Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson opens his first London hotel, more than 50 years after he began his long business career in the capital.
Although Britain’s most famous entrepreneur runs record stores, nightclubs and a restaurant in London, he has never owned a hotel in his hometown.
The 120-bedroom hotel will open in Shoreditch in August, making it Virgin Hotels’ eighth location in the UK and 17th worldwide in the Virgin Hotels Collection, which also includes Necker Island and Ulusaba Game Reserve in South Africa.
Located at 45 Curtain Road in the heart of the East End, the hotel currently operates as Mondrian Shoreditch. From 1 August it will be rebranded as Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch, followed by a “phased transformation to transform the hotel into a fully-fledged Virgin hotel”.
Facilities include Spanish restaurant BiBo, a rooftop bar, pool, private members’ club, gym and treatment rooms managed by Ibiza’s Blue Marlin. Details of room rates are not yet available.
Sir Richard said: “We are all delighted that Virgin Hotels Collection will be opening a Virgin Hotel in London. Since the founding of Virgin Hotels, we have
Our sights are set on London, a place that many of our customers call home or is one of their favourite travel destinations – and of course, where the Virgin story began.
“At Virgin, we have been revolutionising travel for over 40 years, from land to air to sea – even into space. Our success is built on recognising where we can make a difference.
“Virgin Atlantic customers have always told me that we give them a wonderful experience in the sky, but when they land they don’t get the same Virgin experience. Well, we’ve fixed that in Las Vegas, New York, Edinburgh and now London.”
