It’s official, the post hotel is a Holiday Inn Express. Alvin Magcale(left), Regional Director for InterContinental Hotels Group, Tammy Perlinger, General Manager for IHG Army Hotels Fort Wainwright, Fort Wainwright Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Harry W. Jefferies, Garrison Commander Col. Ronald M. Johnson and Kate Alger, development manager, Lend Lease U.S. Public Partnerships, stand ready for the ribbon cutting ceremony at the opening of the newly branded Holiday Inn Express hotel on Fort Wainwright, June 26.      (Photo by Brian Schlumbohm/Fort Wainwright PAO)

The Holiday Inn Express hotel on Fort Wainwright offers a breakfast bar to patrons.   (Courtesy photo/IHG Army Hotels)

New renovations to the lobby are just one of many improvement patrons of the Holiday Inn Express hotel on Fort Wainwright will experience during their stay.      (Courtesy photo/IHG Army Hotels)

FORT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA - During a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, June 26, members of Fort Wainwright garrison command group, Lend Lease U.S. Public Partnerships and InterContinental Hotels Group, officially welcomed Soldiers, Families and the entire Fairbanks, Alaska community to the grand opening of the newly branded Holiday Inn Express hotel on Fort Wainwright.

 

Kate Alger, development manager for Lend Lease U.S. Public Partnerships, began the ceremony by expressing a deep appreciation for all of those whose involvement allowed for a successful renovation project to be accomplished while providing professional hotel management and support to the Fort Wainwright community.

 

With the hotel’s interior overhaul, the community also realized an added benefit. The older furniture from the hotel renovation was sold at reduced prices and more than $8,000 was generated for the local Survivor Outreach Services program.

 

"The Holiday Inn Express on Fort Wainwright is more than just another on-post lodging facility,” Alger said, “This hotel is a demonstration of people bringing their skills, knowledge and commitment together to provide a quality, customized and convenient lodging solution for Fort Wainwright that will sustain itself for the next 50 years."

 

Renovations and upgrades made to the hotel was part of the Privatization of Army Lodging program, a U.S. Army-led program established as a means to revitalize on-post lodging facilities for Soldiers, their Families and all government travelers.

 

“We are committed to delivering a world-class experience for Soldiers, Families and personnel who travel here to Fort Wainwright,” Alger said.

 

Lend Lease is the developer for the PAL program, which has included the renovation and development of approximately 8,200 hotel rooms on 21 U.S. Army installations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. IHG is the PAL hotel operator.

 

The 90-room Holiday Inn Express, formerly known as the Northern Lights Inn, boasts a mix of one-bedroom suites and studio-style guestrooms with amenities and features tailored to meet the unique needs of today's military travelers.

 

The addition of a new fitness center, business center, new 24-hour convenience mart, complimentary hot breakfast served seven days a week, free high-speed internet access, complimentary guest laundry facility and a new on-post courtesy shuttle service are just a few of the hotel's features.

 

Guestrooms received a makeover to include new showerheads and shower curtains, curved shower rods, new bed sets, linens and furnishings, including new flat-screen televisions. Complimentary concierge service is now available to all guests as well as the opportunity to earn Priority Club Rewards points. To date, IHG Army Hotels has issued more than 279 million Priority Club Rewards points to Soldiers to use at off-post hotels worldwide.

 

Fort Wainwright hotel information can be found under the Newcomers’ tab on the web at www.wainwright.army.mil.