Virgin Hotels is a brand of hotels created by Sir Richard Branson 's Virgin Group , launched in 2010.
27-703: 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. On January 15, 2015 the first Virgin Hotel opened. 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
54-453: A 1920s oak cigar bar, brass elevator lobby doors and a tiled ceiling. The final layout of 250 rooms includes 40 single-room suites and 2 penthouse suites. All rooms are pet friendly. Under the auspices of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, the renovation included brick, window and steel-frame replacement. The focal point of the renovated building is the publicly accessible Commons Club on
81-417: A chocolate bar you know you can buy at a store for $ 2." Branson has stated that the brand is geared toward the female business traveler. Bloomberg Business ' s Jennifer Parker noted that the hotel was on the cutting edge of technology upon its opening, but questioned whether the hotel had any gender leanings. She found fault with the gym, toiletries, and delayed spa opening, but enjoyed the social ambiance,
108-620: A complex structure that contains elements of a generic conglomerate and a keiretsu , and sometimes it simply licences its brand. Examples of licensing are Virgin Records and Virgin Media , which are owned by Universal Music Group and Liberty Global respectively. In mid-May 2013, the Virgin Group expressed its intention to seek out opportunities in Australia's healthcare industry to consolidate on
135-473: A hotel run via a mobile app -based business model. The 250-room hotel is the first of Richard Branson 's Virgin Hotels brand boutique hotels geared toward the female business traveller. Situated at the intersection of East Lake Street and North Wabash Avenue, the Old Dearborn Bank Building was constructed between 1926 and 1928 with ornate medieval and mythological terra-cotta decoration that
162-548: A steel structure includes 25 floors above ground and two below. The owners of the building defaulted on a $ 9 million loan from John Hancock Life Insurance resulting in the acquisition of the loan (and thus the property) for an undisclosed amount by Urban Street Properties LLC in April 2010. The building had been acquired by the previous owners for $ 9.5 million in 2001. On October 24, 2011, Virgin Hotels , part of Virgin Group , purchased
189-459: Is listed as 1989 by Companies House , who class it as a holding company ; however, Virgin's business and trading activities date back to the 1970s. The net worth of Virgin Group was estimated at £3 billion as of early 2023. The name "Virgin" arose in 1970 when Richard Branson and Nik Powell formed a record shop , first as mail order and in 1971 with a physical store. They considered themselves virgins in business. Branson has described
216-642: The Virgin Limited Edition portfolio of properties that include luxury resorts such as Necker Island . In January 2018, rumours arose regarding Virgin's early negotiations toward purchasing the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As of March 2018, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is expected to be rebranded as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas by the end of 2019. On 5 May 2021, the Las Vegas hotel was opened to
243-506: The "Foodpreneur" food and drink focused start-up competition. Winners received mentorship from Branson, legal support, and brand counseling. The 2014 winners included Proper Beans, Killer Tomato, Sweetpea Pantry, and Sweet Virtues. In 2015, winners were given the opportunity to pitch Target Corporation buyers in the US. The 2015 winners included Pip & Nut, Double Dutch Drinks, Harry Bromptons, Cauli Rice, and Mallow and Marsh. Only one start-up
270-452: The "V" in the logo as an expressive tick , representing the Virgin seal of approval. The original logo from 1973 was a completely different design intended to be used for the record company that was founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell . The logo was designed by British science-fiction artist and designer Roger Dean . According to Richard Branson in interviews and on the Virgin website,
297-686: The Group's Australian fitness centres. The Group also runs over 100 National Health Service (NHS) services in the United Kingdom and the healthcare division of medical services group Assura after entering the British healthcare industry in 2011. Virgin Group announced the establishment of Virgin Voyages on 4 December 2014 with financial backing from Bain Capital . The cruise line would be led by CEO Tom McAlpin , would have two new large ships built and be based in
SECTION 10
#1732852062116324-621: The Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. Virgin StartUp is the Virgin Group's non-profit company, helping entrepreneurs across the UK to start, fund and scale their business. In 2013, Sir Richard visited Boxpark in Shoreditch, London, to launch the new organisation, revealing that he wanted to support anyone that had the same dreams and ambitions that he did as a young boy: “It was £300 from my mum that sparked
351-476: The Virgin adventure 40 years ago. Today, young people need that same help and I believe Virgin StartUp will provide it – with access to early capital, strong mentorship, advice and promotion.” The organisation became a delivery partner for the UK Government's Start Up Loans Company, providing loan finance of between £500 and £25,000, advice, and mentoring to thousands of start-ups across the country. In 2016, it
378-452: The app can order more pillows, handle room service orders, and serve as a remote control for both the television and the hotel's music library. The website also suggests that the app can control room temperature, interface with the chat board, provide local knowledge, and coordinate your messages with hotel staff. When asked about the operation, Virgin's Richard Branson said "There won’t be hidden charges, and you won’t get charged $ 10 for
