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86-765: Richard Branson , the founder of Virgin Group , had wanted to enter the Las Vegas casino industry for more than 20 years. Virgin Hotels and a group of investment companies purchased the Hard Rock Hotel for $ 500 million in March 2018. The Hard Rock closed on February 3, 2020, to allow for a $ 200 million renovation. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas opened on March 25, 2021. The opening had been delayed several times due to

172-660: A 20-per cent stake in Malaysia's AirAsia X . On 13 October 2007, Branson's Virgin Group sought to add Northern Rock to its empire after submitting an offer that would result in Branson personally owning 30% of the company and changing the company's name from Northern Rock to Virgin Money . The Daily Mail ran a campaign against his bid; Vince Cable , financial spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats , suggested in

258-676: A 48-hour strike at the resort in May 2024, noting that more than 50,000 union employees at other Las Vegas resorts had won "historic" pay raises. Despite continued protests, Virgin Las Vegas was still without a new labor contract in September 2024. By that time, all casino resorts on the nearby Strip had been unionized and had labor contracts, leaving Virgin as the only outlier in the Las Vegas Valley . On November 15, 2024, 700 workers at

344-559: A Thai restaurant named Night + Market, and the Funny Library Coffee Shop. Hakkasan Group operates Casa Calavera, a cantina offering food and drinks. Kassi Beach House, an Italian poolside restaurant, opened in May 2021. Olives, a Mediterranean restaurant by chef Todd English , opened three months later. In lieu of the resort's primary sportsbook , which had yet to open, the multi-level, 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m) Money, Baby! sportsbook lounge and restaurant

430-520: A chain of health care clinics that would offer conventional medical care alongside homeopathic and complementary therapies, a development that was welcomed by Ben Bradshaw , the UK's health minister. Plans where GPs could be paid for referring National Health Service (NHS) patients to private Virgin services were abandoned in June 2008. The BMA warned the plan would "damage clinical objectivity", there would be

516-510: A cooperative. His business sold records for considerably less than the "High Street" outlets, especially the chain WHSmith . Branson once said, "There is no point in starting your own business unless you do it out of a sense of frustration." At the time, many products were sold under restrictive marketing agreements that limited discounting, despite efforts in the 1950s and 1960s to limit retail price maintenance . Branson eventually started

602-634: A financial incentive for GPs to push patients toward the Virgin services at the centre. Plans to take over an NHS Practice in Swindon were abandoned in late September 2008. In February 2009, Branson's Virgin organization was reported as bidding to buy the former Honda Formula One team. Branson later stated an interest in Formula One , but claimed that, before the Virgin brand became involved with Honda or any other team, Formula One would have to develop

688-537: A five-year contract for provision of a range of health services which had previously been under the aegis of NHS Surrey, the local primary care trust. By March 2015, Virgin Care was in charge of more than 230 services nationwide. In July 2012, Branson announced plans to build an orbital space launch system , designated LauncherOne . Four commercial customers have already contracted for launches and two companies are developing standardised satellite buses optimised to

774-688: A global audience. The company was founded with author Deepak Chopra , filmmaker Shekhar Kapur , and entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra . Branson also launched the Virgin Health Bank on 1 February 2007, offering parents-to-be the opportunity to store their baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells in private and public stem-cell banks. In June 2006, a tip-off from Virgin Atlantic led both UK and US competition authorities to investigate price-fixing attempts between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. In August 2007, British Airways

860-477: A hospitality service experience our guests deserve." A former Hard Rock Cafe building, located on-site, was demolished in November 2019, to make room for valet parking and ride-sharing vehicles. The Hard Rock Hotel closed on February 3, 2020, allowing for renovations to begin. In 2019, a grand opening celebration was planned for mid-November 2020, shortly after the U.S. presidential election . The opening date

946-536: A magazine named Student in 1966 with Nik Powell . The first issue of Student appeared in January 1968, and a year later, Branson's net worth was estimated at £50,000. The office for the venture was situated in the crypt of St. John's Church, off Bayswater Road , in London. Though not initially as successful as he hoped, the magazine later became a vital component of the mail-order record business Branson started from

