Sir Richard Branson plans hotel chain
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin group is to launch into the hotel market, opening a chain of four-star properties across North America.
Cities cited for the first openings include New York, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington DC, but Branson intends to open in other countries worldwide in the future.
A new website www.virginhotels.com invites property owners and developers to consider ‘getting into bed’ with the Virgin group.
It says: "We are keen to discover a range of interesting, authentic and high quality 150-400 room properties in appealing neighbourhoods that will meet the expectations of travellers in the ‘creative class’ – a culture and mindset that represent the values of our target guest."
Virgin Hotels is looking to acquire properties up to $500m over the next three years. It says it will buy hotels outright or operate them as a third party manager.
In order to develop its hotels business, Virgin has established a property venture with entrepreneur Alberto Beeck and hospitality and real estate investor Diego Lowenstein.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports