Our family has been in the hospitality business since the 1930’s. Edmond R. Soulie (Ed) was born in San Francisco, but his parents, Antoine and Marie Soulie, and brother Marius were born in France. They immigrated to the United States and settled in San Francisco. Ed’s father started in the hotel business by purchasing his first lease for the West Hotel located in San Francisco. For the next 20 years he also leased the Balmoral Hotel and the Temple Hotel with his son, Marius. In 1950 he sold the leases and Marius purchased the Hotel Essex, which was located in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco. His Parents helped Marius operate the Essex. According to some accounts, the name “Tenderloin" referred to the cut of meat that SF Police Officers used to buy with the extra pay they would get for working that neighborhood. This area is now called the "Up Town Tenderloin Historic District." Hotel Essex was first built in 1912 and still exists today.
Ed’s cousin, Yvette and her husband Emile Battezatto owned the Hotel Arlington, which is another Historic Hotel built in 1910 in San Francisco. Yvette’s father, Antoine Vayssie and his three brothers Jean, Julian and Alexandre bought and sold over 40 hotels in San Francisco and Oakland. Yvette’s Cousin, Denise LaFon owned the Hotel Grand Southern, which was built in 1941.
Ed graduated from Lowell High School when it was located in downtown San Francisco. He went on to complete Hotel and Restaurant School at City College of San Francisco. Shortly after graduation, he went to work as a Maitre D at the Carmel Valley Inn and was promoted to Food and Beverage Manager. Later he took a job as an Assistant Manager of the largest night club west of Chicago. When the Korean War started, Ed enlisted in the Navy for four years. When he returned home, he started working with his father and brother at the Hotel Essex, but after a year in the business he realized this was not for him.
In 1954, Ed started working for Stanley Rosenthal selling hotel linens door to door. On his first day out in the street doing sales, he spent the whole day - dawn to dusk - with no luck. At his last stop of the day, the Arlington Hotel, he got his first order and it made his day. The owner also happened to be his cousin, Emile Battezatto. :)
In 1960, Ed formed the company R.G.S., Incorporated, which stood for "Ramallah, Gallo, Soulie." The company sold materials, supplies and accessories to the hotel industry. R.G.S. established a reputation for excellent customer service and integrity while maintaining high standards for quality. The partnership later dissolved, but these years were the start of Ed’s Hotel Key Collection. Every time he opened a new account Ed would keep the Hotel Key. Over the years Ed had acquired an extensive collection of vintage hotel keys which are proudly displayed in our office.
In 1979, Ed started a new company called Edmond R. Soulie Associates, Inc., which is now named ERS Hospitality. His personal standards and strong design principals built his reputation establishing his firm among the foremost in this competitive field. He stood firm on maintaining a tough budget focused on cost effective design, quality manufacturing and strict controls on timelines. The client’s needs were always his top priority. Ed knew what they needed and what it would take to make the difference between their property and the competitor. Ed was an icon in the Hospitality Industry and one of the most experienced and knowledgeable executives. His company was involved in over several hundred hotel, restaurant, casino and healthcare projects.
ERS Hospitality is now based in Walnut Creek, California. The business is operated by his daughter, Michelle Soulie. She is the President and CEO. Michelle’s association with the company began in 1985. She learned the business from the ground up and started out like her father in sales and marketing. The third generation of ERS Hospitality is Michelle's daughter, Nikki De Julio. She entered into the business in 2003 and is continuing the legacy established by her Grandfather. As Vice President, Nikki handles all financial aspects of the company, in addition to sales and marketing.
Ed passed away in 2014 but his legacy lives on and the company holds true to the values and principles that he established.
