Articles tagged “richard branson”

Space tourism is no longer a fever dream of wonky scientists and starry-eyed visionaries. It’s real and it’s here, a fledgling economic powerhouse that’s still in its awkward adolescence – clumsy, unpredictable but filled with potential.

Wellness and luxury travel overlap in more ways than one — like when high-end hospitality companies start to offer more niche travel experiences. Expect more overlap in 2020.

Richard Branson created Virgin Hotels nine years ago, promising to deliver about two dozen boutique hotels with flair. So far, only three hotels have opened. Will it be able to accelerate its growth in 2020?

We are fans of Virgin products and we think that the brand's founder does good work. But we'd also like to see a workplace relatively free of the type of sexist images it promotes at launch events and anywhere else the founder shows up.

First let's get the record straight, we were totally wrong about Delta wanting to add Virgin America as a boutique property to its collection. In the end, Alaska Airlines got it and we’re just not sure what Alaska will do with it; it would seem Alaska isn’t sure either.

Virgin Atlantic is making a big bet on these Dreamliners. The airline's entire fleet currently stands at around 40, and within four years as it takes delivery of these new 787s, the Dreamliner will constitute more than half of Virgin Altantic's fleet.

Virgin Hotels could become a victim of its own hype. By building interest in this less than overt and trendy campaign, it may be setting itself up to fall short of guests' expectations.

After two years of illness and bad press, the cruise industry is ripe for disruption, but Virgin's drawn-out entrance into the hotel sector suggests we won't see Branson at the helm of any ships for several years.

While the instinct to help Qantas may be strong, Australia's leaders need to make sure it knows the difference between a carrier that needs a bit of temporary help and an Alitalia.

Are these companies' well-timed announcements a marketing ploy to drive attention to their own travel ventures? Probably, but it is also the start of a trend that other companies will follow -- for however long the bubble blooms.