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1032-443: A more economically efficient and environmentally responsible image. At the start of the 2009 Formula One season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team, with discussions also under way about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term. After the end of the season and the subsequent purchase of Brawn GP by Mercedes-Benz , Branson invested in an 80% buyout of Manor Grand Prix, with

1118-601: A passenger onboard Virgin Galactic Unity 22 at the edge of space , a suborbital test flight for his spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. The mission lasted approximately one hour, reaching a peak altitude of 53.5 miles (86.1 km). At 70, Branson became the third oldest person to fly to space. Richard Charles Nicholas Branson was born on 18 July 1950 in Blackheath , Royal Borough of Greenwich , London,

1204-526: A possible equity partner in early 2017. Plans to buy the Fontainebleau did not work out, and Bosworth and Juniper Capital ultimately began discussions with Brookfield about buying the Hard Rock instead. The resort was purchased for $ 500 million, in part with a $ 200 million loan from JPMorgan Chase . Ownership was split between seven investment companies, four of them being Canadian. The majority owner

1290-520: A record shop in Oxford Street in London . In 1971, he was questioned in connection with the selling of records declared export stock. The matter was never brought before a court because Branson agreed to repay any unpaid purchase tax of 33% and a £70,000 fine. His parents re-mortgaged the family home to help pay the settlement. In 1972, using money earned from his record store, Branson launched

1376-479: A small sportsbook , were not ready with the initial opening. After COVID-19 restrictions were eased, the resort held a grand opening weekend celebration from June 10-13, 2021, marking the completion of nearly all facilities. Attendees at the grand opening included Branson, Nevada governor Steve Sisolak , and singer Christina Aguilera , who performed in the property's renovated theater. The resort's target demographic consists of people ages 25 to 48. To attract guests,

1462-532: A stewardess. Fernandes escaped as the bet winner, as Lotus Racing ended tenth in the championship, while Virgin Racing ended twelfth and last. Branson kept his word after losing the bet, as he served his duty as a stewardess on an Air Asia flight between Perth and Kuala Lumpur on 12 May 2013. In 2010, Branson became patron of the UK's Gordon Bennett 2010 gas balloon race, which has 16 hydrogen balloons flying across Europe. In April 2012, Virgin Care commenced

1548-584: A strategic partnership between the two. Branson joined the board of directors, and in December 2017, became its chairman. The announced winner of the 2017 Virgin StartUp's Foodpreneur prize was The Snaffling Pig Co ., which won a six-week rental space at Intu Lakeside, the retail center with the highest foot traffic in the United Kingdom. Rockwell Group David Rockwell (born July 21, 1956)

1634-678: A variation of the Virgin Galactic livery to his personal business jet, the Dassault Falcon 900EX "Galactic Girl" (G-GALX). He was ninth in The Sunday Times Rich List 2006 of the wealthiest people or families in the UK, worth slightly more than £3 billion. Branson wrote in his autobiography of the decision to start an airline. My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them ... from

1720-633: Is an American architect and designer. He is the founder and president of Rockwell Group , a 250-person cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice based in New York City with satellite offices in Madrid and Los Angeles. Rockwell grew up in a theater family. His mother, a vaudeville dancer and choreographer, often cast him in community repertory productions. When he was 12, David's family moved from Deal, New Jersey to Guadalajara, Mexico. Rockwell trained in architecture at Syracuse University and

1806-456: Is an all-suite building. A mobile app serves as an optional room key and also allows guests to order room service or check out. In addition, the app allows guests to control lights, televisions, and thermostats in their rooms. The hotel is part of Hilton 's Curio Collection . The resort also has 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m) of meeting and event space. Other amenities include a fitness center and spa. Virgin Hotels intended to revive

