Sir Richard Branson launches Virgin Hotels

by Melanie Nayer on

It’s official…the Virgin mega-brand is entering the hotel space. Our first clue? The launch of the Virgin Hotels website.

According to the website, the first hotels will open in North America and eventually go global. Branson promises to “re-define the customer journey from pre-arrival to check-out.” Each of the hotels will be at least four-star quality, said Branson, who is currently looking for partnership opportunities with property owners and developers.

Virgin Hotels is currently seeking 150 to 400 room hotels of “interesting, authentic and high quality” design. Branson states on the website that the hotels will feature communal spaces that offer “unique space where our guests can get work done, nourish and refresh themselves, meet other interesting people, or just take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.”

Where will the hotels open first? Rumor has it New York, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Boston have been tapped as top destinations.

The website also includes a pledge from Branson that integrates Virgin flyers and loyalty program members into the project. We smell some more loyalty points programs…

Space tourism one step closer with Virgin Galactic’s first manned flight

by Sean McLachlan on


The VSS Enterprise, also known as SpaceShipTwo, has taken its first crewed flight. It stayed in the air for six hours attached to its mother ship, the VMS Eve. Two crew members stayed aboard and conducted systems tests. This is the latest aviation milestone in an active month that saw the first overnight flight by a solar airplane and the first unmanned solar plane to fly for a whole week.

This “captive carry” flight was the third for the ship. The first flight of the VSS Enterprise was only three months ago and it appears that the project is developing rapidly. Testing will continue into 2011 before commercial flights start. Tickets for the suborbital flight will be $200,000. Another space tourism company, Space Adventures, promises to offer flights for $102,000, although this won’t happen until 2012 at the earliest. While the VSS Enterprise will detach from VMS Eve and soar into suborbital space, the Space Adventures capsule will launch from a traditional rocket.

Virgin Hotels? Sir Richard Branson’s newest project gives travelers a ‘suite’ escape

by Melanie Nayer on

Nothing is out of reach for Virgin-founder Sir Richard Branson. On yesterday’s inaugural flight from Los Angeles to Toronto, Branson dished on all things Virgin, including the upcoming ‘rumored’ Virgin Hotels.

Our friends at HotelChatter.com report that Branson is close to making an announcement about Virgin Hotels, a new luxury hotel option for travelers that will likely compete with top players in the boutique market. Branson was pretty vague about the Virgin Hotel concept, and wouldn’t give any information on when or where the first hotel will launch, but he did say the announcement will be soon.

While we wait with bated breath to uncover this secret location, we’re pretty certain on one thing: like everything Branson does, the Virgin Hotels are sure to make a statement!

We want to know: What would you expect to see inside a Virgin Hotel?

Virgin America Twitter promotion gives 50% off ticket prices

by Melanie Nayer on

[Editor’s note: this deal has expired! Congratulations to those who scored a ticket!]

When Virgin America puts on a sale, they really go all out. Get ready to save, Virgins… err, flyers…

Virgin America’s latest promotion is via their Twitter account. The Red Hot 50% Off Promo is only available for purchase on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 between 1:30 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. EDT. All you have to do is give Virgin America your Twitter account name, or sign up on Twitter, and you’ll be rewarded with a 50 percent off coupon code.

The Red Hot 50% Off Promo must be used for two guests traveling on one itinerary only, and is valid for flights to and from any Virgin America destination. Availability is limited to the first 500 people to book.

Here’s the deal:

  • Login with your twitter account using this link.
  • If you are a @virginamerica follower, then you’ll get your discount if one is still available when you go through the process. If you are not a @virginamerica follower, then once you login, you’ll automatically become a follower.
  • After login, click “Grab a Seat” to use your discount.

We did a quick check of the promo’s validity and found it to be true – we grabbed a promo code and signed up for two round-trip tickets from Los Angeles to San Francisco at the discounted price of $65 per ticket. Stay tuned for more updates from @virginamerica or search #VXRedHot to get more flight deals from Virgin America.

Video of the week (3.26.10)

by Kent Wien on

The Video of the Week for this week shows the first flight of White Night Two while carrying the Virgin Galactic “Enterprise” spacecraft. The flight took place just three days ago and is the latest step toward operating commercial passenger space flights in 2011.

Gadling was there when they unveiled SpaceShipTwo under very stormy skies. But they couldn’t have had a more beautiful day to accomplish this test flight. I can’t imagine what it’s like to sit in the far right side of the giant aircraft. Landing just a few feet from the right side of the runway must take some getting used to. According to a comment on the video, the left side may be used to take observers of the launch in the future. This could be nearly as exciting as going on a launch itself.

As for the experience of travelling weightless over California for a few minutes, would you join the over 330 people who have put down deposits on the $200,000 flights? Virgin Galactic claims another 80,000 people are on the waiting list.

So, if money were no object, would you take a ride?

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