Chip Conley, Author & Joie de Vivre Founder
Chip Conley founded Joie de Vivre by transforming a small motel in San Francisco’s seedy Tenderloin district into The Phoenix, a legendary haven for the rock ‘n roll set. Today Joie de Vivre is the country’s second largest boutique hotel company operating nearly 40 unique hotels and spas. Influenced by Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Conley revamped his business model to focus on the intangible, higher needs of his company’s three main constituencies – employees, customers and investors. He credits this shift for helping Joie de Vivre triple its annual revenues between 2001 and 2008. And, he was awarded the “Most Innovative CEO in the Bay Area” by the San Francisco Business Times based upon this performance.
Conley has written four books, including PEAK:How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow and his most recent New York Times bestseller, EMOTIONAL EQUATIONS: Simple Truths for Creating Happiness + Success. The veteran CEO of 24 years is an internationally sought after consultant and speaker, recipient of the 2012 Pioneer Award (the hospitality industry’s highest honor), and is Saybrook University’s 2012 Scholar-Practitioner in Residence.