Conley’s legendary Phoenix to shut its doors

SAN FRANCISCO – Hotelier, entrepreneur Chip Conley can be counted among the lifestyle hotel pioneers, having launched his first hotel of what would become the Joie de Vivre brand in 1987 when he reimaged a rundown motor lodge in San Francisco’s Tenderloin called the The Phoenix Hotel. This week it was announced that The Phoenix will close at the end of the year as the lease for the land is up on January 1 and Conley and his partners have decided not to renew.

Conley told the San Francisco Chronicle that the 44-room Phoenix had been losing money since the pandemic and with challenges remaining in the local hospitality sector it would likely continue to operate in the red.

The decision to close at the end of the year comes nine months after the San Francisco Baking Institute bought the property for $9.1 million. Conley said his group had “cordial negotiations” with French pastry chef Michel Suas, who heads up the baking institute, about extending the lease, but decided against it.

The Phoenix Hotel will remain open and operating through the end of the year and no future plans have been confirmed for the site.

Conley grew Joie de Vivre to a boutique powerhouse with some 52 hotels over 24 years. It has been sold twice since 2010 and today the brand sits under the Hyatt lifestyle collection as JdV by Hyatt.

Conley put out a thoughtful statement reflecting on the property’s legacy:

“I guess it’s fitting that the nearly-40-year run of The Phoenix would end right around my 65th birthday, the traditional American retirement age (although I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon based upon my newest venture, Modern Elders Academy). It was concert promoter Bill Graham who persuaded me to create San Francisco’s rock ‘n roll hotel when I was in my mid-20s and didn’t have a clue about the hospitality industry and it wasn't even clear that I was buying a pay-by-the-hour motel when I bought the Caravan Lodge. But I did know how to throw a great party as a ‘social alchemist’ and this little corner at Larkin and Eddy Street has seen its share of parties.

“Whether it’s the Festive Vibes reggae concerts by the legislature-saved, art-laden swimming pool during the Miss Pearl’s Jam House era, the ‘Wet Parties’ during the Backflip days, the Burning Man fundraisers thrown by Bambuddha, or the Art Pad weekends during the Chambers era, this hotel and its four restaurants have defined San Francisco’s music, art and party scene for four decades.

“Along the way, The Phoenix has hosted Pearl Jam, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nirvana at the same time on New Year’s Eve multiple times, Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy Camp, 32 Celebrity Pool Tosses, multiple weddings including one in which JFK Jr. was the best man, musician Michael Franti’s wedding in which Woody Harrelson was the best man, and my sister Cathy’s wedding.

“Since COVID, The Phoenix and its neighborhood have struggled mightily, so as we near the end of our long-term land lease, it seems fitting that this gateway to the Tenderloin should go out with a flurry of parties during the balance of 2025.

“Both the hotel and I have outlived some of the icons I’ve gotten to know as guests over the years from David Bowie to River Phoenix to Sinead O’Connor to Kurt Cobain (a note to Courtney Love, written on a Phoenix-logoed notepad, was found on Cobain upon his death). I feel deeply grateful that this no-tell motel is where I started my hotel career that led to Joie de Vivre creating and managing 52 boutique hotels over my 24 years running the company (I sold the management company and JdV brand in 2010). And I plan to throw a rockin’ 65th birthday party at 601 Eddy Street on Halloween later this year.”