Celebrating Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch

I’ve always believed in dreaming big, and today I packed a trunk to match. Not just any trunk, mind you. This was less carry-on and more carry-all-the-prizes-you-can-pack. 

I was checking into the brand new Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch, in the city where the Virgin brand began, and it felt very fitting to do it with a little bit of fun and frivolity. 

Professional Images / Simon Apps

Commuters stared. Some looked amused, some confused, but this quickly turned into smiles and excitement as we revealed the trunk was packed full of vinyl records for all to enjoy. 

Inside the records we’d hidden hundreds of prizes, including stays at the newly revamped 120-chamber hotel on Curtain Road, along with hundreds of thousands of Virgin Points up for grabs – which can be redeemed on amazing Virgin travel and experiences.  

Professional Images / Simon Apps

This was a great way to kick of the day as we returned to the hotel to reveal its brand-new listening bar Hidden Grooves, a lovely tribute to Virgin’s musical roots. We built our name on records – now inside our beautiful new hotel, we’ve built a space where people can enjoy them again. Who doesn’t remember visiting a Virgin Megastore and listening to music before choosing which album to buy? This is exactly the feeling of nostalgia we wanted to recreate with Hidden Grooves.

Tom Sullam

The team has done such a brilliant job transforming the hotel. It has a fabulous rooftop pool, stunning new suites with Virgin Hotels’ iconic red doors and famous 'lounge beds’, and access to exclusive treats via Virgin’s Lucy app. Virgin Red members can also earn and spend Virgin Points on stays at the hotel too. Guests can also enjoy Marlin's on the Roof restaurant, a private gym, treatment rooms and rooftop club. I can’t wait to try the new signature restaurant, arriving later this spring. It’s fantastic that when travellers step off our Virgin Atlantic planes in London, they now have somewhere to rest their head and the wonderful Virgin experience continues. 

Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch

It wouldn’t have been a Virgin launch without a party, and it was fun to make a futuristic entrance. After going out for dinner, I was picked up in what could look like a rather ordinary car – but it wasn’t. It drove itself. The car came courtesy of Wayve, a company we are proud to have invested in that is developing autonomous driving technology. It’s so thrilling to see it driving on the streets of London. More on that soon!

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 Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch is a perfect reflection of that spirit.