Oakland, Calif.— May 15, 2009 — Along the Oakland Waterfront, the newly remodeled Waterfront Hotel and Miss Pearl’s Jam House at Jack London Square are creating the latest buzz with its unique, cruise ship style hotel and an exciting New World island-inspired cuisine. With these renovations and new restaurant at Jack London Square, the San Francisco Business Times recently named the Waterfront Hotel as a finalist for Best New Hotel and Miss Pearl’s Jam House for the Best New Restaurant in the East Bay.

In January 2008, Jack London Square developers – Ellis partners LLC, Joie De Vivre Hospitality, and Transbay Holdings – announced an agreement to purchase, renovate, and operate the Waterfront Hotel. The partners invested $6 million in renovation after purchasing the hotel for $22 million. The renovation was completed and the hotel reopened in September of that same year. The renovation included remodeling the interior of the hotel’s rooms, the public spaces and the exterior.

The Waterfront Hotel’s new restaurant, Miss Pearl’s Jam House, opened in August 2008 and has become a new destination restaurant for locals and visitors. The island-themed restaurant draws on the cuisines influenced by the spice-trade routes from the Yucatan to the Caribbean to Louisiana. This restaurant is the reinvention of the original Miss Pearl’s Jam House that formerly resided at the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco and is the latest restaurant led by Bay Area culinary icon Joey Altman. The Waterfront Hotel and Miss Pearl’s Jam House are gaining recognition for the attractive interior and exterior designs. Miss Pearl’s Jam House is also becoming the waterfront locale where you an often spot Oakland’s movers and shakers.

The Jack London Square Phase II redevelopment plan is a public/private collaboration among the Port of Oakland, Ellis Partners LLC, Transbay Holdings and National Electrical Benefit Fund (NEBF). Phase II is moving forward with the completion of the six-story Jack London Market later this year (fall) as part of the ongoing development projects that will make Jack London Square a prime tourist destination in the Bay Area.

For more information on the Waterfront hotel, please visit the website at www.waterfronthoteloakland.com. For more information on Miss Pearl's, please visit www.misspearlsjamhouse.com.

About the Port of Oakland: The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest containerport in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport offers 150 daily nonstop flights to 34 destinations; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Please visit: www.portofoakland.com.

Ellis Partners
Ellis partners LLC was founded in 1993 for the purpose of acquiring and developing commercial real estate properties. The firm has a long history of championing and completing architecturally significant renovation projects. More information is available at www.ellispartners.com.

Transbay Holdings
Transbay Holdings, founded by James D Falaschi, has been involved in housing, industrial and retail development with an emphasis on urban redevelopment throughout Northern California.

NEBF Real Estate
Founded in 1946, the National Electrical Benefit Fund (NEBF) was created by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association with the goal of forming a sound retirement plan to ensure the financial security of workers in the electrical industry across North America. NEBF Real Estate looks for excellent real estate fundamentals and is secure in the belief that solid investments made with solid people will ultimately be profitable – even during economic downturns – because NEBF’s staying power allows it and its partners to ride out any storm.

Joie De Vivre Hospitality
Joie de Vivre Hotels is California's largest boutique hotel company. Started in San Francisco in 1987 by Chip Conley, while in his mid-twenties, Joie de Vivre has built a reputation for creating one of the most unique collections of lifestyle businesses in the U.S--from luxury campgrounds to Japanese communal baths to boutique motels. Joie de Vivre's brand personality has a lot in common with the California lifestyle experience: fresh, inventive, casual, and grass roots oriented. Given its growth throughout the state, Joie de Vivre Hotels is becoming the hotel brand synonymous with the California travel experience.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Port of Oakland
Marilyn Sandifur, Port Spokesperson
Media & Public Relations Department
(510) 627-1193
Click here to contact Marilyn Sandifur