Frankfurt-based Steigenberger Hotels has announcd plans to open new properties in the spa towns of Merano in Italy and Norderney in the north of Germany.

The 30m euro (£20.6m, US$37.3m) Hotel Therme Meran – due to open in early 2006 – features a 1,150sq m (12,400sq ft) Deluxe Spa, comprising nine beauty treatment cabins, an indoor pool, a whirlpool, a Finnish sauna, a soft aroma bath, a Turkish steam bath, experience showers, a solarium, a heated outdoor pool and a fitness room.

The hotel spa – which is designed by Mattheo Thun – will also feature a tunnel through to the new 7,500sq m (80,730sq ft) Therme Meran Spa Building, which boasts 25 different pools, a spa and a Vitality Centre. Treatments use local South Tyrolean produce such as grapes and whey.

In Germany, the 65m euro (£44.6m, US$80.9m) Steigenberger Spa Hotel Norderney is scheduled to open in 2008. It will have a 2,000sq m (21,500sq ft) wellness area with saunas, ice grottos, steamrooms, a whirlpool, beauty area, a swimming pool and a relaxation terrace on the top floor.