IHG Army Hotels and Lendlease today announced the opening of the second new Candlewood Suites on Fort Jackson – Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels’ fifteenth Candlewood Suites hotel in the high-quality portfolio made possible through Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL). The two-building, 317-room hotel is now fully completed, following the West building opening in October 2020.
With the second building completed, the newly opened East Building offers military travelers an additional 146 extended-stay hotel rooms. Both buildings were constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT), which offers maximized strength and durability with added sustainability and conservation benefits; Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels were the first to build a hotel out of CLT in the U.S., and Fort Jackson Candlewood Suites will be their fifth. This building is the latest example of the successful collaboration between the U.S. Army, Lendlease, and IHG Army Hotels, which has amassed a portfolio of hotels located on 40 U.S. military installations.
To accommodate the unique needs of today’s military travelers, the Candlewood Suites hotels include a variety of rooms with kitchenettes and amenities such as complimentary breakfast, laundry facilities, business center, fitness center, a swimming pool, picnic gazebo, and Distinguished Visitors Quarters lounge.
“We are thrilled to complete the new Fort Jackson Candlewood Suites with the opening of this second building, providing deserving military travelers with modern accommodations and quality amenities,” said Gretchen Turpen, SVP, Head of Lodging for Lendlease. “Through privatization, we’re able to vastly improve on-post lodging facilities. In fact, over the past seven years, one in five rooms in the inventory have been built new, all without appropriated funds. While many challenges were faced this past year with the pandemic, I am proud of our Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels teams who worked diligently to deliver these hotels to Fort Jackson, and we look forward to continuing to improve the quality of life for servicemembers and their families at Army posts nationwide.”
The Candlewood Suites on Fort Jackson offers guests the same experience and hallmark amenities they have come to expect from this well-loved brand, including the Candlewood Cupboard, where guests can purchase items, and the Lending Locker, which makes it easy to borrow household items and small appliances.
“Military travel did not stop during the pandemic, and neither did we – the Fort Jackson East Building is the third new building we have opened over the last 18 months,” said Chuck Sourbeer, Head of Operations for IHG Army Hotels. “This building, paired with the passion of the colleagues within, will provide our military travelers with the facility and service they deserve, and we look forward to sharing our brand of True Hospitality with all guests visiting Fort Jackson”
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Housing, and Partnerships, Carla Coulson added: “The PAL program continues to be a proven success and a great partnership between the Army, Lendlease, and IHG. I’d like to personally thank Lendlease and IHG for their continued dedication to delivering hotels, to include this latest example at Fort Jackson, that ensures we are meeting the needs of our service members and families today and for future generations. I look forward to ongoing success as we continue to achieve the mission of the PAL program by improving the quality of life for service members and their families.”
This July, Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the completion of the largest Candlewood Suites in the world, located on Fort Gordon. Additionally, construction of the new Candlewood Suites at Aberdeen Proving Ground is underway and will be completed in 2022.
Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels assumed operations of Fort Jackson’s lodging in 2013. Lendlease is the owner, developer, design-builder, and asset manager, and the exclusive developer for the Department of Defense’s only lodging privatization program. IHG Hotel & Resorts is the hotel operator and manager of IHG Army Hotels. Nearly 30% of IHG Army Hotels employees across Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels’ privatized lodging portfolio are military spouses and veterans.
IHG understands that cleanliness continues to be top of mind for today’s travelers, with hotels utilizing rigorous cleaning procedures, including the IHG Way of Clean program. IHG Army Hotels also offers guests additional peace of mind with the IHG Clean Promise – guests can be reassured that their room will meet IHG’s high standards of cleanliness and, if not, we will make it right. Learn more here.
