Nomad’s glassy Virgin Hotel will have a rooftop pool and bar
All renderings courtesy of Virgin Hotels
As the New York City hospitality industry continues to reel from the effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on tourism and business travel, plans are moving forward for a massive new hotel in Nomad. Fresh renderings of the 510-foot Virgin Hotel at 1225 Broadway, the first in the city, were recently released, showing off the hotel’s resort-like rooftop pool and bar.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and developer Lam Group acquired the site and its two existing buildings for $72 million in August 2011, as CityRealty reported. Designed by MARKZEFF Design, the 38-story building features a modern glass facade. The hotel topped out in February 2019 and work continues on its exterior.
The hotel will feature 463 rooms plus “multiple concept suites,” according to a press release. The first and second floors will contain retail, with Virgin Hotel taking up the floors above it. Amenities take up three levels and include a rooftop pool and bar, meeting spaces, and a number of beverage and food outlets, including the Commons Club.
“At long last, the city that never sleeps will get a beautiful and irresistible Virgin Hotel to play, eat, work, mingle, and yes, even to sleep,” reads a quote from Branson on the project’s website. Originally scheduled to open in 2020, the hotel is now expected to open this fall.
The Virgin Hotel is a big bet on the city’s recovery. With tourism and business travel nearly nonexistent because of the pandemic, New York City hotels are struggling to stay open and since March, many have closed permanently. According to data from the city’s Department of City Planning reported by the New York Post, 146 of the city’s 705 hotels and 42,030 rooms of New York’s 128,000 hotel rooms have closed since the start of the health crisis.
“We have hotels closing every day,” Vijay Dandapani, who leads the New York City Hotel Association, told the Post. “We fell off a cliff.”
In addition to the long-awaited NYC flagship, Virgin Group is opening new hotels in Las Vegas and New Orleans this year, with a location opening in Edinburgh next year and in Miami in 2023. “As evidenced by our openings this year in these major cities, we are very optimistic about the return of travel despite the tremendous difficulties posed by Covid-19,” Raul Leal, CEO of Virgin Hotels, said.
“We’re not only thinking of the out-of-towner but also focused on providing the unique Virgin Hotels experience to the communities we call home. By leveraging our exclusive Chamber (room) design, forward-thinking technology, food and beverage offerings, and entertainment, we’re able to ensure a delightful stay while keeping our travelers safe.”
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All renderings courtesy of Virgin Hotels
