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Thompon Tosses Gaige and Leaves It, JDV Pulls Up Quick To Retrieve It
The zen hideaway Gaige House in Sonoma Valley, Calif. has shifted management hands again and is now a JDV Hotel. Previously Thompson Hotels ran this joint, even earning a spot on the Conde Nast Traveler "Gold List."
But now instead of Jason Pomeranc's influence, the hotel will get NorCal native Chip Conley's sensitive touch. As you recall, JDV Hotels is a California-only Collection. So far, there doesn't look like any major changes will take place in the property aside from logo-swapping. And to announce their newest hotel additon, JDV has put together (what else?) a package.
Tags: Escape the Economy Hotels / JDV Hotels / Chip Conley / Hotel Deals / → All Tags
Quickest Way to Earn a $100? Stay at a JDV Hotel
Ok so that headline is a little misleading but the California-only chain, JDV Hotels, has put together a cheery package for these rough economic times. From now through April 30, guests who stay two or more nights at a JDV Hotel will get $100 "Joy Bucks", essentially a room credit that can be applied to on-property spa treatments, restaurant dining, hotel amenities or get this--the room rate.
“We don’t see our hotel rooms as commodities; we see them as canvases for guests’ individual experiences,” said Chip Conley, founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre. ”Our ‘What Would You Do with $100 and a Hotel Room?’ campaign is intended to be provocative and experience-driven. We hope people will be reminded of what they love about hotels and California travel and be inspired to celebrate whatever the occasion may be, perhaps a birthday, an anniversary or some celebration from the ordinary.”
We can certainly get down with that. Even better, we can share our experiences on Facebook at the Joie de Vivre Hotels Facebook page. Our only decision would be whether we want to apply that room credit towards a massage (we have a bad case of blogger's back) or towards an evening of fine dining and some wine (again, this job makes us thirsty) or towards the room rate to please our inner cheapskate. Hmmm...we think good food and wine will relax us sufficiently enough. Our wallet will just have to deal. Thanks, Chip!
Use code JOYBUCKS to book. Two-night minimum is required except at the Good Hotel, the Hotel Carlton and the Wild Palms Hotel, where a three-night minimum stay is required. Guests will receive the $100 credit on their hotel bill upon check out.
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Ultimate Political Geek Hotel Open in Sacramento
Political cartoons on your hotel room wall are here. And we sure know you've been waiting for them! JDV's The Citizen is now up and running and yes, the unique selling point here is 40 different political cartoons spread across the 198 rooms.
Luxist agrees with the hotel's advertising pitch that it's a boutique hotel, although we think almost 200 rooms makes the boutique label a bit misleading. Similarly, we're still not sure about the name. Chip Conley promised us a very unique name but we're already mixing up this Sacramento newbie with the European CitizenM chain--perhaps Conley was just going for the "unique on this continent" tag.
Our small grumbles aside, The Citizen is a central spot for any business you might be doing in Sacramento and if you're a vacationer, then it gets a whole lot cheaper on weekends: weeknight rates are $249 and weekends sink to $149.
Oh, and if the political cartoons thing is what's attracting you to The Citizen right now, then there's even more. The lampshades are covered in text from the Californian constitution. Doesn't turn us on, but perhaps we're just not politically hip enough.
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The Good Hotel in San Francisco is Trying To Be, Well, Good
JDV Hospitality and their California-only hotels have always been in our eyes a good hotel brand. For starters, they have free WiFi in all their hotels. They also have great rates and are in touch with today's modern traveler (free yoga classes anyone?) Plus, they have an eclectic collection of htoels so that any guests--budget, business, high-end- can find a hotel that suits them the most.
With their latest property, JDV is doing something a little bit different that is sure to please the charitable nature in you. It's The Good Hotel near the city's new green Federal Building.
The Good Hotel is a hip 117-room property that practices philanthropy and believes in ‘doing good' in every facet of the business. Not to be confused with 'green' or 'sustainable,' elements of this SOMA property will support environmental sustenance, but will go to an even deeper level by re-using items for everyday products and incorporating reclaimed materials for its construction.
The hotel’s décor features eco-friendly materials such as beds made from reclaimed wood and lamps made of recycled Voss water bottles and there is even a lobby vending machine that is stocked with items from ReadyMade Magazine (reused materials).
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Chip Conley and JDV Move Into Lauren Conrad's Territory, Laguna Beach
Chip Conley and his JDV Hospitality Group have taken over managing the 130-room beachfront Vacation Village in Laguna Beach, just five blocks from the city's downtown.
