Virgin Hotels San Francisco is now open
I'm thrilled to announce that Virgin Hotels San Francisco is open for business.
It’s our second Virgin Hotel to open its doors, following in the footsteps of Virgin Hotels Chicago (which I’m proud to say was voted Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice for Best Hotel in the US 2016).
I’ve been to San Francisco many, many times over the years and have always loved the city – it embodies so much of what Virgin stands for. So many start-ups call it their home because it is a forward-thinking city with such a strong entrepreneurial energy.
We’ve enjoyed a long love affair with the Bay Area, as it was the home of our US airline, Virgin America, and it’s a perfect fit for Virgin’s next chapter with Virgin Hotels. It’s been built from the ground up on 250 Fourth Street, South of Market, just steps from Yerba Buena Gardens and the Moscone Center.
It’s going to have 192 specially designed Chambers and two penthouse suites. Virgin Hotels’ Chambers are a really clever two-room concept, where the bedroom is separated from the dressing room. I love this idea as it means you can enjoy room service without being disturbed or you can leave your better half asleep in bed while you get ready without waking them.
If you do want to leave your room, then there’s the flagship Commons Club and the city’s newest rooftop bar Everdene, which has breathtaking 360-degree views of the city. There’s also going to be the Funny Library Coffee Shop, which will pour Hugh Jackman’s coffee brand, Laughing Man, and get you in the mood to start your day the right way.
There will be lots of meeting spaces – so you can work as hard as you play – and dine at the restaurant The Kitchen by Adrian Garcia at Commons Club. I also like to keep fit while I’m on the go, and Virgin Hotels San Francisco has a state of the art fitness centre that I can’t wait to try out.
I’m often asked what makes Virgin Hotels so different, and like any Virgin business it comes down to the people. It’s all about providing brilliant, personalised service with a genuine love for what we do, and ensuring everyone leaves happier than when they arrived.
We decided to launch Virgin Hotels out of a frustration with the hotel industry – as a frequent traveller I know what I want wherever I am in the world – free wifi, no cancellation fees, and early check-in or late check-out without penalties. I want a comfy bed, space to work, a social space to relax, and superior service. Virgin Hotels deliver these things and so much more – but I don’t want to completely spoil the surprise.
It’s an incredibly exciting time for Virgin Hotels. While our Chicago property goes from strength to strength, new hotels in Nashville, Washington D.C, New Orleans, New York, Dallas, Palm Springs, Silicon Valley, Las Vegas, Edinburgh and more are on the way. I’m looking forward to visiting Virgin Hotels San Francisco - see you there?