Press Room
S.F. hotelier moves into L.A.
Joie de Vivre Hospitality, know for its San Francisco are boutique hotels, has entered the southern California market with plans to renovate the Holiday Inn Brentwood-BelAir. The hotel's owner, GH Capital, Sherman Oaks, brought in Joie de Vivre to manage the hotel and collaborate on the property's $5 million to $6 million makeover.
Joie de Vivre will "help create the identity for the hotel." said founder and CEO Chip Conley.
The goal is to create a new concept and design for the hotel and ultimately "re-launch it from the marketing and management perspective," Conley said.
The southern California Holiday Inn, which has been managed by Joie de Vivre since April 1, will be closed during renovation. It's not yet clear how the hotel will be branded once the transformation is complete.
"It will either be a boutique hotel or the coolest Holiday Inn," Conley said.
Joie de Vivre, which operates 26 boutique hotels in San Francisco, Marin and Napa counties and in Silicon Valley, hopes its entrance into the southern California marketplace will be part of something bigger.
"We're looking to do in the southern California area something similar to what we've done here," Conley said. "Develop a hub and spoke system – a hub of a few hotels and spokes in the region."
Nearly a year ago, Joie de Vivre was hired by Holiday Inn's parent company, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) to be consultant on the company's new boutique style brand, Hotel Indigo.
The Bay Area firm has also been granted preferred management status by InterContinental, which give Joie de Vivre and edge if a Hotel Indigo owner is looking for third-party management.