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1892-663: Is an outdoor, two-story dayclub, separate from the pool area. It features DJs and electronic dance music , and was opened in June 2021. The resort features 12 restaurants and bars. Like other Virgin hotels, the Las Vegas property includes the Commons Club, an upscale restaurant and lounge area built at the resort's main entrance. The Commons Club measures 8,500 sq ft (790 m) and includes The Bar and The Shag Room, two lounges located adjacent to one another. Both will offer live entertainment, and The Shag Room will also be booked for private events. The resort also includes

1978-468: Is manufactured by The Spaceship Company , which was founded by Branson and Rutan and is now solely owned by Virgin Galactic. In 2013, Branson said that he planned to take his two children, 31-year-old Holly and 28-year-old Sam, on a trip to outer space when they ride the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane on its first public flight, then planned for 2014. As part of his promotion of the firm, Branson has added

2064-488: The 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix , through an event partnership with Formula One Racing . In May 2024, a Las Vegas Loop tunnel was drilled to Virgin Las Vegas, one of four such tunnels prepared for additional future Tesla transportation system stations. Workers at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, who are represented by the Culinary Workers Union , had their most recent labor contract in June 2023. Culinary held

2150-680: The COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada . The hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton , includes 1,504 rooms. The casino is known as Mohegan Casino Las Vegas . It is operated by Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Mohegan Tribe , making it the first Native American tribe to operate a Las Vegas casino. The resort also includes music venue The Theater at Virgin Hotels . The resort originally opened in March 1995, as

2236-497: The Hard Rock Hotel . In January 2018, majority owner Brookfield Asset Management was in discussions to sell the Hard Rock to a group of buyers, including Virgin Hotels , Bosworth Hospitality, and investment firm Juniper Capital Partners. The three companies had partnered together a year earlier to begin looking for an existing casino resort property in Las Vegas . The Hard Rock Hotel sale was finalized on March 30, 2018. On

2322-638: The House of Commons that Branson's criminal conviction for tax evasion might be felt by some as a good enough reason not to trust him with public money. In September 2023, Branson declared his decision against injecting additional funds into Virgin Galactic, his space travel company experiencing financial losses. He highlighted that his business empire no longer possesses extensive financial resources, indicating constraints on further investment. On 9 January 2008, Virgin Healthcare announced that it would open

2408-694: The SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane designed for space tourism . In March 2000, Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace for "services to entrepreneurship". Due to his work in retail, music, and transport, his taste for adventure, and for his humanitarian work, he has become a prominent global figure. In 2007, he was placed in the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World list. In June 2023, Forbes listed Branson's estimated net worth at US$ 3 billion. On 11 July 2021, Branson travelled as

2494-615: The Virgin Group in 1970, and as of 2016 controlled 5 companies remaining of once more than 400. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age. His first business venture, at the age of 16, was a magazine called Student . In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business. He opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records —later known as Virgin Megastores —in 1972. Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during

2580-526: The Wu-Tang Clan rapper collective launched "Wu-Tang Clan: The Saga Continues… The Las Vegas Residency", the first HipHop artist residency in Las Vegas. Vinyl, another music venue at the Hard Rock, was renamed 24 Oxford, after the first Virgin Records store, which was located at 24 Oxford Street in London. JC Hospitality spent $ 500,000 to revamp the Vinyl space. The venue opened in May 2021, hosting

2666-401: The "27" residency, which is dedicated to members of the 27 Club . The resort's five-acre pool area is surrounded by several restaurants and an event lawn to host live concerts. The event lawn space was previously home to a separate pool area, which hosted the Hard Rock's Rehab pool parties . This pool area was buried beneath the new event lawn, which has space for 1,800 people. Élia Beach Club

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2752-1090: The 1980s, as he started the Virgin Atlantic airline and expanded the Virgin Records music label . In 1997, Branson founded the Virgin Rail Group to bid for passenger rail franchises during the privatisation of British Rail . The Virgin Trains brand operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 1997 to 2019, the InterCity CrossCountry franchise from 1997 to 2007, and the InterCity East Coast franchise from 2015 to 2018. In 2004, he founded spaceflight corporation Virgin Galactic , based at Mojave Air and Space Port in California, noted for

