Virgin Group is entering the hotel industry with Virgin Hotels. Leading the new hotel brand are Anthony Marino as managing partner and former Desires Hotels president Raul Leal (pictured), who will serve as Virgin Hotels’ president and CEO.
“Virgin is the only opportunity I would have left Desires for,” Raul Leal tells HD exclusively. “The industry doesn’t need another brand, but this is different. Virgin is such a global lifestyle brand-with great service, design, technology, and innovation, the crossover to hotels seems simple. I wanted to play a part in the global growth.”
The brand is expecting to have a robust pipeline of 4-Star hotels (25 properties are slated over the next seven years, mostly conversion locations vs. new-builds), with the first to open in 12-15 months domestically (with London on the horizon). The design will be definitely Virgin, with the airport clubhouse concept as one of the staples, yet in a different format. The hotels will range from 150 to 400 guestrooms and include restaurants.
And it’s something they think their customers want. “One of the reasons I joined, they have done such tremendous research, finding out what their consumers like and what they dislike,” Leal says.
