Hospitality entrepreneur and best-selling author, Chip Conley is a leader at the forefront of the sharing economy. At age 26, Chip founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality, and took an inner city motel and turned it into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America.
After being CEO of his innovative company for 24 years, Chip accepted an invitation from the founders of Airbnb to help transform their promising home sharing start-up into the world’s largest hospitality brand. In his four years as Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy at Airbnb, Chip taught his award-winning methods to hundreds of thousands of Airbnb hosts and created Airbnb Open, the company’s world-renowned hospitality conference. He currently holds the position of Strategic Adviser for Hospitality and Leadership.
Chip is also a celebrated author whose books share his theories on transformation and meaning in business and life. His previous book, Emotional Equations: Simple Steps for Creating Happiness + Success in Business + Life, was a New York Times best-seller and his book PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow (10th anniversary Revised and Updated October 2017) features new content including Eight "PEAK" Leadership Practices. Chip’s new book, WISDOM@WORK: The Making of a Modern Elder, shares experiences from his tenure at Airbnb.
Conley remains very involved in his Northern California community and is the founder of Fest300 (part of Everfest), San Francisco’s annual “Celebrity Pool Toss” that has raised millions for children and families, as well as the Hotel Hero Awards that shine a light on outstanding hospitality employees. He is the recipient of hospitality’s highest honor, the Pioneer Award, joining industry icons Marriott, Kimpton and Wynn, as well as the GLIDE Cecil Williams Legacy Award. He was also named Bay Area's Most Innovative CEO and Northern California Real Estate Entrepreneur of the Year.
Chip holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University, and an honorary doctorate in psychology from Saybrook University. He serves on the boards of the Burning Man Project and the Esalen Institute.
"Chip wildly exceeded all of our expectations and we can honestly say that our company is stronger because of his presentation. Many of his quotes and comments have become part of our everyday vernacular. It’s clear that his impact will continue to be far-reaching and lasting."
"He was fantastic. I thought he was going to be great and he exceeded my expectations."
"I love the Joie de Vivre heart icon that Chip uses to illustrate how a passionate corporate culture breeds happy employees, which leads to satisfied customers, which results in a profitable and sustainable business."
"Chip is that rare breed of CEO who possesses both a brilliant business mind and a very big heart. He's a true role model for anyone who wants to lead."