405-428: The building with the aim of opening it as their first hotel in 2013 with approximately 250 rooms. The transaction was an all-cash deal that was valued at about $ 14 million. The company hired The John Buck Company to renovate the building. The lead architect for the renovation was Booth Hansen. The co-designers for the interior renovation were Rockwell Group Europe and Virgin Hotels' in-house design team. The purchase
432-519: The general public. As of 2024, Virgin Hotels operates at the following locations: [REDACTED] Media related to Virgin Hotels at Wikimedia Commons Virgin Hotels Chicago The Virgin Hotels Chicago (formerly Old Dearborn Bank Building or 203 North Wabash Avenue ) is a historic building in the Loop community area of Chicago , Illinois , that has been converted from use as an office building to use as
459-892: The head offices for other Virgin Group owned companies, such as Virgin Red, Virgin Unite, Virgin StartUp, Virgin Limited Edition & Big Change. Previously, the Virgin Group were based at the Porchester Building in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , The Battleship Building in Paddington , a district of the City of Westminster and at The School House in Brook Green , in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . The Virgin Group of companies have
486-698: The more recent signature logo, introduced in 1978, was based on one that designer Ray Kyte scribbled on a napkin after a design meeting. Virgin Group has its headquarters in Whitfield Studios in Soho , a district of the City of Westminster . The group moved to this location in November 2024, the space is renowned for its music history as a creative hub for musical legends such as the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Spice Girls & Amy Winehouse. Whitfield Studios also houses
513-401: The normal retail prices of minibar items (rather than more standard hotel overpricing) and the top notch free Wi-Fi . She found many of the appealing elements of the designed to be dubiously marketed, but appealing nonetheless. Chicago Tribune ' s Pulitzer Prize -winning architecture critic, Blair Kamin , praised the incorporation of various wildlife into the decor and numerous elements of
540-617: 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. Further hotels are being planned in New York City and Nashville . The 300 room New York site will be located on the corner of 29th Street and Broadway . The 240 room Nashville property is to be located at One Music Row . The San Francisco hotel opened on 4th street in February 2019. The Dallas hotel which
567-688: The rehab resulting from the alliance of real estate developers and historic preservationists, but made it clear that Virgin Hotels Chicago is not the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago or Ritz-Carlton (Four Seasons) . He describes this as a successful recycling of a second-tier historic building. Virgin Group Virgin Group is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970. Virgin Group's date of incorporation
SECTION 20
#1732852062116594-436: The second floor, with a contemporary-style bar, a full kitchen, a lounge area, curated books and local memorabilia. At the time of opening, four additional dining options were expected within three months. The area was carved out of a former second-floor banking hall. The visitors use a mobile app, named Lucy, that the company describes as a "personal comfort assistant". According to Mary Forgione of The Los Angeles Times ,
621-488: Was announced winner of the 2017 Foodpreneur prize, The Snaffling Pig Co ., who won a six-week rental space at Intu Lakeside, the retail center with the highest foot traffic in the U.K. The group's health business received significant media coverage over its legal battle with NHS groups. It sued clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Surrey after it lost out on an £82 million contract to provide children's health services across
648-449: Was awarded European Regional Development Funding and subsequently launched Ready, Steady, Grow with Virgin StartUp, a programme of support aimed at start-ups that were ready to grow. A year later, it launched the UK's first equity-based crowdfunding accelerator programme, Crowdboost. By 2018, the organisation had supported over 11,000 UK-based entrepreneurs, with over £35m in pre-seed funding. In 2014, Branson and Virgin StartUp launched
675-412: Was part of Virgin Hotels' 2010 business plan to acquire distressed properties in North America cheaply during the property downturn. The building opened for business as a hotel on January 15, 2015. The renovation took longer than planned due to the building's city landmark status, which required continuing coordination with the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Original features that were retained include
702-645: Was the latest to open in December 2019 and is located in the Design District, near Downtown Dallas. 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." Branson has said the brand is geared toward the female business traveler. The British-based Virgin Hotels Group Limited also owns
729-606: Was typical of movie palaces that were its contemporaries. The neoclassical architecture designed building is one of only two Rapp and Rapp buildings designed as an office building . Soon after the Old Dearborn Bank opened in 1928, it was acquired and its parent company was liquidated in the United States' Great Depression . The building, which is 27 stories high, was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 4, 2003. The 300-foot (91.4 m) light brown brick building with
#115884