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NEWS
Virgin Hotels Chicago teams up with city's bloggers for alternative tourist guide
POSTED 05 Mar 2015 . BY Helen Andrews
The guide to the Windy City will evolve each season, presenting a new set of bloggers and their recommendations Credit: Shutterstock / Rudy Balasko
Virgin Hotels Chicago, which opened in January of this year, has collaborated with a number of the Windy City’s influential bloggers to create a new kind of hotel city guide for guests.

The project Step Outside features seven personas, each of which is paired with a curated list of things to do, see, eat and explore – put together by a team of local bloggers. This guide will evolve each season, presenting a new set of bloggers and their recommendations. The lists of things to do are based on personas such as ‘The Dare Devil’, ‘The Artist’ and ‘The Partier’.

Doug Carrillo, VP of sales and marketing said: “In typical Virgin fashion, we didn’t want to introduce an ordinary hotel city guide. We collaborated with bloggers who are imbedded in the Chicago landscape to create thoughtful, well-rounded and distinct insights on the city’s best activities, restaurants, neighbourhoods and more.”

A separate resource, Step Inside, is a guide for Virgin guests on topics including music, entrepreneurship, wellbeing, as well as the line-up for artist performances at the hotel and its other programming. Presumably, this content will also provide guests with hotel service updates, for example information on the spa’s services – when it opens in Q2.

Step Inside will provide our guests with ever-evolving content that interests them, brings a chuckle and gives an insider’s view into the world of Virgin Hotels,” added Carrillo.

PROJECT PROFILE:

Virgin Hotels Chicago
The first Virgin-branded hotel has opened in Chicago’s Loop district in the 26-storey Old Dearborn Bank Building, originally designed by architecture firm Rapp and Rapp.

Location: Chicago , United States

RELATED STORIES
  Virgin Hotels Chicago property debuts with a spa planned for Q2 of this year


The first Virgin-branded hotel has opened in Chicago’s Loop district in the 26- storey Old Dearborn Bank Building, originally designed by architecture firm Rapp and Rapp.
  Virgin Hotels reveals New York City hotel designs


Virgin Hotels and owner/developer Lam Group have revealed building designs for their first project together in New York City, expected to open in 2017.
  Virgin announces location of its next New York hotel


Virgin Hotels has announced the location of their new hotel set to be unveiled in New York. It can now be confirmed that the new hotel will be located on the northwest corner of 29th Street and Broadway.
  2013 launch for first Virgin-branded hotel


Virgin Hotels is expected to open its first property by the end of 2013 in Chicago, US, after it completed the acquisition of the downtown Old Dearborn Bank Building in late 2011.
MORE NEWS
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OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance, hospitality and public programming.
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A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and private membership under one roof.
Montana Heritage Center opens with immersive exhibits and US$107 million investment
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana Heritage Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
Universal launches new theme park model with Kids Resort
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General Manager, The Needles
Heritage Great Britain
Salary: c£70,000pa + benefits + relocation support
Job location: Isle of Wight , United Kingdom
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NEWS
Virgin Hotels Chicago teams up with city's bloggers for alternative tourist guide
POSTED 05 Mar 2015 . BY Helen Andrews
The guide to the Windy City will evolve each season, presenting a new set of bloggers and their recommendations Credit: Shutterstock / Rudy Balasko
Virgin Hotels Chicago, which opened in January of this year, has collaborated with a number of the Windy City’s influential bloggers to create a new kind of hotel city guide for guests.

The project Step Outside features seven personas, each of which is paired with a curated list of things to do, see, eat and explore – put together by a team of local bloggers. This guide will evolve each season, presenting a new set of bloggers and their recommendations. The lists of things to do are based on personas such as ‘The Dare Devil’, ‘The Artist’ and ‘The Partier’.

Doug Carrillo, VP of sales and marketing said: “In typical Virgin fashion, we didn’t want to introduce an ordinary hotel city guide. We collaborated with bloggers who are imbedded in the Chicago landscape to create thoughtful, well-rounded and distinct insights on the city’s best activities, restaurants, neighbourhoods and more.”

A separate resource, Step Inside, is a guide for Virgin guests on topics including music, entrepreneurship, wellbeing, as well as the line-up for artist performances at the hotel and its other programming. Presumably, this content will also provide guests with hotel service updates, for example information on the spa’s services – when it opens in Q2.

Step Inside will provide our guests with ever-evolving content that interests them, brings a chuckle and gives an insider’s view into the world of Virgin Hotels,” added Carrillo.

RELATED STORIES
Virgin Hotels Chicago property debuts with a spa planned for Q2 of this year


The first Virgin-branded hotel has opened in Chicago’s Loop district in the 26- storey Old Dearborn Bank Building, originally designed by architecture firm Rapp and Rapp.
Virgin Hotels reveals New York City hotel designs


Virgin Hotels and owner/developer Lam Group have revealed building designs for their first project together in New York City, expected to open in 2017.
Virgin announces location of its next New York hotel


Virgin Hotels has announced the location of their new hotel set to be unveiled in New York. It can now be confirmed that the new hotel will be located on the northwest corner of 29th Street and Broadway.
2013 launch for first Virgin-branded hotel


Virgin Hotels is expected to open its first property by the end of 2013 in Chicago, US, after it completed the acquisition of the downtown Old Dearborn Bank Building in late 2011.
MORE NEWS
OMA completes New Museum transformation with landmark expansion and Oberon restaurant
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance, hospitality and public programming.
David Rockwell creates immersive magic destination, The Hand and The Eye
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and private membership under one roof.
Montana Heritage Center opens with immersive exhibits and US$107 million investment
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana Heritage Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
Universal launches new theme park model with Kids Resort
Universal Destinations and Experiences has launched a new regional theme park model with the opening of Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas.
San Antonio Zoo reports $283 million economic impact as expansion plans progress
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade- long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas attraction.
Great Barrier Reef attraction set for AU$180 million reinvention
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef education and conservation.
+ More news   
 
COMPANY PROFILES
Polin Waterparks

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin has since grown into a leading company in the waterpa [more...]
Simworx Ltd

The company was initially established in 1997. Terry Monkton and Andrew Roberts are the key stakeh [more...]
DJW

David & Lynn Willrich started the Company over thirty years ago, from the Audio Visual Department [more...]
Holovis

Holovis is a privately owned company established in 2004 by CEO Stuart Hetherington. [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

23-26 Aug 2026

Elevate Spa Riviera Maya Edition

The Riviera Maya Edition Kanai, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
28-29 Sep 2026

Wellness Destination AI Tech Summit – Tourism, Hospitality & Real Estate, 28-29 Sept 2026

Grand Ballroom, METT Singapore, Singapore
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

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