned to set up on my


own as a consultant,” said Payne. “But seeing the diverse range of activities that Topaz is involved with, I decided to approach them with the idea of creating a dedicated busi- ness which would provide management services to the hospitality sector.”


Hilton Worldwide is exapnding its Waldorf Astoria portfolio in Europe


500sq m (5,382sq ft) health club and spa, in addition to a number of din- ing experiences and 400sq m (4,306sq ſt) of conference and meeting space. John Vanderslice, global head of luxury and


lifestyle brands at Hilton Worldwide, said: “Te Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts brand has become a touchstone for defining luxury


experiences and its growth is one of the stron- gest in its hospitality segment. “Our hotels are destinations of elegant


style and comfort, reflecting great design and architecture in thoughtful details and Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam will be an exquisite asset to our brand when it opens in 2013.”


Self-help author jailed over sweat lodge deaths


Self-help author James Arthur Ray has been sent to prison for negligent homicide following the death of three people during a sweat lodge ceremony in, Arizona, US, in October 2009. According to reports, Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow


© CYBERTREK 2011


sentenced Ray to three two-year terms to run concurrently, as well as being ordered to pay restitution. A further 18 people were hospita- lised following the incident. Te prosecution argued that Ray had increased the heat to dan- gerous levels and ignored pleas for help.


Twitter: @spaopps


New group spa manager for Leela Palaces


The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has confirmed the appointment of Tricia Bannister as its new group spa manager, who will oversee spa operations at the group’s eight properties. Bannister joins the Mumbai, India-based


hospitality operator from Agua Spa at Te Delano in Miami Beach, US, and has more than 20 years of experience of spa opera- tions in the US. Madhu Nair, the director of interior


design and operations at Te Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts said, “Tricia brings with her an impeccable reputation for excellence and a proven record in developing, opening, marketing and managing spa facilities.”


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