The OC Biz Journal reports:
The move is part of the company's plan to double its hotels in the next five years.
Joie de Vivre now has 35 hotels and expects most of its growth to be in Southern California.
It already has hotels in the Brentwood-Westwood area, Studio City and Long Beach and will manage the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach slated to open early next year.
Vacation Village just underwent a $2 million room renovation last year so we doubt that it will need much sprucing up. But it will of course, need the complimentary JDV WiFi.
The hotel also two pools, a whirlpool and a 4,000-square-foot private residence, Pacific Edge, available for groups of up to 65 for events. So like, kids can hold their after-prom parties here or their "we just wanna party because we can" parties.
And we really hope that Chip and co. have a hotel-naming contest here. What would you call this place? The Real O.C. Hotel?
[Photo: Vacation Village]
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JDV's Newest Hotel in Santa Cruz to Open June 1
Hotelier Chip Conley of JDV Hospitality, has a new hotel opening on June 1 in Santa Cruz.
Originally known as the Central Coast Hotel, JDV wanted to re-christen the place, The Dream Inn which was once the hotel's name in a former lifetime. Unfortunately, there were some trademark issues there. (Hmm...Vikram Chatwal perhaps?)
But JDV managed to work out an agreement so that the property will be called The Santa Cruz Dream Inn. You can read all about the "Naming Contest" the hotel held with locals here.
According to Good Times Weekly, the hotel will open in phases. On June 1 the renovated 100-room tower will open. On July 1, a secondary low-rise building will open.
So what's inside? Pretty standard JDV stuff, which we don't mind really.
The new guest rooms and suites will be furnished with such amenities as designer linens, down duvets and pillows, in-room binoculars, ergonomic chairs, extra-large flat screen HDTVs, CAT-5 Internet connectivity, surfboard and bicycle storage and, of course, iPod docking stations.
JDV is hoping to get a four-star luxury rating out of the renovation and will seek both business, leisure and surfer travelers a like.
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Aspiring Hotelier Reading List: Chip Conley's Book 'Peak'
Have you ever wondered how great companies get their mojo? No? Well you probably wouldn't be interested in Chip Conley's new book then. But if you're hoping to grow your hotel brand, you'd better listen up.
The book, Peak, explains the hotelier's management strategy, which he attributes to famed psychologist Abraham Maslow. Basically, Maslow argues that people perform well when they're needs are being met and do even better when they're self-fulfilled. What that means for a boutique hotel owner is that your customers can't be happy if the staff isn't happy.
It all sounds a little new age-y to us, but you can't deny that Conley's brand, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, is booming or that his employees don't appreciate his efforts. (To wit: his housekeepers love their brand new vacuum cleaners.) If you find yourself not self-actualized by reading just this book, remember Conley has two others out in paperback: Marketing That Matters and The Rebel Rules.
Related Stories:
· Business 101 Meets Psych 101 [Globe and Mail]
· Hotelier of The Year: Chip Conley [HotelChatter]
· Chip Conley coverage [HotelChatter]
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Hotelier of the Year: Chip Conley
Hotelier of the Year: Chip Conley
Chip Conley of Joie De Vivre Hospitality wins this award for 2007 not only because was he the first hotelier to kick-off our new feature, Pitch Your Hotel (although that helped) but also because in 2007 Chip pushed on in expanding JDV to new locations (nothing outside of California though) while at the same time, remaining very true to the philosophy of JDV--the joy of life.
When we asked Chip why there were no JDV hotels outside of California he told us this:
I think that's because we are conscious of what JDV is all about. We describe our hotels as hand-crafted and soulful and we want to make sure they are still close to home.
This past year, Chip opened Hotel Tomo in San Francisco's Japantown (even holding a "Name that Hotel" contest before it opened), weathered two complaints of racial profiling at his hotel by publicly apologizing in a newspaper column for the treatment of a guest by his hotel staff and continued to scope out new locations for JDV Hotels. Coming up next? Sacramento and Santa Cruz.
Not only do we love him but so do his employees. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about how Chip's management techniques have kept his staffers happy by offering sponsoring parties and awards, arranging paid annual retreats for employees, and offering free classes from computer courses to English as a Second Language.
Another example of how Chip tries to keep things fun? For JDV's 20th anniversary party, nearly 10,000 California residents named Joy were invited to the party.
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Hot Hotelier News: Housekeepers Love Chip Conley
· Chip Conley: Housekeepers at the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco love the new vacuum cleaners they get every year. In fact, employee satisfaction ratings took off since Conley's JDV Hospitality firm took over.
