Do an image search for Guzmania, which is one genus of bromeliad, and see if that's what you have. It's almost certainly an unnamed hybrid, since that's what the mass-market nurseries tend to produce.
As for growing them, I never made any effort to water the soil and just poured some water into the "cup" of the plant when it seemed to be getting dry. Moist soil is helpful when they're growing roots, but otherwise their roots mostly seem to be designed for holding them upright, not for collecting water or nutrients. The leaves do most of that. As for light, strong, direct sun can be too much for them, so be cautious.