Joie de Vivre Reviews

I have been working at Joie de Vivre full-time for more than a year

Pros – Growing company with the merger of Commune hotels. Opportunity for growth is expanding rapidly.

Cons – Corporate office is going through so many changes which trickles down lack of communication to the hotels. We are not getting answers on a lot of the direction the company is heading, bonus plans changing consistently with lack of communication to external sales departments at the hotels.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Joie de Vivre full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – I would say the best part about working for JDV were the people that work there. The hotel I was working at got purchased by JDV and they came in and made a lot of changes. All in all the changes they made to the hotel were okay. They made some renovations to the F&B outlets of the hotel and brought in a new chef ect.

Cons – While I was working at JDV there was a lot of change going on in upper management which led to an atmosphere of uncertainty amongst employees. With all of the renovations I would have expected to see in increase in business but that was not the case. I feel like JDV could have done a better job marketing and advertising to bring in business.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Joie de Vivre full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Great opportunities to move up.
Great front office leadership across properties.
Training available to develop a career

Cons – Lack of Vision. Used to be a fun environment but has lost its glamour when founder stepped aside. HR department that is only interested in advancement not the employees needs.

Advice to Senior Management – Just because a company grows doesn't mean it should become corporate. Make sure your employees are taken care of

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Joie de Vivre full-time for more than a year

Pros – Open door policies
Company is continuously growing and has infinite growth potential, creating what would seem to be a lot of opportunity for those looking for a career.

Cons – Being at one of the properties outside of California you don't feel as though you have a lot of people to turn to as an example of company culture. Management seems to be young and inexperienced. Being outside of Cali. leaves you with little option for using your company perks. It is always said that this company is looking to promote from within but for the year and a half that I was there I never witnessed anyone actually be promoted, though various positions opened up. It was also my experience that there was absolutely no follow through on disciplinary actions. The hotel became known as the job no one could get fired from which might be a pro to some. Last but not least, running out of essential items such as, toilet paper, amenities, etc. for the guest, is completely unacceptable.

Advice to Senior Management – My advice to upper management would be to stop the madness. Yes you should be able to have fun at work, but there is a time and a place for that and there has to be a standared set. Stop treading on those that are asking for rules and regulations, aka. structure. You will eventually lose those in the staff that work hard, because nobody wants to work at 100% when the person next to them is getting paid the same amount and only doing 15% of the job. Also teach your managers in the workplace about proper fratinization and keeping boundaries amongst themselves and their employees. Keep the open door policie alive but actually do something with the legitimate concerns employees bring in to you.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Joie de Vivre part-time for more than a year

Pros – The people that Joie de Vivre attract as employees make the experience. They are always upbeat and management looks for ways to improve the experience for them

Cons – As with most hotels there are a ton of seasonal positions, so turnover is extremely fast paced and makes it difficult to acquire full time positions

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Joie de Vivre full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Most staff are very nice.

Cons – Managers are amateurs. No mentoring, training, succession planning, or even reviews. Good employees either get lost in the shuffle or wake up and leave to find a company they can grow with. Poor employees go unnoticed or tolerated.

Advice to Senior Management – Hire stronger managers or take the time to train managers to be effective. Hold them accountable for their departments. Do not accept sub standard managers because the GM simply likes them. Have stricter guidelines in terms of developing people & product. If you want to play with the big boys you need to train like the big boys.

By the way, Stephen Brandman is no longer CEO. You need to update your post...

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Joie de Vivre full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Locations
Primarily located in amazing Bay Area.
People
The employees who have been working since before the merger (few and fewer as time goes by) remember what company used to stand for

Cons – Lost its culture after merger
Should never have accepted Prtizker and Geolo Capital buy. Down hill from there.
Doesn't care about employees anymore.

Advice to Senior Management – Leave Thompson Hotels. Bring back Chip!!!
Develop strategies to retain employees (pay, benefits)
Bring back Holiday Party.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Joie de Vivre

Pros – Tips, great employees, free lunch, decent salary.

Cons – You work a lot harder than what you are paid. To get anything done there to make sure the guest are happy, you would have to go through all this politics and have to see if it can be put into the budget, even the smallest things.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Joie de Vivre

Pros – - Center of Japan Town
- Decent Pay
- Great Coworkers
- Perks

Cons – - Inexperienced top leadership with little sense of direction
- New ownership with lots of changes
- Average Benefits (recent reductions)
- Policy being crafted on the fly (new standards/demands sent out via email and not in employee handbook)
- Decreasing Morale
- Lack of trust from GM
- Poor communication

Advice to Senior Management – - Conduct a Climate Survey and hear what the employees have to say
- Rub elbows with the employees to experience first hand what their frustrations are
- Listen to the empoloyees
- Trust but verify the employees
- Changes and reductions in benefits were harsh and even harsher when only two months notice was provided. Give ample notice to your staff before making life changing moves like this (6 Months)
- Pitch in and help out when staff is short handed

I worked at Joie de Vivre

Pros – A brand with so much potential to go so far founded on basic principles of good, smart hospitality. A company that values letting its employees be who they are and in turn reflecting the identity of the hotel they work for.

Cons – Over twenty years of successful leadership by Chip Conley and his team have come to an abrupt end. The culture of a company which was frequently recognized as the cornerstone of the success of Joie de Vivre is quickly being dismantled. New leadership is behind the times with Thompson's CEO at the helm. Industry reputation of the new CEO is nothing but negative in this close-knit industry of hospitality professionals.

The progressive attitudes that Chip brought to Joie de Vivre revolutionized the industry. Adopting from principles of profitable and successful established companies and having the daring vision and creativity of a fledgling technology upstart, new leadership doesn't believe in this model for success. Rather, leadership's first concern were that the staff weren't in a suit and tie. The first order of business was demanding business suits for all. No more calling each other by first name either - it's Mr. or Mrs. Such narrow-minded changes for a company with as much potential as Joie de Vivre were the best ideas yet to be offered. As a result, "Out with the new, in with the old" seems to be the way of thinking within the internal workings of the company.

Even hiring decisions are the lowest ranks must be approved by senior leadership who has never met the candidate but is known company-wide for their tirades about why they aren't good enough. Amidst these changes, never was a message given to the company at large about the strategy and direction of the brand. In fact, it doesn't seem that leadership knows what direction its heading in. What will become of the well-respected Joie de Vivre collection has yet to be seen. But one thing is certain - not even Chip himself knows anymore. He has effectively "checked out" of this Hotel California.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend