Virgin Founder Sir Richard Branson to Keynote ALIS

Maverick Industrialist Extends Global Brand Success into Hotels Venture

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. October 19, 2010

Washington, DC - October 14, 2010 - Sir Richard Branson, founder/president of Virgin Group, will be the keynote speaker at the Tuesday luncheon of the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), January 24-26, 2011, in San Diego.

Under Branson's leadership, Virgin has become one of the world's most recognized and respected brands. With more than 300 companies in 30 countries, the company's interests include air and rail travel, hospitality and leisure, telecommunications, financial services, health and wellness, media, and clean energy. Global branded revenues in 2009 exceeded £11.5 billion (approx. US$18 billion).

Branson founded Virgin as a mail order retailer in 1970 at the age of 20, expanding it into a record shop and recording studio. It is now one of the top six record companies in the world. In 2004, Branson opened the world's first commercial space tourism business with the launch of Virgin Galactic.

Branson has authored several books, including "Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way," (Crown Business, 1998), "Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life" (Virgin Books, 2006), and "Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur" (Virgin Books, 2008). In 1999, Branson was knighted for "services to entrepreneurship."

Earlier this month, the Virgin Group announced the launch of Virgin Hotels, a new four-star lifestyle hotel brand. The company plans to develop and operate up to 25 hotels within seven years, with the first property expected to open within 12-18 months. Virgin Hotels' properties initially will be located in gateway cities in North America and have 150-400 guestrooms, restaurants, and communal public spaces featuring Virgin's unique customer-focused touches. Guests will resemble the highly-valued business and leisure traveler whose loyalty Virgin has captured over the last 25 years. The new hotel brand will be international in distribution with its initial development concentrated in North America.

“We are delighted that Sir Richard Branson will be joining us at ALIS as the keynote speaker” said Jim Burba, ALIS Conference Chair. “He is a truly iconic global business leader who also clearly understands what works in travel, tourism, and hospitality. Virgin's entry into the hotel business is very exciting and will be great to watch unfold as the hotel industry shakes off the recent downturn and starts looking forward again.”

Co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the two-and-a-half-day ALIS event features an extensive array of seminars and panels hosted by leading experts and investors discussing important trends and identifying new opportunities. The conference attracts the lodging industry's leading hotel executives, investors, lenders, developers, and professional advisory community. Proceeds from ALIS benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the Educational Institute (EI) of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LA's nonprofit affiliate.

Online registration is available via the ALIS Website. For general event information and sponsorship opportunities, contact Stephany Chen, BHN associate, at (714) 540-9300 or [email protected].

Serving the hospitality industry for a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members.

AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research.

BHN is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. With more than two decades of experience, over 80 events completed or in production to-date, and more than 60,000 international delegates, BHN conferences have become “must attend” events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business and to learn about the latest trends.

BHN events include: the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in San Diego; the ALIS Summer Update in Los Angeles; the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Miami; HICAP Update Japan in Tokyo; the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong; HICAP Update Southeast Asia in Singapore; the Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) in Mumbai; the new Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) conference in Miami; and the Central America Tourism & Hotel Investment Exchange (CATHIE) held in El Salvador in 2010.

The BHN website at www.Burba.com is the gateway for information about the conferences BHN produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world.