Virgin America - Flyer's Perks

Virgin America - Flyer's Perks

In mid-January, the Virgin Group will open its first ever Virgin Hotels , which will be located in downtown Chicago. Further Virgin Hotels are planned to open in Nashville (2016) and New York (2017).

In true Virgin style, the ambitions are set very high: “Virgin brands are known for shaking up the status quo in the travel sector. Virgin has re-invented the upper class flight experience, created award winning Clubhouses, developed superior entertainment systems, and built a reputation for brilliant service. It’s time to extend this thinking to hotels.”

There will be a strong link between Virgin Hotels and Virgin America. All members of Virgin America’s loyalty program Elevate will receive 1,000 points per stay at Virgin Hotels, Elevate Gold members will get complimentary breakfast and a room upgrade, based on availability. Silver members will also receive an upgrade, if available.

And putting an experiential twist to this cross-promotion, on December 9th Virgin America surprised flyers on the airline’s routes to/from Chicago with a ‘Virgin Hotels Social Hour’ in order to show “what perks Virgin America’s frequent flyers will enjoy when on the ground and in bed.” Virgin America offers three daily flights from San Francisco and two daily flights from Los Angeles to Chicago.

The inflight event saw Virgin America provide passengers with free in-flight WiFi and a complimentary cocktail, which are two of the amenities the new Virgin Hotels will also offer guests for free. One passenger on each flight also won roundtrip tickets and a 2-night stay at the Virgin Hotel Chicago.