New hotel opens as key officials celebrate 10 year anniversary of PAL program.
FORT CARSON, COLORADO (Aug.21, 2019) – Lendlease and IHG® Army Hotels today announced the grand opening of the new Candlewood Suites® hotel on Fort Carson. The 128-room Candlewood Suites hotel offers a variety of amenities to military travelers and is part of a state-of-the-art, nearly 80,000-square foot structure.
The hotel offers one-and two-bedroom suites and studios, including ADA guestrooms and rooms designed for guests who are hearing impaired. Each room features a fully-equipped kitchen – including a full-size refrigerator, sink, stovetop and dishwasher, as well as pots and pans for guests to cook a complete meal – and large work area. Hotel amenities include daily complimentary hot breakfast, guest laundry facilities, a courtesy on-post shuttle service, business center and fitness center.
The hotel’s ribbon-cutting event highlighted the innovative partnership between the United States Army, Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels. As part of the festivities, officials marked the 10th anniversary of the Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL) program. This unique program was created to provide services and amenities tailored to meet the needs of military travel.
“Our vision at Lendlease is to create the best places, and our lodging team relentlessly pursues this outcome for our Army partner, and most importantly, service members and their families every day,” said Gretchen Turpen, SVP, Head of Lodging for Lendlease. “We are proud of the many accomplishments we have achieved over the past decade and look forward to continuing the mission to deliver high-quality hotels, excellent customer service, and a consistent and comfortable guest experience for military travelers and their families for years to come.
Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels officially took over operations of Fort Carson’s lodging in 2013. Lendlease is the owner, developer, design-builder and asset manager for the Candlewood Suites on Fort Carson, and the exclusive developer for the Department of Defense’s only lodging privatization program. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is the hotel operator and manager of IHG Army Hotels.
One of the PAL program’s primary objectives is to improve the guest experience through outstanding hotel amenities and offerings. The Candlewood Suites on Fort Carson offers the same, well-loved amenities from the Candlewood Suites brand, including the Candlewood Cupboard®, where guests can purchase meals, snacks, refreshments and necessities that are all available on an honor system. The hotel also includes the Lending Locker amenity, where guests can borrow household items and small appliances during their stay. Additionally, in the coming months, an outdoor gazebo with fireplace, lounge seating and barbecue will be added, offering guests more ways to relax against the stunning mountain backdrop.
“IHG Army Hotels is committed to providing the best stay experience for each and every one of our guests,” said Chuck Sourbeer, Head of Operations for IHG Army Hotels. “We are very proud to serve those who serve, and are proud to deliver IHG’s signature hospitality and amenities to travelers with the Department of Defense. Our hotel colleagues are dedicated to serving the specific needs of military travel each and every day.”
“Year over year, when we transition to a newer hotel, guests satisfaction scores rapidly go up and it doesn’t take long for people to see the true benefit of PAL as we move forward,” said Paul Cramer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, U.S. Army. “The success of this program is about the people who make this program successful, the hardworking employees of IHG who deliver a quality experience for soldiers and their families day and night. I'd like to thank the Fort Carson staff, Lendlease & IHG representatives for all their ongoing efforts. The PAL program is a tremendous partnership and I very much look forward to what’s yet to come.”
In the early 2000s, utilizing the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) legislation, the Army embarked on one of the largest privatization programs in U.S. history- lodging privatization. Lendlease, a leading international property and infrastructure group with proven experience in the MHPI business, assumed ownership of the first phase of the PAL program in 2009, including more than 3,200 hotel rooms on 10 U.S. Army installations. Now, 10 years later, the PAL program includes more than 12,000 hotel rooms on 40 military installations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Photo caption (1): Lendlease and IHG® Army Hotels celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the PAL program during a ribbon cutting ceremony for their newest hotel- Candlewood Suites® on Fort Carson.
Photo caption (2): (L-R) Paul Cramer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, U.S. Army; Col. Brian Wortinger, Garrison Commander, Fort Carson; Leah Granderson, Sr. Development Manager, Lendlease; Maj. Gen. Randy George, Commanding General, Fort Carson; Denis Hickey, Chief Executive Officer, Lendlease Americas; Sandy Apgar, Former Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment, U.S. Army; Chuck Sourbeer, Head of Operations, IHG Army Hotels
Photo caption (3): (L-R) Stephanie Camp, General Manager- Fort Carson, IHG Army Hotels; Javier Del Valle, Regional Director of Operations, IHG Army Hotels; Leah Granderson, Sr. Development Manager, Lendlease; Peter Sims, SVP, General Manager for Lodging, Lendlease; Gretchen Turpen, SVP, Head of Lodging, Lendlease; Denis Hickey, Chief Executive Officer, Lendlease Americas; Sandy Apgar, Former Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment, U.S. Army; Chuck Sourbeer, Head of Operations, IHG Army Hotels
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About Lendlease
Lendlease is a leading international property and infrastructure group with operations in Australia, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Our vision is to create the best places; places that inspire and enrich the lives of people around the world.
Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, Lendlease has approximately 13,000 employees internationally.
Our core capabilities are reflected in our operating segments of Development, Construction and Investments. The combination of these three segments provides us with a sustainable competitive advantage and allows us to provide innovative integrated solutions for our customers.
In the US, Lendlease’s Communities business is the nation’s leader in public/private community development. With a focus on creating sustainable value, Lendlease creates communities that regenerate our environment, enrich people’s lives and foster economic growth. Lendlease has worked extensively with the Department of Defense through the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI), a program that provides for the transfer of military housing assets to private sector companies. With over 40,000 residential units, 192 apartments and more than 12,000 hotel rooms in its portfolio, Lendlease will finance, develop, build, renovate and operate these sites for at least 50 years.
About IHG®
IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organization with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN® Hotels, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, voco™, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Club Vacations®, Holiday Inn Resort®, avid™ hotels, Staybridge Suites®, Atwell Suites™,and Candlewood Suites®.
IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns more than 5,700 hotels and nearly 856,000 guest rooms in more than 100 countries, with over 1,900 hotels in its development pipeline. IHG also manages IHG® Rewards Club, our global loyalty program, which has more than 100 million enrolled members.
