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head honcho was knighted in 2000 . Until now .
In August , Virgin opened Virgin Hotels London- Shoreditch , a conversion of the former Mondrian , giving it presence in a city that is not only known for its chic hotels , but a city that birthed the Virgin brand name . At the same time , the artsy and hip Shoreditch neighborhood , far from the glitz of Mayfair and the tourist throngs of Soho , is home to a cluster of hotels — from The Hoxton to One Hundred Shoreditch — that fit closer in the shape of a Virgin hotel , with its distinct stylings ( think shiny , red phones and SMEG fridges ) and lifestyle mentality .
To hear it from the Dublinborn Bermingham , having a hotel in London matters . “ It ’ s a big milestone . London is the home of all things Virgin ,” he said . In a way , it helps to further close a circle , as Bermingham noted , ably tapping into passenger airlift through Virgin Atlantic and travel through Virgin Atlantic Holidays . The idea or strategy , Bermingham noted , is to have a Virgin property in every destination Virgin flies to . ( Virgin Atlantic Holidays is the holiday wholesaler of Virgin Atlantic and generates thousands of room nights for Virgin properties , particularly in New York and Las Vegas , which is one of the reasons , Bermingham said , it prioritizes destinations Virgin flies to .)
The London hotel , the ninth Virgin hotel , is in partnership with the Reuben Brothers , the
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A King Chamber at Virgin Hotels New York City .
siblings and broader family no stranger to the hotel industry , with numerous investments , including another recent , conspicuous opening , the revamped The Surrey , A Corinthia Hotel , in New York . “ I am incredibly excited to be partnering with Virgin Hotels in London , the city that Sir Richard Branson and I are proud to be from ,” said Jamie Reuben , principal at Reuben Brothers , at the time of the deal . Virgin ’ s relationship with the Reuben Brothers runs long and deep , tied socially to Branson and his family .
GROWTH PATH Virgin ’ s British pedigree makes it seem all that more backwards that Virgin Hotels ’ expansion mode started in the U . S . before making its way across the pond .
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It was , however , by design , Bermingham said . To wit , the first Virgin hotel opened in Chicago in 2015 , in what was a former bank building . Virgin was a managing maverick in those early days : Branson famously railed against hidden charges and what he deemed the absurdity of having to pay $ 10 for a chocolate bar . Those Virgin Hotel SMEGs are stocked with snacks and drinks at street prices .
Virgin , expectedly , does things a bit differently than other hotel companies . There are the small things , such as calling rooms “ chambers ,” to the larger design maneuvers , like dividing the chambers into what Bermingham calls two experiences : the dressing room , a combination of wardrobe , bathroom and makeup area ,
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which is separate from the interior , or the lounge part of the guestroom . Food and beverage programming is operated in-house and inspired by each hotel market . “ The culinary offerings you ’ ll see in New York are far different than in New Orleans ,” Bermingham said . A third prong is technology : Lucy , Virgin ’ s app , is described as a personal comfort assistant . Guests can check-in via the app , which doubles as the room key . On property , guests can use it to ask for things like an extra pillow , laundry pickup or room service . TVs and air conditioning can also be controlled through the app .
After Chicago , subsequent U . S . hotels cropped up , including the long-awaited Virgin Hotels New York City ,
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Oct / Nov 2024 hotelsmag . com 37 |