Richard Branson’s Virgin Hotels group has acquired the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas and will spend the next few months reinvigorating the location which will ultimately be branded Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. For the time being it will continue to operate under the Hard Rock banner. Virgin is joined in the purchase by a group of partners including LA-based investment firm Juniper Capital Partners.
Talking about the purchase, Branson stated: “When I’ve come to Vegas over the years my favourite casino has been the Hard Rock. It’s great to walk around and see memorabilia of Johnny Rotten, the Rolling Stones, Bowie and other Virgin bands plastered on the walls. It’s got delightful and dedicated people working there and it has beautiful outdoor swimming pool areas and beautiful rooms but through lack of investment it’s slightly tired. So I’m really proud to announce Virgin Hotels has bought the Hard Rock Hotel and we’ll be bringing it back to its old glory again under the Virgin brand.”
He added: “Virgin Hotels opened their first hotel in Chicago and Condé Nast voted it the best hotel in America. They know how to look after customers and their people. With some beautiful design work they’ll bring that magic to the Hard Rock. Virgin Atlantic has flown to Vegas for years and it’s only a hop and a skip from the airport to the Hard Rock. Close by the hotel we have the Virgin Hyperloop One test site operating out in the desert, Virgin Orbit getting ready to send satellites into space and Virgin Galactic is gearing up for powered flight. An exciting part of America for Virgin and its wonderful people. Exciting times too!”
The property will remain open throughout the duration of the renovation and will retain its casino floor which will be operated by ‘a partner’. Some of the larger items of rock memorabilia may, however, be put in storage and the location’s famous giant guitar is likely to be replaced with a similarly sized ‘V’ out front.
