Richard Branson Chooses Edinburgh for First UK Virgin Hotel
Global tycoon Sir Richard Branson has announced Edinburgh as the location for the first Virgin Hotel outside the United States.
India Buildings at the top of the city’s Victoria Street will be converted into a 225-room high-end hotel with multiple dining and drinking outlets, expected to open in 2020.
The hotel is also intended to host a wide-range of events, including gigs by local musicians. The announcement was hailed as “a huge coup for Edinburgh” and is forecast to boost the local economy by £5 million. Around 200 full-time jobs are expected to be created at the hotel. Virgin opened its first hotel in Chicago in 2015, based in a historic downtown office building and several more are under construction in the US.
Sir Richard said: “Edinburgh is such an iconic city and we’re thrilled to be able to say it will be the home of the first Virgin Hotel in the UK and across Europe