Virgin Holidays has unveiled its first retail store in Cardiff – as the v-room concept lands in Wales for the first time.

The new, flagship £450,000 store at St David’s Shopping Centre has created ten new jobs in the capital, and offers customers a unique immersive holiday experience.

Virgin Holidays’ v-rooms are revolutionising the high street holiday booking experience by offering customers the chance to sample the sights, sounds and tastes of their dream holiday before they book.

The Cardiff v-room is designed in the style of a luxurious airport lounge to provide a relaxing environment for customers. 

Unique features include a virtual reality rollercoaster, a complimentary bar serving exotic cocktails, a children’s play area and a selection of Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class and Premium Economy seats to enable customers to try before they fly.

The innovative virtual reality rollercoaster was specifically designed for the Cardiff store and takes customers on a ride through the roof of St David’s Shopping Centre, across space (passing a Virgin Galactic spacecraft) and straight to the famous Las Vegas strip.

Joe Thompson, managing director of Virgin Holidays, said: “We’re proud to unveil our first v-room in Wales – marking a £450,000 investment in Cardiff’s high street, and bringing the holiday experience to customers before they depart.

“Holidays are some of the most precious moments we share with loved ones, and we want to immerse customers in that feeling from the moment they set foot inside our v-room.

“Our new store helps inspire customers by bringing the sights, sounds and tastes of their holiday right here to Cardiff.”

In total Virgin Holidays now has 11 v-room high street stores across the UK, as well as concession stores in many department stores – including concessions in House of Fraser Cardiff, and Debenhams in Swansea.

In total the company now employs 15 full time Virgin Holidays staff across Wales.