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Virgin Hotels

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Virgin Hotels
IndustryHospitality
FoundedNew York City, USA (2010 (2010))
Headquarters
Miami
,
United States
Number of locations
8 (2024)
Area served
United Kingdom
United States
Key people
James Bermingham, CEO
ProductsHotels
ParentVirgin Hotels Collection[1](owned by Virgin Group)
Websitevirginhotels.com

Virgin Hotels is a brand of hotels created by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, launched in 2010.[2]

History

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The Virgin Hotel Chicago, which was the company's first property.

In October 2011 Virgin Hotels bought the 27-story Old Dearborn Bank Building in the Loop area of Chicago for $14.8 million from Urban Street Group LLC.[3] On January 15, 2015 the first Virgin Hotel opened.[4] In February 2019, Virgin Hotels opened at its second location in San Francisco, CA on 4th street, near to Yerba Buena Gardens. One element of Virgin Hotels' business plan was to acquire distressed properties in North America cheaply during the property downturn, but banks decided to hold distressed real-estate assets until the market for them rebounded rather than sell them so the company fell well behind its planned timetable.[5]

Further hotels are being planned in New York City and Nashville.[6] The 300 room New York site will be located on the corner of 29th Street and Broadway.[7] The 240 room Nashville property is to be located at One Music Row.[6] The San Francisco hotel opened on 4th street in February 2019. The Dallas hotel which was the latest to open in December 2019 and is located in the Design District, near Downtown Dallas.[citation needed]

The group aims to have hotels in 9 locations by 2025. When asked about the operation, Virgin's Richard Branson said "There won’t be hidden charges, and you won’t get charged $10 for a chocolate bar you know you can buy at a store for $2."[8] Branson has said the brand is geared toward the female business traveler.[9] The British-based Virgin Hotels Group Limited also owns the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio of properties that include luxury resorts such as Necker Island.[10]

In January 2018, rumours arose regarding Virgin's early negotiations toward purchasing the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[11] As of March 2018, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is expected to be rebranded as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas by the end of 2019.[12] On 5 May 2021, the Las Vegas hotel was opened to the general public.[13]

Locations

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Virgin Hotel New York City

Current properties

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As of 2024, Virgin Hotels operates at the following locations:[14]

  • Virgin Hotels Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
  • Virgin Hotels Dallas (Dallas, Texas)
  • Virgin Hotels Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland)
  • Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada)
  • Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch (London, England)
  • Virgin Hotels Nashville (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Virgin Hotels New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana)
  • Virgin Hotels New York City (New York City, New York)

Future properties

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  • Virgin Hotels Miami (Miami, Florida) - 2026[14]
  • Virgin Hotels Denver (Denver, Colorado) - 2026[15][14]

Former properties

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  • Virgin Hotels San Francisco (San Francisco, California) - closed after a lawsuit regarding the management contract[16]
  • Virgin Hotels Glasgow (Glasgow, Scotland) - closed due to the management contractor entering administration[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Virgin Limited Edition - Announcing Virgin Hotels Collection". www.virginlimitededition.com.
  2. ^ "Virgin Hotels in deal with John Buck Co. to enter Chicago market". Chicago Real Estate Daily. 2011-10-24. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  3. ^ "In brief: Franklin Center - 22 W. Washington - Virgin Hotels". Chicago Real Estate Daily. 2011-11-28. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  4. ^ Tabbara, Mona (16 January 2015). "Virgin Hotels' first property opens in Chicago". TTG Digital. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015.
  5. ^ Karmin, Craig (2014-04-20). "Richard Branson's Virgin Hotels Are Slow to Launch: Entrepreneur Plans a Third U.S. Hotel, but First Is Unfinished". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  6. ^ a b "Virgin Hotels - coming to Nashville". Virgin Group. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Virgin Hotel to open in New York in 2016". USA Today. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  8. ^ Earle-Levine, Julie (2015-01-13). "Richard Branson Enters the City Hotel Scene". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-20.
  9. ^ Karmin, Craig (2015-01-13). "Richard Branson Pitches Virgin Hotels as Female-Friendly: First Property to Open in Chicago; Safety Features, Well-Lit Vanities Court Women". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2015-01-20.
  10. ^ "About Us". Virgin Limited Edition. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  11. ^ "Sources: Virgin Hotels could possibly buy Hard Rock in Las Vegas". January 20, 2018.
  12. ^ Bennett, Andrea (30 March 2018). "Sir Richard Branson on Virgin's Takeover of Hard Rock Vegas Hotel: It'll Be 'Tasteful, Fun'". Condé Nast Traveler.
  13. ^ "Virgin Hotels open". 22 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  14. ^ a b c "Discover Our Hotels Across the US & UK | Virgin Hotels". virginhotels.com.
  15. ^ "Virgin hotel to be part of new development in Denver". www.travelweekly.com.
  16. ^ Caswell, Mark (9 May 2020). "Virgin Hotels files lawsuit against owner of San Francisco property". Business Traveller. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Closing Statement | Virgin Hotels Glasgow". virginhotels.com.
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Media related to Virgin Hotels at Wikimedia Commons

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