2838-799: The 2016 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for the musical She Loves Me and six Tony Award nominations for Best Scenic Design, the AIA New York Chapter President's Award; the 2008 National Design Award by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum for outstanding achievement in Interior Design; the 2009 Pratt Legends Award; the Presidential Design Award for his renovation of the Grand Central Terminal ; induction into

2924-669: The Architectural Association in London. Rockwell founded Rockwell Group in 1984. Rockwell currently serves as Chair Emeritus of the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) and as a board member of Citymeals-on-Wheels, and New York Restoration Project. Rockwell also conceived and developed Imagination Playground pro-bono, a play space designed to encourage children to work together to create their own worlds of play. After five years of research on children and play,

3010-567: The Earth's climate. Branson also announced that he would be joined in the adjudication of the prize by a panel of five judges, all world authorities in their respective fields: Al Gore , Sir Crispin Tickell , Tim Flannery , James E. Hansen , and James Lovelock . In July 2007, Branson purchased his Australian home, Makepeace Island , in Noosa . In August 2007, Branson announced that he had bought

3096-614: The James Beard Foundation Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America and Interior Design magazine's Hall of Fame; inclusion in Architectural Digest's AD 100; and the 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical for She Loves Me and five Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical. Rockwell Group was named by Fast Company in 2008, 2014 and 2015 as one of

3182-487: The Las Vegas casino industry. At the time of the purchase, the company operated one hotel, the Virgin Hotels Chicago , and there were plans to add approximately 10 more hotels. With around 1,500 hotel rooms, the Hard Rock was the largest property of Virgin's hotels, but it was also small compared to resorts on the nearby Las Vegas Strip . The resort fit Virgin Hotels' desire for a smaller, boutique hotel in

3268-414: The Las Vegas market. The newly renovated resort would compete against newer hotels such as Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas , Delano , and NoMad . Richard Bosworth was named as the new chief executive officer of the resort. Bosworth and Juniper Capital were longtime business partners. The two had previously wanted to purchase the unfinished Fontainebleau resort in Las Vegas, and they approached Brookfield as

3354-623: The Virgin Hotels Las Vegas began a strike for more workplace protections and higher wages. Unlike the previous labor strike which took place earlier in the year for only two days, this strike is open ended and will last until a new labor deal is reached. The strike will be subjected to Virgin Hotels Las Vegas employees picketing 24/7 around the hotel. The strike is also the Culinary Workers Union's first open ended strike in Las Vegas since 2002. However, in spite of

3440-464: The Virgin group was Virgin Fuels , which was set up to respond to global warming and exploit the recent spike in fuel costs by offering a revolutionary, cheaper fuel for automobiles and, in the near future, aircraft. Branson has stated that he was formerly a global warming sceptic and was influenced in his decision by a breakfast meeting with Al Gore . On 21 September 2006, Branson pledged to invest

3526-519: The Virgin label to EMI for £500 million. Branson said that he wept when the sale was completed because the record business had been the very start of the Virgin empire. He created V2 Records in 1996 to re-enter the music business, owning 5% himself. Virgin also acquired European short-haul airline Euro Belgian Airlines and renamed it Virgin Express . In 1997, Branson took what many saw as being one of his riskier business exploits by entering into

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3612-404: The age of sixteen. Branson has dyslexia , and had poor academic performance; on his last day at school, his headmaster, Robert Drayson , told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. Branson has also talked openly about having ADHD . Branson's parents were supportive of his endeavours from an early age. His mother was an entrepreneur; one of her most successful ventures

3698-517: The chance to see our beautiful planet from such a powerful perspective." In 2014, Branson launched the "Foodpreneur" food and drink-focused start-up competition. Winners were provided with mentorship from Branson, legal support, and brand counseling. The 2014 winners included Proper Beans, Killer Tomato, Sweetpea Pantry and Sweet Virtues. In 2015, the competition expanded to the Virgin StartUp's Foodpreneur Festival. The 2015 winners were given

