Marriott to go ‘smoke-free’ from September BY Helen Patenall | 20 Jul 2006 Marriott International has announced that all its hotel brands in the US and Canada will become 100 per cent smoke-free from September.
Believe It or Not! to open in China BY Helen Patenall | 20 Jul 2006 Ripley Entertainment has announced plans to open a Believe It or Not! museum in China in mid 2007.
Carnegie Museum revamps dinosaur exhibition BY Helen Patenall | 17 Jul 2006 Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania, US, will reopen its Dinosaur Hall as Dinosaurs in their World in late 2007.
Blackstone acquires Center Parcs Europe 14 Jul 2006 The Blackstone Group, the New York-based private equity firm, has acquired seven Center Parcs holiday villages from Center Parcs Europe – a subsidiary of Paris-based Pierre & Vacances Group – for an undisclosed sum.
Ocean Park implements smoking ban 14 Jul 2006 Hong Kong theme park Ocean Park has announced that the site’s grounds will be smoke free from tomorrow (15 July).
Danish theme parks open new film theatres BY Helen Patenall | 13 Jul 2006 New theatres showing 4D and 5D films have opened in two Danish theme parks – Bakken and Fårup Sommerland – to provide film attractions for visitors of all ages.
Golden Gaming to operate Las Vegas Hard Rock’s gaming facilities 13 Jul 2006 Morgans Hotel Group (MHG) has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with casino operator Golden Gaming regarding the management contract of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Fitness First to move into India 12 Jul 2006 Fitness First, the UK-based fitness chain, has announced its intention to launch the brand in India.
£62m arena approved for Glasgow 12 Jul 2006 Scotland’s £62m National Arena has been given full planning approval by Glasgow City Council.
Six Flags NY launches interactive attraction BY Sarah Todd | 12 Jul 2006 US-based theme park operator Six Flags has opened a new interactive play structure at its White Water Bay water park within the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge in New York.
Guggenheim Museum planned for UAE 11 Jul 2006 The New York-based Guggenheim Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi government to open a new museum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Adelaide Wildlife Trail launches new visitor guide BY Helen Patenall | 10 Jul 2006 South Australian zoos, sanctuaries, parks and wildlife attractions have joined forces to launch a new visitor guide for the Adelaide Wildlife Trail.
Motor racing project planned for Iceland 10 Jul 2006 Work on a 130m euro (£89.9m, US$165.7m), 370-hectare (914-acre) motor racing development in Reykjanesbae near Reykjavik, Iceland, is scheduled to begin later this year.
Macquarie Leisure announces AUS$51m uplift BY Helen Patenall | 10 Jul 2006 Australia-based Macquarie Leisure Trust (MLT) has announced that its Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast in Queensland has benefited from an AUS$51m (£20.6m, 30m euro, US$38m) valuation uplift.
Sacred City of Caral has reopened to tourists visiting Peru BY Helen Patenall | 10 Jul 2006 The Sacred City of Caral in Peru, South America, has re-opened to tourists following extensive archeological restoration work carried out by the Proyecto Especial Arqueólogico Caral-Supe (Caral-Supe Special Archeological Project).
GIMV sells its stake in LA Gym 07 Jul 2006 GIMV has sold its stake in the Antwerp-based LA Gym health club chain to HealthCity, the largest fitness chain in the Netherlands with 30 clubs.
Free kids’ gym on offer in Boston 07 Jul 2006 Body By Brandy 4 Kidz – an independent, not-for-profit children’s gym – has opened in the US, in Boston, Massachusetts.
4event opens second facility 07 Jul 2006 Finnish health and wellbeing specialist 4event has opened a 1,000sq m (10,800sq ft) facility – the organisation’s second – at a cost of 19m euro (£13m).
Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra has unveiled a major landscape project designed to improve biodiversity, manage water and increase climate resilience across the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Elevate has had its busiest show to date, with almost 200 exhibitors, 115 seminars and 200 speakers over two days, with numbers understood to be up by ten per cent over the two days.
A new report from Your Personal Training (YPT) suggests UK gym operators could be missing out on revenue and retention opportunities they could be enjoying if they maximised the performance of their personal training businesses.
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House Hotel and Spa in St Albans, UK.
“For 5,000 years humans have been emotionally moved by artworks, but the relationship has always flowed in one direction,” said Refik Anadol, artist and co-founder of the world’s first AI art museum. “While developing Dataland we asked ourselves, ‘Is it possible for artworks to feel us back?’”
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey and Company’s Future of Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-day destination.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider, HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Researchers in the US have identified an antibody which could greatly reduce the loss of lean muscle mass in people who are taking weight-loss medications.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
