ST. LOUIS, MO (November 29, 2010) – St. Louis-based Equis Hospitality Management, LLC has been selected to manage the new Hotel Ignacio, a 51-room boutique hotel owned by Moto Hotel Investors, LLC, an affiliate of St. Louis University.  The hotel, located in the formerly vacant Interiors Unlimited building at 3407 Olive Street, is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in March 2011.

Under its 5-year contract, Equis will manage all day-to-day operations for the hotel, as well as all hiring. The company has hired John Dalton as general manager for the hotel. Dalton has extensive experience in the travel industry, where he spent 22 years working for Clipper Cruise Line in numerous roles including Vice President of Hotel Operations. A 1984 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Dalton oversaw management contracts with many other travel companies throughout his career including: The American Orient Express; Scylla River Tours of Basel, Switzerland; and Odessa America in Rostov, Russia. He sat on the Alumni Board of Trustees for The Culinary Institute of America, and was named one of the “30 Under 30” in the Travel Industry by Travel Agent Magazine. He now resides in St. Louis’ downtown loft district.

Led by Michael Mullenix, Equis Hospitality Management has successfully developed, constructed and operated more than 14 hotels throughout the country.

The company grew out of a real estate and development-based family business stretching back to 1964. Today, it is one of the leading hospitality firms in the Midwest with a proven track record for sound financial performance and aggressive growth plans. This is the company’s first foray into boutique hotels.

“While most of our hotels to date have been larger, nationally flagged properties, our approach to the business has always been more ‘boutique’ in style,” explained Mike Mullenix, chairman and chief executive officer. “We are a relatively small company, and we’re very hands-on with every hotel. Our most recent additions to our portfolio – the Homewood Suites St. Louis Galleria, the Residence Inn St. Louis/Downtown and the Residence Inn in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia – were all custom designed, non-prototypical hotels for their respective national brands, and our migration to a non-affiliated boutique hotel is natural in terms of the firm’s depth and capabilities. We believe our size allows us to be more nimble, and we’re excited about expanding our horizons with this exciting project.”

The Hotel Ignacio was named in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order that runs SLU. Located just north of the campus, the hotel is also conveniently situated near Grand Center and Chaifetz Arena, and minutes from downtown.

Equis’ other local hotels include: Homewood Suites by Hilton – St. Louis Galleria, Residence Inn by Marriott – St. Louis Downtown, Fairfield Inn by Marriott – St. Charles, Towne Place Suites by Marriott – St. Charles, Homewood Suites by Hilton – St. Louis/Riverport and Residence Inn by Marriott – St. Louis Airport/Earth City. For more information about Equis, please visit www.equishospitality.com.