A Japanese team is developing artificial gravity, Accor takes over IHG’s Six Senses New York project, and the Maldives Floating City is moving ahead. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
At Rancho Pescadero, a hangover is part of the experience
A villa at Rancho Pescadero; photo by Albert Lewis
The recently renovated Rancho Pescadero in Baja California Sur, Mexico will reopen in September after a four-year hiatus. Spanning 30 acres with 103 oceanfront suites, the resort also boasts a 25,000-square-foot wellness center with programming that runs the gamut from traditional (cacao ceremonies) to nontraditional (the Hangover Experience), where they, according to Bloomberg Pursuits, want you to get drunk. Centered around a Maya hangover cure, the experience involves making traditional dish cochinita pibil, preparing tinctures, and telling stories around a fire, designed to feed mind, body, and spirit and help guests connect to the local community.
Maldives Floating City to accept residents in 2024
An aerial view of the Maldives Floating City; rendering courtesy of Waterstudio + Dutch Docklands
Architecture firms Waterstudio and Dutch Docklands have been working with the Maldives government to create a solution for rising sea levels, expected to render the islands uninhabitable by 2050. The solution? A floating city. According to Hypebeast, the Maldives Floating City (MFC) will comprise 5,000 modular units spanning hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and homes. The new city will accept residents starting in 2024, with completion scheduled for 2027.
Six Senses New York replaced by Faena
A rendering of the forthcoming hotel, which will now open as Faena New York
The New York property slated to become Six Senses’ first hotel in the U.S. will now be the Faena New York, according to a recent article by Travel Sort. Faena Group, which partnered with Accor in early 2021 to expand its international presence, will absorb the hotel into its growing portfolio, marking Faena’s third location following outposts in Miami and Buenos Aires. The Bjarke Ingels Group-designed buildings—consisting of two twisting towers that will house both guestrooms and private residences—are slated to open in 2023.
Japanese team develops artificial gravity for outer-space living
A rendering of the proposed artificial gravity facility that could make living in outer space possible
Japan-based Kajima Construction Co. and researchers at Kyoto University believe that human beings living in outer space is imminent by the latter half of the 21st century. To help make this possible, the team is working together to construct artificial gravity. A recent article from Designboom reports that artificial gravity will serve as the basis for the team’s living design, called the Glass, a cylindrical structure that will contain green areas, water, and public transportation—all the comforts of Earth but with an interstellar view, thanks to an opening at the top.
HD Webinar: U.S. development update from Lodging Econometrics
Bruce Ford, senior vice president and director of global business development at Lodging Econometrics, will join Hospitality Design editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen on Thursday, August 4th to share his outlook for U.S. hotel construction through 2024. He will dive into all the movers and shakers, including franchise companies, brands, states, markets, and much more. Ford will also touch on the rise of renovation and conversion project activity across the U.S. and share trends that will influence our industry in the coming years. Seats are limited. Register for the webinar here.
