Saluting Our Soldiers: 15 Fun Facts about IHG Army Hotels

The Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL) program was started by the U.S. Army over 20 years ago to ensure the long-term sustainability of temporary on-post lodging facilities and improve their conditions. As the Army's exclusive partner, IHG joined the endeavour in 2009 to provide outstanding hotel stays customized to the particular requirements of visitors, families, and military service members.

After fifteen years, IHG Army Hotels remains the exclusive operator of 40 military locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. IHG Army Hotels provides the comfortable features and amenities of off-post properties, including free hot breakfast, guest laundry, weekly barbeque socials, fitness centres, and business centres. These properties are made possible by the dependable quality of its well-known and beloved Holiday Inn Express, Candlewood Suites, and Staybridge Suites brands.

Did you know?

1. The intersection of IHG Army Hotels and the PAL program began with renovations of 10 Army posts and the introduction of new standards and operational processes. The first IHG-branded hotel within the portfolio was a Holiday Inn Express, which opened in 2010 at Louisiana’s Fort Polk (now Fort Johnson).
2. Since 2009, military travellers have amassed over 40 million room nights across IHG Army Hotels properties.
3. Under the PAL program, IHG operates and develops properties, while Rest Easy (formerly LendLease), a partner, oversees ownership, design, and asset management.
4. Temporary lodging is often the first experience for many guests at a new duty station – active-duty service members, their families, Department of Defense employees, military contractors, and retirees. A warm, friendly welcome at each property puts travellers at ease and invites them into a comfortable environment.
5. Sometimes, the key to a smooth transition to temporary housing is as easy as having a trusted four-legged friend nearby. IHG Army Hotels accept* domestic, service, and emotional support animals, honouring certain military men and women's connection with pets who joined them in combat or provided therapeutic benefits afterwards.
6. Beyond familiarizing military posts and travellers with the Holiday Inn Express, Candlewood Suites, and Staybridge Suites brands, IHG Army Hotels operates 15 properties under the Historia Collection name. This group consists of converted on-post historic buildings bearing significance to the Army, post, and/or nation.
7. Already dreaming of fun and relaxing post-assignment travel? Military guests who are IHG One Rewards loyalty program members can earn points for on-post stays just as they would at any other IHG-branded property. Military travellers have earned nearly seven billion reward points across IHG Army Hotels.
8. IHG Army Hotels colleagues often have decades of experience on-post, including former U.S. Army Lodging employees, military spouses, veterans and retired military personnel. These diverse teams are trained in the military lifestyle and prioritize empathy, respect and care to create a safe and welcoming environment.
9. Many of the more than 1,800 IHG Army Hotels employees have served in their roles throughout the entirety of the program. Colleagues who transitioned from U.S. Army Lodging to IHG Army Hotels in 2009 have maintained an 80 percent retention rate.
10. IHG Army Hotels prioritizes giving back to the military community through various on-post programs. This includes hiring efforts through the IHG Academy and annual contributions to organizations that support military and civil service – such as the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Fisher House Foundation.
11. The Teen Academy program offers a 10-week summer internship, during which dependents of hotel colleagues and on-post military personnel learn more about hospitality career opportunities while gaining hands-on job training across critical operations functions.
12. Military lodging is dynamic and continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of military travellers and the industry. Under the PAL Program Development Plan, on-post properties enjoy fundamental refreshes every six years and major renovations every 12 years.
13. During the next 50 years, IHG Army Hotels properties will benefit from more than $5 billion in planned reinvestment. This modernization is already evident in recently completed renovations at the original Ft. Johnson Holiday Inn Express and the newly remodelled Organ Mountains Inn in the White Sands Missile Range of New Mexico.
14. Future renovation plans emphasize sustainable operations. These transformations include more energy-efficient building materials, longer-lasting fixtures, furniture, and equipment, and the conservation of water and energy in day-to-day operational practices.
15. Opened in March 2016, the Candlewood Suites hotel on Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal became the first IHG Army Hotel under that brand to earn Silver LEED certification. It was also the first built with cross-laminated timber, a practice now extended to four other on-base Candlewood Suites properties.