I've written in the past about the excellent, and very gay-supportive, Joie de Vivre hotel brand, which is based in California and runs a number of distinctive mid- to upscale boutique hotels, the majority of them in San Francisco and the nearby Silicon Valley. Like the similarly hip and GLBT-welcoming Kimpton Brand, Joie de Vivre tends to emphasize great restaurants at its properties, along with striking contemporary design and personal service. Some of the company's properties also have top-notch spas. Among California properties, the Shorebreak Hotel in coastal Orange County is one of my favorites, as is the long-popular Phoenix Hotel and the swanky Hotel Vitale in San Francisco, and the relatively new Saguaro Palm Springs, which I include in my article on the best places to stay in that gay-popular desert getaway.
More recently, Joie de Vivre has begun taking on properties outside California, including a sister to the company's Palm Springs hotel, the sleek Saguaro in the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona, and the affordable, centrally located, and smartly furnished Best Western Plus Coconut Waikiki Hotel in the heart of Honolulu.
This past March, Joie de Vivre ventured east into the world-class city of Chicago to open the 12-story Hotel Lincoln, in the bustling North Side, just steps from 1,200-acre Lincoln Park. Joie de Vivre is also now partnering with the ultra-cool Thompson Hotels brand, which extends the company's reach to New York City, Washington DC, Toronto, London, and Miami Beach.