Virgin Holidays Opens the v-room Manchester

LONDON, June 23, 2011 -

Stars of the Big and ‘Small’ Screen Unveil New Departure
Lounge at Manchester Airport

Virgin Holidays
customers travelling from Manchester Airport will get their own
taste of Rockstar Service from 1^st July when the holiday
company’s new v-room opens its doors in Terminal 2. The second of
the popular dedicated leisure departure lounges joins that opened
at Gatwick three years ago in adding more extras to the holiday
experience just when it is needed: as soon as the customer is
checked in and ready to switch off.

Local stars Suzanne Shaw of Emmerdale and Coronation
Street‘s Chris Fountain were joined by the
mischievous Minions straight from Universal Orlando Resort’s
forthcoming 3D CGI Despicable Me attraction, Vegas showgirls
and a Caribbean barman - all representing the three destinations
currently served directly by Virgin Atlantic from Manchester - at
the opening.

The v-room Manchester is a funky and colourful 400m² space
overlooking the main passenger concourse, just yards from the
departure gates. Comfortably able to accommodate up to 100
customers at a time, it has been beautifully designed with an
attention to detail and style that reflect both its Manchester
location and the destinations about to be enjoyed by its customers.
Once checked in by Virgin Holidays staff at a dedicated reception,
guests are free to enjoy three distinct areas:

• v-room for kids:

A water-themed zone for babies, toddlers and little ones to romp
around in and burn off some energy before boarding the aircraft,
featuring soft play facilities, a magnetic wall and interactive
games.  

• v-room for tweens:

The gaming zone, where a wall-sized screen will immerse big kids
and adults in a selection of X-Box Kinect games, is joined by an
‘outside-inside’ space with free internet access, plasma TVs and
funky furniture.

• v-room for adults:

An adults-only area featuring specially commissioned artwork, in
which grown ups can chill out with the day’s paper, use the free
wi-fi or just relax before a well-earned holiday. A spacious
information area, manned by Virgin Holidays staff, is available for
any questions or to book excursions.

A hot and cold buffet, serving a mixture of breakfast and brunch
dishes and beverages every day, is available to all guests and is
included in the entry price. A full bar is available for those
wishing to purchase an alcoholic drink before flying.

Over 60,000 people have enjoyed the v-room at Gatwick since it
opened and pre-orders for the Manchester facility have already
exceeded 5,000.

Admission to the Manchester v-room will be £20 for adults, and
£12 per child (infants are free), with complimentary access for all
Virgin Holidays customers staying at a Platinum Collection hotel.
Tickets are on sale now for Virgin Holidays customers departing
from Manchester Airport from 1^st July 2011. To find out
more, visit href="www.virginholidays.co.uk/vroom">www.virginholidays.co.uk/vroom

Notes to editors

Recommended Twitter hashtag:
#v-room

About Virgin Holidays

Virgin Holidays is the UK’s leading Worldwide Holiday Company
with href="www.virginholidays.co.uk/info/about/all_inclusive/">all
inclusive holidays, href="www.virginholidays.co.uk/special_offers/">last minute
holidays and href="www.virginholidays.co.uk/info/about/beach_holidays/">beach
holidays. Offering adventures to the USA, the Caribbean,
Africa, the Middle and Far East, the Indian Ocean and
Australasia. 

As one of the top travel companies in the UK, Virgin Holidays
strives to deliver amazing holiday experiences to all customers.
Formed in 1985 following the creation of Virgin Atlantic, and built
on the Virgin principles of excellent customer service, high
quality and value for money, Virgin Holidays offers maximum
convenience and flexibility with an emphasis on fun, excitement and
innovation. The company introduced the concept of ‘rockstar
service’ in 2010 to describe the kind of exceptional customer
service and exclusive experiences that are only available to those
who book with Virgin Holidays, including the v-room at London
Gatwick (opened in 2008), ‘check in, chill out’ and dedicated hotel
concierge lounges across the world.

Further information: Phil Bloomfield, Virgin Holidays, Tel: +44(0)1293-744261 , Email: phil.bloomfield at virginholidays.com