Joie de Vivre Hotels Introduces Hotel Erwin, Venice Beach

San Francisco (June 16, 2009) - Joie de Vivre, California's largest boutique hotel collection, has added a fourth southern California property to its collection with the re-launch of the Marina Pacific Hotel as the Hotel Erwin Venice Beach. The 119-room property is finishing a two-phase renovation that will be complete in mid July.

Hotel Erwin is at the epicenter of Venice, overlooking Muscle Beach, the 20-foot tall Jim Morrison mural, and the recently renovated boardwalk. It's set just 200 feet from the beach and a few blocks from the understated chic shopping and dining enclave of Abbott Kinney and historic Venice canals.

"Joie de Vivre is known for finding undiscovered gems," said Matt Harvey, Joie de Vivre's creative director. "This hotel has that Cinderella story line. It's a humble family hotel being injected with new life and spirit to become a landmark destination for visitors and the local community."

Hotel Erwin's design will reflect everything that is Venice Beach. The 119-room hotel has com¬fortable residential touches mixed with edgy artistic, countercultural elements and pop-style furnishings. A range of low and high art by artists such as Larry Bell is found throughout the hotel. And graffiti-inspired work shows up unexpectedly on guestroom doors. Even the guestroom corridors are lined with arty photographs of graffiti, famous rock stars, and eclectic Venice locals.

In reference to Venice's raw, urban style, all rooms feature a safety-yellow metal screen with a built-in shelf for knickknacks and a signature sunglass honor bar. Rooms also have 32- to 42-inch flat screen TVs with technology hubs and iPod docking stations. Many rooms have balconies with Pacific Ocean or boardwalk views.

Oceanview suites are perfect for families as well as couples and business travelers. The 38 one-bedroom suites have a queen-sized sofa bed, wet bar, fireplace and bathrooms with large, two-person walk-in showers.

High, a new rooftop lounge opening June 25, offers 360-degree views from Catalina Island to the Hollywood sign. After a night there, guests will be able to dine at Hash, the "from-scratch" restaurant serving the best breakfast on the beach, plus a signature menu of Bloody Marys. In the evening, the 44-seat restaurant, which includes 18 outdoor patio seats, will offer the chef's menu of seasonal dishes based on farmer's market ingredients. Hash opens June 29 for breakfast and July 3 for dinner.

Hotel Erwin also offers the antidote to boring meeting space. In addition to its open-air lounge, the hotel has 1,000 square feet of gallery-style meeting space ideal for a wrap party, product launch or gathering of up to 65 people. The meeting space showcases original works by artist Larry Bell.

"Venice is perfect for guests wanting a beach experience that is a little more urban, even a bit edgy," said Chip Conley, Joie de Vivre's CEO and founder. "Staying at Hotel Erwin will be the definitive Venice, California experience. Our ‘five words' for the hotel - expressive, rebellious, adventurous, fun and diverse - sum it up perfectly. It's quintessential Venice and very Joie de Vivre."

Hotel Erwin will be Joie de Vivre's fourth boutique property in Southern California, joining the new Hotel Maya in Long Beach, the recently opened Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach and the Hotel Angeleno, which opened in 2005. Peak summer rates at Hotel Erwin start at $269 per night. Please visit www.jdvhotels.com for more information and reservations or call 800.786.7789.

About Joie de Vivre
San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre (http://www.jdvhotels.com) is a collection of creative lifestyle businesses. Founded in 1987 by Chip Conley, Joie de Vivre manages nearly 40 boutique hotels, more than 20 restaurants and four spas, and is recognized for creating some of the most innovative hospitality services and products and designing one-of-a-kind properties. Joie de Vivre also manages residential projects with hotel-style services and amenities. As California's largest boutique hotel collection, Joie de Vivre Hotels is becoming the hotel brand synonymous with the California travel experience, offering a wide range of unique urban, suburban and waterfront boutique hotels that cater to leisure and business travelers in all market segments. Joie de Vivre hotels are located in San Francisco, Marin County, Silicon Valley, San Francisco East Bay, Big Sur, Sonoma County, Santa Cruz, Sacramento and Los Angeles. In 2009, Joie de Vivre continues its California expansion, with hotels opening in Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Venice Beach, Laguna Beach and Santa Clara.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Lori Lincoln, Director of Public Relations, Joie de Vivre
T. 415.773.1067/ Email llincoln@jdvhospitality.com

Digital images of Hotel Erwin can be found at www.jdvhotels.com/press/imagegallery