Since its announcement almost 10 years ago, Richard Branson’s Virgin Hotels has been a brand to watch. Now, as the lifestyle disruptor expands across the U.S. (the first opened in Chicago in 2015), and continues to evolve, its properties are setting a new precedent for experiential design. Looking beyond trend forecasts to conceive immersive hotels so deeply informed by the communities they serve, each property emerges as a local cultural attraction all its own. “Through our design standards, we give it a thread of the Virgin brand. But each hotel should uniquely feel like it’s part of that community,” says Virgin Hotels CEO Raul Leal.

This symbiosis is artfully captured in the brand’s two newest outposts in Nashville and Dallas. “We build these experiences, like the Commons Club [the brand’s signature restaurant and bar], to cater to the locals, but design them in a way that isn’t a caricature or a mimicking of what someone feels Nashville is [for example],” explains Teddy Mayer, vice president of design and technical services for Virgin Hotels. “It’s more in response to what is important to people in the community.” It’s that authenticity that in turn shapes memorable stays.

Virgin Hotels Dallas

The newly constructed hotel in the Dallas Design District exudes an “LA on the Prairie” aesthetic, expressed with natural textures and handcrafted elements that instill warmth as well as a sense of place to “celebrate the spirit and personality of the city,” says Joslyn Taylor, partner with local firm SWOON, the Studio, which served as interior designer of record for the property’s guestrooms, Pool Club, and meeting and event spaces. The polished look of the Pool Club, for example, echoes the Southern California-meets-Dallas theme with a laidback flair and subtle rock ’n’ roll influence, where notes of brass and vibrant colors balance a restrained palette.

Surrealist opulence defines Joel Mozersky’s design of the Commons Club bar area at the Virgin Hotels Dallas

Moroccan-style tiles adorn the guestrooms, known as chambers, alongside white oak millwork, creamy linen drapery, tactile flannel wallcoverings, and sculptural brass light fixtures. Meanwhile, penthouse suites were crafted by Austin designer Joel Mozersky, who also oversaw the Commons Club and Funny Library coffeeshop. Bold colors are employed across the penthouse suite known as Richard’s Flat (named for Branson), while jewel and more brass tones further heighten a sense of luxury. “The overall aesthetic was to create a surrealistic environment that hadn’t been seen before, a journey for the guest that was transformative,” Mozersky says.

But the dreamlike vision hits its eccentric climax in the Funny Library, where Iris Apfel and Alice in Wonderland are channeled in the form of an ostrich feather chandelier and coffered ceilings detailed with walnut beams and brass panels. “We wanted to create something Dallas had not seen yet, something with a wink that didn’t take itself too seriously, but was still design forward,” Mozersky adds. “We were told not to play it safe and to be over the top.”

The influence of Iris Apfel and Alice in Wonderland is amplified in Dallas’ Funny Library with elements like an ostrich feather chandelier suspended from coffered ceilings

Virgin Hotels Nashville

Located on the iconic Music Row, Virgin Nashville, another new build, stands out with a colorful presence amid a slew of hotels in the growing tourist capital. Brooklyn, New York-based architecture and design firm MARKZEFF took the Virgin tradition of localized design a step further, drawing upon an English-inspired music backdrop to complement Virgin’s signature cheekiness. Housed within the concrete building clad in brick crafted by BLUR Workshop and Hastings Architecture, strong materials like brick walls and exposed steel beams form the backdrop for Zeff’s interiors. “We thought that using vernacular building methods and materials would give an understated sense of style,” says MARKZEFF founder Mark Zeff.

In addition to the whimsical yet chic Pool Club, Zeff also cites the Funny Library as one of the project’s crown jewels. “This is a room with splendid ceiling tassels and hanging lighting sculptures with stadium banquettes in hides and rich colors,” he says. “A real tour de force.” References to the city’s heritage abound in the form of locally sourced artwork, custom furniture, and even carpeting that recalls vintage quilts commonly found in the region.

Swathed in the brand’s signature red and white palette, the chic Pool Club at Nashville conveys a transportive quality

Chambers are more subtle, with a clean, tailored look that prioritizes function. Ranging from 290 to 590 square feet, each room boasts privacy doors that separate the sleeping and work area from the hallway, bathroom, and closet. Here, the brand trademark appears via a barn-style sliding door as a nod to Nashville’s horse culture, while also ensuring distance from staff. “It is not design for design’s sake,” Zeff adds. “I want [guests] to be inspired and have memorable times so that they keep on coming back.”

Both Mayer and Leal are confident guests will return to Virgin post-COVID, as the brand’s design signatures already include measures supportive to social distancing. “Even with these urban properties, we’re trying to carve out ample rooftop spaces,” Mayer says. “We call it an adult playground of experiences where you have an outdoor pool, gardens, an outdoor grill. Really, this is a fun exploration of exterior spaces that guests love because they want to be outside.”

“They’re [ideally] positioned for this time,” adds Leal, “because you can work and play here. We’re about choices and I think that’s what people want right now.”

The Shag Room is the centerpiece of the Funny Library in Nashville

This article originally appeared in HD’s December 2020 issue.