HOSPITALITY DESIGN INSIGHTS

Art Deco history began at the 1925 Paris Exposition: its modern-only rule, Ruhlmann's pavilion, Lalique glass, Melnikov, and how the style spread and faded.

What qilou are: the arcaded shophouses of southern China, from Singapore's five-foot way to Guangzhou's 1912 street rules and their decline.

Tadao Ando, the self-taught Osaka architect: his exposed concrete, the Church of the Light, the Water Temple, Naoshima and the 1995 Pritzker Prize.

Chef Ross Shonhan's path from Nobu and Zuma to Bone Daddies ramen in London and warayaki grills in Dubai, set against Japanese dining's growth abroad.

Japanese glass fishing floats, or ukidama, from Norway's 1840s invention to Otaru's Asahara Glass and the floats that still wash up on Pacific beaches.

The history of neon signs, from the 1898 discovery of neon and Georges Claude's 1910 Paris tube to glass bending, Las Vegas and Hong Kong.

A history of cast iron architecture, from the 1779 Iron Bridge and Ditherington Flax Mill to Paddington, Leadenhall Market and SoHo in New York.

Brass in interior design, from Roman aurichalcum and Dinant dinanderie to Bristol's zinc works, tarnish, lacquer and antimicrobial brass surfaces.

Carrara marble explained: how the Apuan Alps stone formed, how Rome and Michelangelo used it, how it is quarried, and its grades from Statuario to Calacatta.

Peranakan tiles explained: the English, Belgian and Japanese majolica tiles on Straits shophouses, how they were made and where to see them in Singapore.

The open kitchen, from Escoffier's hidden Savoy brigade and the diner counter to Spago in 1982, plus how designers plan it and what research shows.

How restaurant wine walls store and display wine, from storage temperature and light to Champagne's chalk cellars, Bordeaux chais and Aureole's wine tower.

A history of the sky bar, from New York's 1890s roof gardens and the 1934 Rainbow Room to revolving restaurants and Asia's hotel sky bars.

The history of the hotel bar, from New York’s Waldorf and the Savoy’s American Bar to the Raffles Long Bar, the King Cole Bar and Bemelmans Bar.

Wellness tourism traced from Roman Bath and the Great Spa Towns of Europe to Japan's onsen, Rancho La Puerta and the modern hotel spa.

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong history, from The Mandarin's 1963 opening on Connaught Road to the Oriental Bangkok stake and the 2006 reopening.

Marina Bay history: how Singapore reclaimed land from 1971, dammed the bay with the Marina Barrage and built the Esplanade, Helix Bridge and Marina Bay Sands.

Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi opened in 2005: WATG's design, 114 domes, 22-carat gold leaf, its conference role and the move from Kempinski to Mandarin Oriental.

Sheikh Zayed Road history, from the 1979 Dubai World Trade Centre and 1990s rebuild to Emirates Towers, the Metro Red Line and the Museum of the Future.

How Muscat grew from Old Muscat's walled harbour and 1580s forts along the coast to Mutrah, the Qurum mangroves, the Grand Mosque and Shatti Al-Qurum.

Cotai, the reclaimed land joining Macau's Taipa and Coloane: the 1968 causeway, the Lotus Bridge, the Cotai Strip resorts, the LRT and island heritage.

The Huangpu River from the drainage works of the Lake Tai plain to the Bund's banks, Lujiazui's towers, the Expo 2010 site and Shanghai's riverside paths.