The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C. has opened its first luxury resort in Japan on the tropical island of Okinawa.

The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa is the ultimate luxury destination for visitors to an island that is rich in championship golf courses and surrounded by pristine emerald waters that are perfect for waterborne activities.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has today announced that it will manage a luxury hotel which is under development in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, China.

Mandarin Oriental, Chengdu, which is slated to open in 2015, will form part of a prestigious mixed-use development located on a prime riverfront site in the Jin-jiang district, close to the city’s key commercial and entertainment areas and opposite the ancient Wang-jiang Park, which dates back to the Ming dynasty.

Italian industrial designer Michele Puzzolante has come up with a conceptual floating luxury hotel suite he claims could be entirely self-powering thanks to the dye-sensitized solar cells which would be integrated into the vessel’s walls.

The Berkeley, London, has teamed up with award-winning synchronised swimming team Aquabatix to offer a weekly 90-minute master class in the hotel’s rooftop pool this July, treating underwater ballerinas to panoramic views of Hyde Park.

Movie firm Paramount has announced plans to launch a chain of hotels. The hotels will be luxury properties with ‘elements of the California lifestyle’.

The firm, one of the most active studios in Hollywood and the name behind movies ranging from Breakfast at Tiffany’s to Mission Impossible, plans to create up to 50 hotels and resorts themed around Hollywood and California.

Wondering where the film stars stay when they’re in Cannes? We’ve taken a look at some of the French town’s hottest hotels and some of the high-profile guests that have crossed the threshold.