3784-529: The contract, Branson said he was convinced the civil servants had "got their maths wrong". In October, after an investigation into the bidding process, the deal was scrapped. The Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced there were "significant technical flaws" in the process and mistakes had been made by transport staff. Virgin Rail continued to operate the West Coast line until 7 December 2019, when it

3870-501: The design of LauncherOne, in expectation of business opportunities created by the new smallsat launcher. In August 2012, when re-tendered the InterCity West Coast franchise was awarded to FirstGroup after a competitive tender process overseen by the Department for Transport . Branson had expressed his concerns about the tender process and questioned the validity of the business plan submitted by FirstGroup. When Virgin Rail lost

3956-642: The first site-specific location opened in collaboration with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation at Burling Slip in Manhattan in 2010. Rockwell Group developed portable, scalable models that can transform smaller, unused areas into play spaces. Through the U.N.I.C.E.F. P.L.A.Y. Project, in partnership with Disney, the blocks have been distributed to more than 13,000 children in Bangladesh and Haiti. Rockwell's honors include

4042-481: The former Hard Rock's reputation as a top destination for entertainment. The Joint , a former Hard Rock music venue, was renovated into The Theater at Virgin Hotels , which opened slightly later than the resort, due to the pandemic, launching in September 2021, with Gary Clark Jr. and Lady A headlining. The venue also featured Porter Robinson , Violent Femmes and Machine Gun Kelly , and hosted its first artist residency, that December, by Journey . In February 2024

4128-471: The good of mankind. The Virgin Earth Challenge was to award $ 25 million to the individual or group who are able to demonstrate a commercially viable design that will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects. This removal must have long-term effects and contribute materially to the stability of

4214-438: The hotel saw 57 people arrested. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas opened with a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m) casino, known as Mohegan Sun Casino. It was renamed Mohegan Casino Las Vegas in September 2022. It is operated by Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Mohegan Tribe , making it the first Native American tribe to operate a Las Vegas casino. Mohegan announced in May 2024 that it would end its affiliation with

4300-427: The opening included Mario Lopez , Jon Gruden and Dana White . Branson did not attend the opening due to concerns about the pandemic. By the time of its opening, casino occupancy levels had been increased to 50 percent. Because of the pandemic restrictions, the resort had a low-key opening. An official grand opening celebration was expected to take place at a later date. Certain amenities, including some restaurants and

4386-624: The opening of Virgin Hotels. The resort also signed a three-year extension to continue hosting the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo , although the 2021 expo was cancelled as an in-person event due to the pandemic. A nightly resort fee , common to the Las Vegas Strip , was first added in January 2022. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas curated programming and managed operations for attendees in the East Harmon Zone of

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4472-546: The opportunity to pitch Target Corporation buyers. The 2015 winners included Pip & Nut, Double Dutch Drinks, Harry Bromptons, Cauli Rice and Mallow and Marsh. In March 2015, Virgin Trains East Coast commenced operating the InterCity East Coast franchise; the company was a joint venture between Stagecoach (90%) and Virgin Group (10%). Due to the line performing below VTEC's expectations, it

4558-423: The pandemic, which had resulted in poor economic conditions. The pandemic had also imposed restrictive health precautions such as limited customer visitation. In September 2020, Bosworth announced a new opening date of January 15, 2021, as the owners wanted to ensure that pandemic conditions and restrictions continued to improve. Six weeks before the resort's scheduled opening, JC Hospitality delayed it again, due to

4644-409: The pandemic. In Nevada, casino occupancy levels had been reduced to 25 percent due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. Bosworth said that under these conditions, the resort would not have been profitable had it proceeded with the January opening. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas eventually opened on the night of March 25, 2021, with a 40-minute opening ceremony that included bagpipe players and a drumline. Attendees to

