Boutique Hotelier, Joie de Vivre Hospitality Named E-Marketer of the Year by TravelCLICK and HSMAI

San Francisco, March 2, 2006 - At a charged ceremony with more than 1,500 in attendance to view the distribution of the 49th annual Adrian Awards, Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV), California's largest boutique hotelier, was presented with the most prestigious award of the evening: eMarketer of the Year.

Sponsored by TravelCLICK, the e-Marketer of the Year Award honors hoteliers who exhibit outstanding use of electronic channels to promote their property(s). Joie de Vivre Hospitality's diverse application of e-marketing strategies and innovative website practices has delivered a 35% increase in website production from 2004 to 2005 and ultimately, to winning this distinguished designation.

"Our core desire is to make the guest's interaction with our site more than virtual," said Chip Conley, CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality. "Entering jdvhospitality.com is equivalent to walking over our threshold. You might say our success is a direct result of being prepared for that online visit by ensuring our guests are efficiently directed and provided with all the knowledge they came seeking," he continued.

Utilizing a variety of marketing techniques including pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, search engine optimization, etc., JdV ensures that guests find the website. Once they're there, a web destination that guarantees the best rate and is also rich in content and interaction, takes care of the rest.

For example, JdV makes an effort to assist guests in choosing the right hotel while on their site. Through Yvette, a fictional character who acts as a hotel matchmaker, JdV creates an alternative to the generic hotel selection process by actually anticipating individual tastes and preferences. After answering five short questions, guests are 'partnered' with five Joie de Vivre hotel recommendations, six unique activities and two in-the-know local 'guides.'

It is the deployment of these forces along with the utilization of innovative revenue management techniques partnered with electronic marketing that have positioned Joie de Vivre Hospitality on a more level playing field with industry giants. With a state-of-the-art central reservations and marketing management system, travel agent media advertising, a third party channel management program and market intelligence, the company has been able to identify and adjust online efforts to capture a larger market share.

The web has been a priority for Joie de Vivre since the inception of its website (jdvhospitality.com) in 2000. Seeing the internet as a viable marketing and booking resource, JdV placed an emphasis on bolstering that segment from the very beginning. And it seems that the industry as a whole agreed, considering that in 2005 over 25% of all revenues in hospitality were generated from the Internet (20% in 2004, 15% in 2003). 2006 is projected to be 27-29%. Plus, another 25% of hotel bookings will be influenced by the Internet, but done offline (call center, walk-ins, group bookings, etc). In 2008, it is expected that 1/3rd of all hotel bookings will be done via the Web. In 2004, Internet hotel bookings surpassed GDS hotel bookings for the first time. On average 53% of all Internet bookings in hospitality will be direct to consumer (i.e. via hotel-owned websites.)*

About Joie de Vivre Hospitality

Based in San Francisco, Joie de Vivre Hospitality (www.jdvhotels.com) is a creative collection of lifestyle businesses. As California's most prolific hotel operator(2005 projected sales are $120 million), the Joie de Vivre portfolio encompasses 33 hospitality businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, including 28 boutique hotels. These properties represent a total of over 2,800 rooms and include five distinctive restaurants and bars. The company also owns and operates San Francisco's largest day spa, the Kabuki Springs & Spa. Each property celebrates California through a unique visual style, uncompromising design principles, one-of-a-kind amenities and personalized service. "Our goal," notes Joie de Vivre founder and CEO Chip Conley, "is to create landmark destinations full of soul and personality."