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How do you get Sir Richard Branson riding a white horse, Dirk Nowitzki taking fan photos while dressed in a suit, and Mike Rawlings calling the Design District Dallas' "next hot area"? Break ground on the first Virgin Hotel in Texas.
Dunhill Partners and Gatehouse Capital began construction on the 240-room hotel on Hi Line Drive. Proving Virgin's "exclusivity for all" mantra, the crowd toasted the groundbreaking with sparkling wine.
Though 240 rooms makes Virgin a larger hotel, Dunhill president Bill Hutchinson tells us it was important to develop a boutique hotel to maintain the cool factor of the Design District. He says a mega or conventional hotel wouldn't fit in with the artists, galleries and showrooms that make the Design District what it is.
With restaurants and bars within the 14-story building, Virgin CEO Raul Leal hopes the hotel will be special for residents and not just visitors.
The $80M development will deliver in 2018 with suites, restaurants, bars, meeting space, spa, gym and—Bill's favorite amenity—a rooftop terrace with a pool.
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