InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) celebrates five years as the exclusive hotel brander, manager and operator of the billion dollar Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL) program. IHG continues progress to brand former U.S. Army Lodging facilities as Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites or Candlewood Suites hotels. These hotels are offering the service experience that IHG guests around the world know and trust on U.S. military posts across 25 states and territories.
IHG and Lend Lease, the PAL program hotel owner and developer, joined U.S. Army officials for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Joint Base San Antonio to welcome the brand’s largest Candlewood Suites hotel with 310-guest rooms, and an adjacent 150-guest room Holiday Inn Express property. This year, IHG has opened 1,300 guest rooms on U.S. military posts, including 800 rooms opened on a single day, demonstrating momentum for the branding of IHG Army Hotels.
Arthur Holst, vice president, Operations, IHG Army Hotels stated: “We believe that our strong, well-known hotel brands and deep expertise and reputation as a trusted management business gave us a competitive advantage in being selected by the U.S. Army to brand and manage their on-post lodging. IHG Army Hotels are delivering excellent guest service experiences, while also improving the quality of on-post lodging for Service Members, their families, government travelers and military retirees. Over the past five years, we have successfully brought 77 U.S. Army lodging facilities into the IHG Army Hotels portfolio through three separate phases; and we remain focused on providing high-quality management and service at all of these properties.”
IHG expects to brand an existing 2,000 guest rooms on two U.S. military posts by the end of 2015. The PAL program provides a long-term reinvestment plan for renovations and improvements to convert and retro-fitted existing Army lodging to
Holiday Inn Express brand standards, and replace some facilities with new-build Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites hotels. These three hotel brands are uniquely designed to meet the diverse guest needs and stay occasions of business and leisure travelers and have been further customized to meet the specific needs of military guests.
IHG is further enhancing the booking experience for an important group of guests – veterans – by offering a special Retiree Rate for stays at IHG Army Hotels properties. This rate combined with the complimentary breakfast, free parking and transportation provided at all on-post hotels make their travels a little easier. Guests at IHG Army Hotels can expect a great night’s rest and an efficient stay experience while at a Holiday Inn Express hotel and an all-suite, residential-style hotel experience at the Candlewood Suites or Staybridge Suites hotels.
