From hotel suites to virtual reality, museums turn to licensing deals as costs rise

Part of the dinosaur suite at the Park Plaza London Riverbank hotel created in collaboration with the Natural History Museum. Photograph: Will Ireland/PinPep

They are often free to visit but museums are bolstering their finances by putting their stamp on everything from upmarket hotel suites to trendy jumpsuits and virtual reality experiences.

Forget buying a T-shirt. If you can afford the “from £724” price tag, you can spend the night in the Natural History Museum family suite at the Park Plaza London Riverbank hotel, which has an interior inspired by the museum’s founder, Sir Richard Owen, complete with Tyrannosaurus rex bunk beds.