Los Angeles, CA (Jul. 15 2011) – Joie de Vivre Hospitality has hired Chan Jin as general manager, Alina Wade as the director of sales, and Katsuo Nagasawa as executive chef for its newly refreshed Custom Hotel, the only lifestyle boutique hotel situated near LAX. A West Coast-based company known for its fun and whimsical boutique properties, Joie de Vivre has hired this new executive team to re-brand, renovate and re-launch Custom Hotel as a unique California hotel showcasing a vibrant design aesthetic that pays homage to the mod ‘60’s when air travel was at a glamorous height.

With over 20 years of experience in executive management, Custom Hotel General Manager Chan Jin is a seasoned veteran in the hospitality industry. He began his career serving Ian Schrager Hotels in New York, working with Brand Development & Performance at the pre-opening of five luxury lifestyle hotels. He then moved onto a successful career with Hilton Worldwide, working in executive leadership positions in Rooms and Food & Beverage divisions for key Southern California properties such as Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara, Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Hilton Los Angeles Airport and, most recently, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

Alina Wade, newly appointed director of sales at Custom Hotel, started her professional career in advertising and public relations before moving into sales in the hospitality industry.  In the last few years, Wade led the Sales Team at Sportsmen’s Lodge Hotel in Studio City. Since joining Joie de Vivre, Wade participated in the opening of Hotel Angeleno in Brentwood, the first Joie de Vivre property in Southern California. Prior to joining Joie de Vivre, Wade worked with the Hilton Corporation, which presented her with the Highest Sales Excellence Award in 2004 for outstanding results.
 
Custom Hotel Executive Chef Katsuo Nagasawa, known locally as “Chef Naga,” was trained in classic French Cuisine at Hattori Nutritional College, Tokyo, Japan’s leading culinary school. During his career, Chef Naga has consistently won accolades for his culinary flair and presentation and mastery of various cuisines. He excelled as opening Executive Chef for Café del Rey, a 180-seat Marina del Rey, California landmark with Pacific Rim cuisine. He has served at a range of fine Southern California dining establishments, including Bistango in Irvine, Suki 7/678 Dining Group in Thousand Oaks, and Gonpachi Global Dining Group in Los Angeles. He has also received numerous invitations to cook at the world-renowned Beard House in New York.   
 
ABOUT JOIE DE VIVRE HOSPITALITY, LLC
Founded in 1987 by entrepreneur Chip Conley, San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre 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, 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 currently operates more than 30 boutique hotels.