Boutique Design - November/December 2011 - 30

C O V E R

S T O R Y

Rebel, Rebel
It’s not just his philanthropy that has led to Chip Conley’s second career as an author of self-help books and an in-demand business motivational speaker. There’s also his rule-breaking business philosophy that has built JdV into a company with annual sales of more than $240 million and given it best-in-class performance even during tough times. Here are some of his counter-culture milestones: • In 1987, at the age of 26, Conley walked away from a promising career path that led from Morgan Stanley to various California commercial real estate firms because “on some days it was a job. On a few days, it was a career, but it was never a calling.” Then he walked into the lobby of one of the Tenderloin’s “no-tell motels,” the Caravan Lodge, and “lit up inside because I saw what it could be.” What was once a flophouse in a tough district became JdV’s first property, the still-cool Phoenix. • Conley’s never aspired to be the next Conrad Hilton—or even Ian Schrager or Bill Kimpton. “Ian’s properties are like nightclubs expanded into hotels. People get tired of that. Bill’s properties were like small, European hotels. But I thought that was too conservative,” Conley explains. “I wanted something in the middle. And, I figured it would be a lot easier to create a cool hotel that would compete with Travelodge than one that would try to take on Four Seasons.” Beyond that, Conley concluded there “should be boutique hotels for people who couldn’t afford luxury rates—a hotel that felt like it was designed for them.” To get the look, he purposely “didn’t look for a design firm from Berlin.” Instead, he turned to a designer/friend, Shawn Hall, who created the Phoenix’s distinctive vibe. • Conley chose a career in hospitality “because I hate wearing blazers and it was an industry that would be open to a gay ceo.” For Conley, being gay is as much part of who he is as being 6 ft. 2 in. “It’s still controversial once in a while, but our society is becoming a meritocracy,” he says.

good food and makeovers. “We say JdV is all about providing peak experiences to people,” says Conley. “Clearly, that means our employees and guests. But the homeless are people, too. Why shouldn’t we be aiming to offer them a peak experience?” Questions like that aren’t surprising coming from this native Californian, who was raised by an ex-Marine father who was the go-to person for anyone in trouble and a mother who made volunteering a way of life. But with both an MBA and an undergraduate degree in economics from Stanford University, Conley also sees the need for accountability. Each hotel has a target of contributing $200 per room annually in gift certificates, in-kind donations, fundraisers and/or events. Guests can also play a role. The You

Can Make A Difference campaign raised $500,000 one dollar at a time, by asking guests to add a dollar to their bill at checkout to benefit the hotel’s charity. Last April, a promotion promised a $20 discount at one of four of JdV’s Southern California hotels in return for a $10 donation to the Los Angeles Mission. It all adds up. In 2010, nearly every Joie de Vivre hotel surpassed its goal; some hotels doubled and tripled it. Still, it’s not just what Conley puts out to the community that elevates him to “hero” status. It’s the decisions no one knows about—like hiring William OrtizCartagena. Conley took a chance on a young man who had just finished a two-year prison sentence and hired him as a front desk attendant. Ten years and a number of

The hotel that launched JdV, the Phoenix in San Francisco, continues to be a design leader with its neutral palette and statement-making furnishings.

Boutique Design | November+December 2011

Courtesy of Joie de Vivre

Boutique Design - November/December 2011

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