JT Hospitality co-chairs John Pritzker and Jason Pomeranc and CEO Stephen Brandman announced that their lifestyle hotel company has been rebranded as Commune Hotels & Resorts. Formed in October 2011, the company was formed by the merger of the luxury lifestyle Thompson Hotels brand and Joie de Vivre, an eclectic collection of more than 30 independently branded hotels.

Commune Hotels said it is focused on global expansion, targeting locations in Asia, Latin America, Europe and the United States. Since the merger it has launched three high-profile projects: Thompson’s Belgraves in London, which opened earlier this month; The Saguaro Scottsdale and The Saguaro Palm Springs. The company also has signed management contracts for several hotels currently under development, including Thompson properties in Chicago and Miami, and Joie de Vivre hotels in Honolulu and Palo Alto, California. A redesigned www.jdvhotels.com website will launch this summer, along with Joie de Vivre's new name, JDV Collection. In addition, a design-driven, value-oriented brand that combines attributes of Thompson Hotels and Joie de Vivre will be introduced later this year.