4730-536: The partnership on Richard Branson's boat, leading to the concise and impactful title " Now That's What I Call Music! ," inspired by a Danish Bacon poster gifted to Simon Draper. Richard Branson's introduction to the antique shop owned by Joan Templeman, played a pivotal role in his growing fascination with old signs and advertisements, ultimately shaping the collection. Branson formed Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Cargo in 1984. He formed Virgin Holidays in 1985. In 1992, to keep his airline company afloat, Branson sold

4816-477: The perspective of wanting to live life to the full, I felt that I had to attempt it. In 2006, through a merger with SN Brussels Airlines , Virgin Airlines formed Brussels Airlines , while retaining its separate listing. It also started a national airline based in Nigeria, called Virgin Nigeria , which ceased operations in 2009. Another airline, Virgin America , began flying out of San Francisco International Airport in August 2007. Branson's next venture with

4902-459: The press that portrayed Virgin negatively. After the so-called campaign of "dirty tricks" , British Airways settled the case, giving £500,000 to Branson, a further £110,000 to his airline, and had to pay legal fees of up to £3 million. Branson distributed his compensation (the so-called "BA bonus") among his staff. Branson launched Virgin Mobile in 1999, and airline Virgin Blue in Australia in 2000. On 25 September 2004, Branson announced

4988-465: The profits of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains in research for environmentally-friendly fuels. The investment is estimated to be worth $ 3 billion. On 4 July 2006, Branson sold his Virgin Mobile company to UK cable TV, broadband, and telephone company NTL:Telewest for £900 million. A new company was launched with much fanfare and publicity on 8 February 2007, under the name Virgin Media . The decision to merge his Virgin Media Company with NTL

5074-451: The property by the end of the year, with management of the casino transferring to Virgin. The casino has 44 table games, as well as 650 slot machines; half of the slots are from the former Hard Rock. A sportsbook , operated by Betfred , opened in February 2023, after delays caused by the Nevada licensing process. The hotel has 1,504 rooms and suites, spread across three buildings: the Canyon Tower, Opal Tower, and Ruby Tower. The Ruby Tower

5160-401: The property opened without resort fees and paid parking, both of which had become common in Las Vegas. It also offers free Wi-Fi. The resort includes approximately 1,300 former Hard Rock employees, making up the majority of the workforce. Bosworth had sought to retain the Hard Rock's 1,850 employees after its closure, through a program that would give them a paycheck bonus if they returned for

5246-417: The public to such lesser known avant-garde music as Faust and Can . Virgin Records also introduced Culture Club to the music world. Branson's net worth was estimated at £5 million by 1979, and a year later, Virgin Records went international. Branson's first successful entry into the airline industry was during a trip to Puerto Rico. His flight was cancelled, so he decided to charter his own plane

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5332-562: The railway business during the privatisation of British Rail in the late 1990s. Virgin Rail Group won the InterCity CrossCountry and InterCity West Coast franchises, beginning operations in January and March 1997 respectively. Both franchises were scheduled to run for 15 years. A series of disputes in the early 1990s caused tension between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways , which viewed Virgin as an emerging competitor. Virgin subsequently accused British Airways of poaching its passengers, hacking its computers, and leaking stories to

5418-421: The record label Virgin Records with Nik Powell . The name "Virgin" was suggested by one of Branson's early employees because they were all new at business. Branson bought a country estate north of Oxford in which he installed a residential recording studio, The Manor Studio . He leased studio time to fledgling artists, including multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield , whose debut album Tubular Bells (1973)

5504-399: The renovation project would now begin in February 2020, with a grand opening celebration at the end of the year. Design work was nearly finished at the time of the announcement. The design team included Klai Juba Wald Architecture + Interiors, Rockwell Group , and Studio Collective. McCarthy Building Companies and Taylor International Corporation were selected as the general contractors . It

5590-412: The resort following renovations. Base Entertainment had been building a stage facility on the property to host The Voice: Neon Dreams , a live concert show. Base Entertainment pulled out of the project following the Virgin purchase, leaving the facility only partially built. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has a modern design with a desert oasis theme. The design phase was underway in June 2018. Renovation work

