Joie de Vivre Hotels Sets Fall 2011 Debut For The Drinkwater in Scottsdale

Joie de Vivre Hotels, the West Coast-based company known for its fun, whimsical boutique hotels, will introduce its first property outside of California in Scottsdale, Ariz. this fall. Named The Drinkwater, the 195-room hotel has an unbeatable location in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. The property is currently being reimagined to showcase the colorful, vibrant spirit of the Southwest by Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat of Stamberg Aferiat Architecture.

The Drinkwater takes its name from its prime location and entrance on Drinkwater Boulevard, which in turn was named for Scottsdale's former four-term mayor, Herb Drinkwater, who led the Phoenix suburb's transformation into a thriving resort destination and was known affectionately as "Mr. Scottsdale." Like all of Joie de Vivre's one-of-a-kind boutique hotels, The Drinkwater's design will have a strong local flavor.

"This is a milestone step for Joie de Vivre, and Scottsdale is a great place for our first venture outside of California," said Joie de Vivre Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Chip Conley. "We're opening in the best location just steps from the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts in a destination that is popular with our existing clientele and one that will expand our reach and business."

Joie de Vivre signed the management contract for The Drinkwater in February. The hotel is owned and is being repositioned by The Sydell Group Ltd., an owner, developer and operator of lifestyle oriented hotels recognized for their innovative and collaborative food and beverage and retail partnerships. Sydell properties include The Ace Hotel New York and The Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs, both of which the company developed and continues to asset manage. The Ace Hotel's restaurant - The Breslin Bar and Dining Room, operated by Executive Chef April Bloomfield and restaurateur Ken Friedman - was awarded a Michelin Star in 2011.

In addition to repositioning The Drinkwater, Sydell is currently constructing The NoMad Hotel in New York City. The Nomad's food & beverage program will be operated by Eleven Madison Park's Executive Chef Daniel Humm and General Manager Will Guidara. Eleven Madison Park was awarded the "2011 Most Outstanding Restaurant, USA" by the James Beard Foundation.

"We have tapped great partners to work with us to reposition and rebrand our Scottsdale property," said Sydell's Founder and CEO Andrew Zobler. "We're excited to work with Chip and his team on creative guest programming and amenities and to have The Drinkwater be in the expanding Joie de Vivre Hotels collection." Zobler also added that details about The Drinkwater's exciting food and beverage outlets and partnership with a high-profile chef will be revealed in the coming months.

For more information, please contact The Drinkwater at Tel. 877.808.2440. The property is located at 7353 East Indian School Road in Old Town Scottsdale.

About Joie de Vivre Hospitality, LLC Founded in 1987 by entrepreneur Chip Conley, San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre (www.jdvhotels.com) is known for creating some of the most innovative hospitality services and products and designing one-of-a-kind boutique hotels, restaurants and spas. Geolo Capital (www.geolo.com), a private equity firm controlled by the family office of John Pritzker, acquired a majority interest in Joie de Vivre in 2010. The firm specializes in hospitality investments and is capitalizing the boutique hotel company's national expansion. Joie de Vivre operates more than 30 boutique hotels and was awarded the highest customer satisfaction ranking of any American hotel brand in the Upper Upscale category by the 2010 Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI). The MMHI is the largest and most in-depth measure of hotel, airline and car rental performance available today in the hospitality industry.

About Sydell Group Ltd. Sydell Group Ltd. is a New York based owner, developer and manager of lifestyle oriented hotels. Sydell's core expertise is its ability to identify the highest quality talent within the hotel, food &beverage, and retail creative communities and align them with best in class development, asset management and financial discipline to maximize value in the creation of compelling new business models in lifestyle oriented hospitality. Sydell's objective is to assemble, cultivate, and enable the creative talents of its partners in the production of true classics that are respected for their originality, authenticity and good taste.

Sydell was formed in 2006 by Andrew Zobler - former Senior Vice President of Acquisitions for North America for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Principal of Lazard Freres Real Estate Funds, and Chief Investment Officer at Andre Balazs Properties. Sydell's initial projects were undertaken in its capacity as managing member of GFI Development Company, an affiliate of GFI Capital Resources Group, Inc., and included The Ace Hotel New York, The Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs, California, and The NoMad Hotel in New York as well as 144 North 8th Street, a residential condominium and retail project in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.