Visiting Virgin Hotels in Dallas and Las Vegas

To kick-start 2024, I had the pleasure of visiting two of our Virgin Hotels properties - Dallas and Las Vegas.

First up was Dallas, our stunning art-inspired hotel in the heart of Dallas’ Design District. The property has changed a lot since I last visited, complete with a safety hat and shovel, for the groundbreaking. I was pleased to see the hotel has become quite the meeting place for local entrepreneurs and professionals.

Kathy Tran

With this in mind, we thought there was no better place to relaunch RM72 than at Virgin Hotels Dallas. RM72 was named after the year (1972) that we started Virgin Records. It is a mentorship-focused program we launched nearly 10 years ago that brings together entrepreneurs and business leaders for inspiring panel discussions. It also provides a great setting for entrepreneurs to connect with each other and find potential mentors and mentees.

Kathy Tran

The event coincided nicely with Founder Friday, which, according to Virgin StartUp research, is the most common time for people to take the next step in starting their own businesses.

I hosted a discussion alongside local Dallas entrepreneur, Liz Tsai, founder of HiOperator. Liz had brilliant questions and it was a pleasure sharing mentorship advice with her and the audience. I also spoke with a few entrepreneurs in attendance and gave them tips on starting and growing their own businesses. 

Kathy Tran

Something I spoke a lot about was the importance of delegation. You need a fantastic team of people around you to run things on a day-to-day basis so you can focus on the big picture. Virgin Hotels is a great example of that. 

The event concluded with some incredible live music from SoFar Sounds, which Virgin proudly invested in many years ago. They now regularly showcase talented emerging artists at Virgin Hotels – a great reminder of those early Virgin Records days.

Kathy Tran

The team are also partnering with Virgin Red to offer members special stays at Virgin Hotels Dallas using Virgin Points – I always love to see collaboration across the Virgin family.

Kathy Tran

Then it was off to Las Vegas. In true Virgin fashion, the hotel in Las Vegas has a bold and playful personality, and its people are what set it apart. Plus, I know I’m biased, but it also has some of the most incredible views of The Vegas Strip.

To top it off, I whipped up a new signature pasta dish, named after yours truly, at Kassi Beach House, my favorite restaurant at the hotel. With the help of Chef Mei at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, it turned out absolutely delicious.

Tony Tran

While I was in Las Vegas, I also had the pleasure of speaking at a marketing conference nearby the hotel. I’m always impressed by the city's knack for bringing people together and creating such a fun atmosphere.

On these trips, I always like to mix things up. I love celebrating with our people and sharing ideas, while also accepting speaking engagements to raise as much money for Virgin Unite as I can. It’s a great way to maximise my time, and not lose sight of what’s really important.

Kathy Tran

It was great to spend time at the hotels with our brilliant people and say hello to some of the guests. The teams at Virgin Hotels Dallas and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas have created something really special, and I can’t wait to visit again sometime soon.