5676-435: The resort when it was the Hard Rock. Nobu is operated by chef Nobu Matsuhisa . Two other Hard Rock restaurants, MB Steak and Forte Pizza, were also retained. MB Steak, owned by David and Michael Morton , received a $ 1.5 million expansion, and was renamed One Steakhouse. Nobu was also expanded. Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded

5762-483: The rest of the way and offered a ride to the rest of the stranded passengers for a small fee to cover the cost. In 1982, Virgin purchased the gay bar Heaven . In 1991, in a consortium with David Frost , Branson made an unsuccessful bid for three ITV franchises under the CPV-TV name. The early 1980s also saw his only attempt as a producer—on the novelty record " Baa, Baa, Black Sheep ", by The Singing Sheep in association with Doug McLean and Grace McDonald, on which he

5848-409: The same church he used for Student . Branson used the magazine to advertise popular albums, driving his record sales. He interviewed several prominent personalities of the late 1960s for the magazine including Mick Jagger and R. D. Laing . Branson took over full direction of Student after successfully lying to Powell that the workers at the magazine opposed Powell's plans to turn the magazine into

5934-436: The same day, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson hosted a party-like news conference at the Hard Rock pool, announcing that the resort would be renovated and rebranded as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas by the end of 2019. The resort would retain the Hard Rock name until the completion of renovations, which would be done in phases, allowing the property to remain partially open. For more than 20 years, Branson had wanted to get into

6020-426: The show Finding Your Roots , Branson was shown to have 3.9% South Asian (Indian) DNA, likely through intermarriage. Later, he stated that one of his great-great-great-grandmothers was an Indian named Ariya. Branson was educated at Scaitcliffe School , a prep school in Surrey , before briefly attending Cliff View House School in Sussex . He attended Stowe School , a private school in Buckinghamshire until

6106-466: The signing of a deal under which a new space tourism company, Virgin Galactic , will license the technology behind SpaceShipOne —funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and designed by aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan —to take paying passengers into suborbital outer space . Virgin Galactic plans to make flights available to the public with tickets priced at US$ 200,000 using the Scaled Composites White Knight Two . The spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo ,

6192-812: The son of Edward James Branson (1918–2011), a barrister , and his wife Evette Huntley Branson ( née  Flindt ; 1924–2021), a former ballet dancer and air hostess. He has two younger sisters, Lindy and Vanessa . His grandfather, Sir George Arthur Harwin Branson , was a judge of the High Court of Justice and a Privy Councillor . Branson's great-great-great-grandfather, John Edward Branson, left England for India in 1793; John Edward's father, Harry Wilkins Branson, later joined his son in Madras . Starting from 1793, four generations of Branson's family lived in India, mostly at Cuddalore , in modern-day Tamil Nadu . On

6278-566: The strike, the Virgins Hotels Las Vegas remains operational, with Virgin managing to hire hundreds of temporary workers to fill in for the striking workers. The hotel would also be open for people attending the Las Vegas Grand Prix , which was held from November 21-23, 2024. Starting November 21, 2024, the strike at the hotel would involve the use of civil disobedience . The first day of civil disobedience at

6364-526: The team being renamed Virgin Racing . In 2010, Virgin Hotels was launched under the Virgin Group. In February 2018, Branson announced the first Virgin hotel in the UK would open in Edinburgh. Branson and Tony Fernandes , owner of Air Asia and Lotus F1 Racing , had a bet for the 2010 F1 season where the losing team's boss should work on the winner's airline during a charity flight dressed as

6450-419: Was Laborers' International Union of North America 's Central and Eastern Canada Pension Fund, which contributed more than $ 100 million to the purchase of the Hard Rock. By January 2019, JC Hospitality had become the majority owner of the resort. It is a joint venture of Bosworth Hospitality, Juniper Capital, and Virgin. It is led by president and CEO Bosworth, and by Virgin Hotels, the latter of which would manage

