Kim Jong-Il isn't the only international icon looking to break into the hotel industry. Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson has announced his own plans to move from airlines to hotels, starting with a skyscraper hotel in Manchester. This Virgin City Hotel, which Branson hopes will be the first of a chain of luxury hotels, would be on Aytoun Street in Piccadilly. Branson isn't a total stranger to the hotel industry: his Virgin Limited Edition's hotel projects include a ski lodge in Verbier, Switzerland, as well as Necker Island. [Hotel Chatter]
