The Virgin Group has diversified into several parts of the hospitality sector, and now it’s their turn to get into the hotel industry. Richard Branson’s group is all set to get under its hood 25 4-star properties by 2017. But you can expect the first hint of hospitability within the next 12 to 18 months. Virgin Hotels will be set up in the North American cities, which are serviced by carrier Virgin America. These cities include New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington. Headed by venture capitalist and managing partner for the Virgin Group’s leisure and hospitality division Anthony Marino, reports suggest that an investment of US$500 million is being made by entrepreneur Alberto Beeck and real estate investor Diego Lowenstein to acquire Virgin-branded hotel assets. As per VirginHotels.com, the hotels will have between 150 and 400 guestrooms and provide for F&B.
Update – Apart from North America, Richard Branson also adds Asia and the moon to the list of locations for his hotels. Though we may not see Virgin Hotels on the lunar surface very soon, we eagerly wait for Richard Branson to cut the red ribbon of Virgin Hotels in Asia at the earliest.
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The Virgin Group to launch a chain of Virgin Hotels in North America