6536-490: Was announced in August 2019 that the Hard Rock would close entirely for about eight months beginning in early February 2020, to allow for the renovations to take place. Although there were initially plans to keep the resort partially open during renovations, Bosworth said, "We determined that a phased closing of four months, followed by a total closure of four months was not efficient from a construction process nor could we provide

6622-610: Was announced in May 2018 that the contract would be terminated early by the government. VTEC ceased operating on 23 June 2018 and operations passed to a government-owned operator, London North Eastern Railway . In November 2015, Branson announced the addition of Moskito Island to the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio. This resort, The Branson Estate on Moskito Island, offers 11 bedrooms for 22 guests. In 2017, Virgin Group invested in Hyperloop One , developing

6708-487: Was building and selling wooden tissue boxes and wastepaper bins. In London, he started off squatting from 1967 to 1968. Branson is an atheist . He said in a 2011 interview with CNN's Piers Morgan that he believes in evolution and the importance of humanitarian efforts but not in the existence of God. "I would love to believe," he said. "It's very comforting to believe". After failed attempts to grow and sell both Christmas trees and budgerigars , Branson launched

6794-408: Was chosen to increase publicity for the resort, as Bosworth felt that the opening would be overshadowed if it were to occur during the presidential campaign season. The resort was later scheduled to open on November 6, 2020. Construction remained on track despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the state . However, Bosworth announced in August 2020 that the opening could be delayed because of

6880-468: Was credited as "Jeff Mutton". The track consisted of samples of animal noises recorded at his aunt Claire Hoares' farm in Norfolk, set to a drum-machine-produced track and reached number 42 in the UK charts in 1982. In 1983, Now That's What I Call Music! emerged from Virgin Records offices as a unique compilation series, distinct in its originality. Collaborating with EMI , Peter Jamieson orchestrated

6966-519: Was fined £271 million over the allegations. Virgin Atlantic was given immunity for tipping off the authorities and received no fine—a controversial decision the Office of Fair Trading defended as being in the public interest. On 9 February 2007, Branson announced the setting up of a new global science and technology prize—The Virgin Earth Challenge —in the belief that history has shown that prizes of this nature encourage technological advancements for

7052-614: Was made in order to integrate compatible areas of the two businesses. Whilst Branson had owned three-quarters of Virgin Mobile, he would now get paid £8.5 million per annum for the use of the Virgin brand name. He does not own any part of Virgin Media. In 2006, Branson formed Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation, an entertainment company focused on creating new stories and characters for

7138-469: Was opened in June 2021. which replaced the Hard Rock's former Vanity nightclub. The restaurant portion was overseen by chef Beau MacMillan . Money, Baby! closed abruptly in 2022, with subsequent litigation ensuing between its parent, Clive Collective, and Virgin. That October, the former sportsbook lounge reopened as Skybox. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas retained the Nobu restaurant, which previously operated inside

7224-410: Was originally scheduled to begin and end in 2019, but the amount of work was increased as additional improvements were deemed necessary. During the first year of ownership, Bosworth and the other owners observed how the Hard Rock operated, which helped them in their renovation plans. The design changes increased the cost of renovations from $ 150 million to $ 200 million. In April 2019, it was announced that

7310-461: Was replaced by Avanti West Coast . In September 2014, Branson announced his investment in drone company 3D Robotics stating, "It's amazing to see what a little flying object with a GoPro attached can do. Before they came along the alternative was an expensive helicopter and crew. I'm really excited about the potential 3D Robotics sees in drones. They can do a lot of good in the world, and I hope this affordable technology will give many more people

7396-562: Was the first release for Virgin Records and became a chart-topping best-seller. Virgin signed controversial bands such as the Sex Pistols , which other companies were reluctant to sign. Virgin Records would go on to sign other artists including the Rolling Stones , Peter Gabriel , XTC , Japan , UB40 , Steve Winwood and Paula Abdul , and to become the world's largest independent record label. It also won praise for exposing

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