Joie de Vivre Named One of the Top Ten Places to Work in the Bay Area

Fourth Year California Hospitality Company Ranked in the Top Ten

San Francisco (May 20, 2009) - Joie de Vivre, California's largest boutique hotel collection, has been named one of the top ten places to work in the Bay Area for the fourth year. The company placed third in the 2009 "Best Places to Work in the Bay Area" ranking of employers with 501 to 1,500 employees. Results for the prestigious joint San Francisco Business Times and Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal survey were announced this month.

"We continually strive to create and maintain our unique workplace culture, so we're thrilled Joie de Vivre is again among the top ten Bay Area employers. No other Bay Area hospitality company has been awarded this recognition four times," said Jane Howard, Joie de Vivre's chief people officer. "‘People Matter Here' is our motto, and employee satisfaction is at the heart of what we do and how we measure success. We know happy employees create happy guests."

Joie de Vivre has long had one of the highest employee retention levels - around 25% - in the hospitality industry, where the average turnover rate is nearly 70%. The low turnover is a result of the company's culture of employee recognition and respect combined with benefits such as paid sabbaticals and JdV University, a personal and professional development program offering everything from ESL courses to rock climbing instruction. Most recently, Joie de Vivre introduced the employee "Joy Card" that offers benefits such as discounts at Joie de Vivre hotels and restaurants and at preferred vendors like AT&T.

The 2009 San Francisco Business Times and Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal ranking of the "125 Best Places to Work in the Bay Area" brought nominations from 383 companies in 12 counties around the greater Bay Area; 156,245 employees were surveyed. Companies were ranked based on how employees rated them on policies, culture, compensation and practices, and were categorized based on the size of their Bay Area workforce.

To learn more about Joie de Vivre and employment opportunities, visit http://www.jdv.jobs/.

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 and Santa Clara.

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Media Contact:
Kristina Hjelsand, Senior Public Relations Manager, Joie de Vivre
T. 415.364.5593/ Email khjelsand@jdvhospitality.com

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