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Virgin Atlantic boss, Richard Branson, has acquired the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The property with about 1,500 rooms and suites off the Las Vegas Strip will now become Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Reports said the hotel will continue to operate under the Hard Rock brand through the end of 2019, when the renovations are expected to be completed.
“Virgin is all about fun, entertainment, not taking ourselves too seriously,” Branson said. “Virgin Atlantic has had a lot of fun flying tons of people to Las Vegas from Britain for many years. Virgin America has done the same, and we wouldn’t have just come to Las Vegas unless we could’ve found the property that was very Virgin, and I think that’s what we’ve achieved.”
The only Virgin Hotel opened so far is in Chicago. Others are planned for New York, Dallas, New Orleans, Nashville, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Palm Springs, California, and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Branson has run a number of businesses under the Virgin brand, including records, airlines, wireless carrier and a commercial space venture.