This year, and especially this month, has been such a special one for us here at IHG® Army Hotels. With Memorial Day quickly approaching, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this special day and the significance it has to all of us here. More than a day off or the unofficial start of summer, it’s an opportunity to honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. It's a solemn day, but it's also a day of gratitude and reflection. Each Memorial Day, we pause to remember those who laid down their lives for the incredible freedoms we all enjoy and recognize the sacrifices of their families.
To me, there is no mission more inspiring than serving those who serve us, and I know every single colleague at IHG Army Hotels feels the same way. This year, we are celebrating our 15th year anniversary. That’s 15 years of treating military members, veterans, and their families to the exceptional level of hospitality they deserve. Throughout that time, we’ve made it a priority to deliver an exceptional stay experience and True Hospitality to our guests. We do this by employing a highly trained, diverse team that includes those with direct connections to the military. To our colleagues, serving military members goes far beyond providing a comfortable place to stay; it's about giving back to those who have given so much for our country.
Our hotel teams take immense pride in creating a welcoming atmosphere where military personnel, veterans, and their families can relax and feel at home. We know that many of our guests have faced extraordinary challenges, whether it's the rigors of deployment or the challenges of military travel. That's why our staff consistently goes the extra mile to ensure that every guest feels valued, respected, and cared for. Their commitment to our mission and guests inspires me, and I’m proud to work alongside them.
In keeping with our focus on guests, we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary the only way we know how — by celebrating you. Each hotel’s celebration will be different, but each one will express our gratitude and pride in serving you. This is our way of saying "thank you" for choosing us as your home away from home. Whether you're a first-time guest or a longtime friend, we can't wait to recognize you throughout the month of August.
As we gear up for our anniversary celebration, we also look back on our Celebrate Service Week this month, a week where we acknowledge the dedication and passion of our colleagues across the entire IHG Hotels & Resorts family. Here are just a few highlights from that incredible week:
At Fort Gregg-Adams, we hosted a “Seeds and Nachos” events for our team members. This event combined good food, great music, and a fun gardening activity, creating a memorable experience for everyone involved. We served delicious nachos while beach music played in the background, setting a lively and relaxed atmosphere. Our hotel colleagues were each given a small flower pot containing potting soil. With pots and soil in hand, they moved to another area where they selected seeds from unmarked envelopes to plant in their pots. The twist? No one knew what kind of seeds they received. The only instructions were to keep the soil moist and to ensure the plants receive sunlight. It was a wonderful opportunity for our colleagues to connect, unwind, and look forward to the blooming surprises that await them.
At Fort Sill, colleagues enjoyed ‘spirit week,’ with themed parties each day, complete with costumes and food.
Across our many IHG Army Hotels locations, our General Managers did an amazing job of planning and implementing fun and festive events to let our team members know just how important they are to us, and our mission, by treating them to everything from carnival games to cookouts. These moments were a fantastic opportunity to express our gratitude and reflect on a year of top-tier service to our guests.
In closing, I'm reminded of the incredible privilege it is to serve our military members and their families. This year’s Celebrate Service Week has been very special, as had the chance to visit with and recognize the outstanding commitment of our colleagues. As we move forward, we remain committed to honoring those who serve and to creating an environment where all our guests feel valued and appreciated. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you, for being part of our journey, and here's to many more years of celebrating service together.
We wish you a meaningful Memorial Day weekend, and we look forward to serving you again soon.
Charles “Chuck” Sourbeer is Vice President of Operations for IHG® Army Hotels. He has been with IHG® since 1994 and part of the IHG® Army Hotels estate since its inception in 2009.