· Michael McGray: London's Hotelier of the Year award went to Michael McGray of the Hyatt Regency London.
· Jason Pomeranc: With Thompson Beverly Hills and the Hollywood Roosevelt out on the West Coast, Jason Pomeranc has purchased a home in the Hollywood Hills that was once owned by Bobby Darin. But its not a singing career we think Pomeranc is after. We think once he's done with hotels (or is he already?) he will get into film. It's the Hollywood Way!
· Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson: Regarding the Hotel Riverview the duo appeared before the community board. Some plans for the hotel include restoring its original look, including re-building an octagonal cupola on the roof. Some more good news, apparently a liquor license is expected to be approved.
Tags: Hot Hotelier News / Jeff Klein / Ian Schrager / Andre Balazs / Chip Conley / → All Tags
Hot Hotelier News: Trouble's One Lucky Bitch
If you know a wealthy hotelier, you might want to start buttering them up right now. And if you are related to a hotelier, well shoot, you better think of some way to make sure you're in their will. Leona Helmsley left her fortune to her dog Trouble and not to any of her grandkids or great grandkids. We knew she was mean but whoa. That dog is kinda cute though.
Elsewhere in the hotelier universe:
· Andre Balazs gussies up the Bar Marmont [LA Times]
· George Lucas ruined Jeff Klein's hope for a classy dress code at Sunset Tower [NY Post]
· We learn Ian Schrager doesn't use ad agencies in the new book Chasing Cool [Forbes]
· Anybody named Joy invited to Chip Conley's anniversary party for JDV Hospitality on 9/23/07 [Earth Times]
Tags: Chip Conley / San Francisco Hotel Reviews / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
Hotel Tomo Taking Reservations on June 1
While Jason Pomeranc's 6 Columbus keeps working out the kinks, Chip Conley's newest hotel, Hotel Tomo is set to start taking reservations on June 1.
The hotel used to be the Best Western Miyako Inn in San Fran's Japantown but the only thing that remains is the Best Western handle. Inside Hotel Tomo, you will find lots of Japanese pop-culture artwork, (think anime), 26-inch LCD flat-screen TVs, iPod docking station and radio, J-Pop wall murals and what looks like Ugly Dolls on each bed.
There's also a restaurant called Mum's which specializes in shabu-shabu -- "thinly sliced meat and vegetables cooked at your table in an iron hot pot, and served with savory, special, house dipping sauces."
But the best part might be the two "gaming suites" available which include PS3 and Wii, bean bags, sofa bed, 6-foot LCD projection screen, microwaves and mini-refrigerators (What? No Guitar Hero??)
Related Stories:
· Inside Hotel Tomo in San Francisco's Japantown [HotelChatter]
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Pitch Your Hotel: Chip Conley of Joie De Vivre Hospitality
Hotelier. The word is so romantic, so eccentric, so...French. However, run-of-the-mill real world hoteliers don't always live up to the etymology. Many hoteliers tend to talk about their rooms as commodities that they hope to sell by the click to you, hotel mavens. Others constantly complain that the online hotel review game has made it extremely difficult to get their hotel message to guests.
Always looking to bring you the most pertinent information on the worldwide hotel scene, we figured when we found hoteliers that were worthy of the French pronunciation of the word, we would let them speak to you directly. Besides, before you dropped a bunch of cash to stay at someone's house, wouldn't you want to get to know the owner a bit? Exactly. We, always oh so full of ourselves, are calling this series Hoteliers That Matter and we are sitting down with these hoteliers and letting them tell you, straight from their mouths to web ears, what you need to know about their hotels.
Quick Clip: Click To Play
Watch as Chip Conley, ever the media professional, skillfully ignores his vibrating cellphone to tell us about JDV Hospitality.
To kick off our series, we were fortunate enough to sit down with San Francisco-based Chip Conley of JDV Hospitality. Conley started his hotelier career when he was 26-years-old with the Phoenix Hotel in San Fran's Tenderloin neighborhood. He succeeded into turning this hotel, in an otherwise dingy city neighborhood, into the hotel of choice for rock n' rollers and musical acts playing in the city.
Since then, Conley has spent the past 20 years building up his brand from this one rock n' roll hotel to more than 40 boutique hotels, restaurants and dayspas.
On the horizon for Conley is naturally, the ever-popular hotel and brand expansion. But don't expect JDV to hit the East Coast. For now, Conley is content to keep JDV a California experience.
The full Q&A with JDV Hospitality's Chip Conley after the jump.
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