Chip Conley

Business mentor, Change agent, Gay, Global soul, Idea generator, Parent, Philanthropist, Social entrepreneur, Student, World traveler, Writer/Editor

New York Times bestselling author and hospitality entrepreneur Chip Conley disrupted his industry...twice. At age 26 he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV), transforming an inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. He sold JdV after running it as CEO for 24 years, and soon the young founders of Airbnb invited him to help transform their promising start-up into the world’s leading hospitality brand. Chip served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years and today acts as the company’s Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder is Chip’s fifth book and makes the case for a new kind of “elderhood” and the value of intergenerational collaboration. His previous books, PEAK and Emotional Equations, are inspired by the works of famed psychologists Abraham Maslow and Viktor Frankl and their theories on transformation and meaning. Chip is the founder of the world’s first “midlife wisdom school,” the Modern Elder Academy in Baja California Sur, Mexico, where students learn how to repurpose a lifetime of experience. He’s also the founder of Fest300 (part of Everfest), and San Francisco’s Celebrity Pool Toss and Hotel Hero Awards. Chip was named “Most Innovative CEO” by the San Francisco Business Times and is a recipient of hospitality’s highest honor, the Pioneer Award. He holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University, and an honorary doctorate in psychology from Saybrook University. Chip serves on the boards of the Burning Man Project and the Esalen Institute, home of the Conley Library.

intersection of psychology and business, diversity, creating community, changing mindsets, my family & friends, Baja, allowing nature to be my teacher

“Knowledge speaks. Wisdom listens.”

being a father, surfing (getting better), speaking Spanish (learning it), sitting still and clearing my mind (working on it)