Virgin Galactic, the privately-funded space company owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi’s aabar Investments PJS, announced today that it has awarded hospitality contracts to two local New Mexico businesses as part of its commitment to invest in the local community. Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces and World Class Gourmet were carefully selected by Virgin Galactic to be its first official hotel and catering partners, serving the needs of its Future Astronauts who will travel to space from Spaceport America. The New Mexico community and its businesses will be integral to the on-the-ground experience and Virgin Galactic is now starting to select and work with local partners to ensure an authentic, high quality experience.
Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, a property managed by New Mexico’s Heritage Hotels & Resorts, will be the exclusive Doña Ana County Future Astronaut hotel, offering a uniquely tailored, premium experience. The hotel plans to hire dedicated Guest Concierges to help manage the Virgin Galactic guest experience, as well as add new rooms, facilities and multi-lingual staff for Virgin Galactic’s international travelers. Inside Spaceport America’s ‘Gateway to Space’ terminal, Chef Tatsu Miyazaki, known for his exceptional top restaurants, Savoy de Mesilla and Aqua Reef Euro-Asian Cuisine, and his Las Cruces-based team from World Class Gourmet will serve as the exclusive caterer.
In addition to relocating a number of existing staff to New Mexico, Virgin Galactic plans to hire staff from the nearby community in the coming months. Combined, this will provide an opportunity to support local businesses in the area and create a more complete on-the-ground and localized experience for Future Astronauts. Virgin Galactic is also currently exploring several additional partnerships in Sierra County and hopes to announce their completion shortly.
