Chip Conley is an American hotelier, author, and speaker. Conley is the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, which he began in 1987 at age 26 and held the position of CEO for nearly 24 years. In 2010, after growing Joie de Vivre?s collection of boutique hotels to more than 35 properties in California, Conley sold his company to Geolo Capital and no longer has an operating role in the company. The last hotel concept he created for the company is The Epiphany in Palo Alto that opened in March 2014. In 2011, Conley and Joie de Vivre learned that Market Metrix awarded the company the #1 customer service award in the U.S. in the Upper Upscale hotel category for 2010, beating out Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, Westin, Kimpton and Peninsula hotels. In 2012, Conley received one of the highest accolades in the U.S. hotel industry, the ISHC Pioneer Award, given to an industry leader annually with past winners including J.W. Marriott, Steve Wynn, and Starwood Hotels founder Barry Sternlicht. In October 2011, Joie de Vivre and Thompson Hotels merged, and the two brands now sit under the newly created parent company, Commune Hotels & Resorts. [More at Wikipedia]

October 31st, 1960 in Orange (Age 64)