Richard Branson says opening of first Virgin hotel in London ‘really special’

Sir Richard Branson said it “feels really special” as he officially opened Virgin’s first hotel in London.

The 74-year-old founder of the Virgin Group drove a giant red suitcase to the new location at 45 Curtain Road in Shoreditch on Tuesday morning, more than five decades after the opening of his first shop in the capital.

“I’m absolutely delighted to celebrate the grand opening of Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch”, he said.

“It’s a beautiful hotel in the heart of the capital.

“It’s fantastic that, when travellers step off our planes in London, they now have somewhere to rest their head and the wonderful Virgin experience continues.

“London is where we started Virgin more than 50 years ago, and it feels really special to mark the opening of our first hotel here.

“Virgin Hotels was built on the idea of doing things differently, and Shoreditch is a perfect reflection of that spirit.”

Virgin Hotels, the Virgin Group’s luxury lifestyle hospitality brand, announced its first hotel in the capital in June 2024.

The company took over the Mondrian Shoreditch hotel and kept it open while completing a phased transformation between August 2024 and April this year.

The newly-completed 120-bed hotel boasts a rooftop pool, a private gym, treatment rooms and rooftop club.

There is also a rooftop Mediterranean-style restaurant called Marlin’s On The Roof, with another restaurant due to open later in the spring.

A 38-seat bar called Hidden Grooves provides a retro ’70s-style setting complete with album-themed cocktails, weekly vinyl sessions and music memorabilia that serves as a nod to the early days of the Virgin Records label.

The first Virgin record shop opened in London in 1971 and, two years later, the business had burgeoned into a record label, a recording studio, a music publisher and an export operation.

James Bermingham, chief executive of Virgin Hotels Collection, said London is “the birthplace of all things Virgin, where Richard started everything”.

“It’s a very important market for us,” he added.

Since its formation in 2010, Virgin Hotels has opened sites in Edinburgh, Glasgow, New Orleans, Nashville, Las Vegas, New York, Dallas and Chicago, with openings in Miami and Denver planned for 2026.

Rates at the London-Shoreditch hotel start from £300 per room per night.