Hotel made from CLT opens at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels, which is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, were the first to build a hotel using cross-laminated timber (CLT) in the U.S., constructed in the former troop barracks area at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama and opened in March 2016. That team recently completed its fourth CLT hotel, the first phase of the Candlewood Suites at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, which opened last month.

The first phase consists of this property’s 171-room West Building whose construction included some 4,100 pieces of black spruce CLT. The property’s East building, slated to be completed next spring, will have 146 rooms. The costs of these projects were not disclosed.

Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels have a portfolio of hotels with an aggregate 13,000-plus rooms, located on 40 U.S. military installations. This portfolio includes the largest Candlewood Suites hotel in the world, a 311-room facility that opened last July in Fort Gordon, Ga. The South Carolina project was developed under the Privatization of Army Lodging (PAL) program, and is the 14th Candlewood Suites hotel in the PAL portfolio. Lendlease and IHG Army Hotels took over operations of Fort Jackson’s lodging in 2013.

The $1.8 billion PAL program’s total construction costs to date exceed $940 million.

Also see: Time-lapse video of the Fort Jackson hotel’s construction

P3 AGREEMENT DATES BACK MORE THAN 10 YEARS

In 2009, Lendlease took ownership of more than 3,200 hotel rooms located across 10 U.S. Army installations and, with IHG, became the first developer to begin operations under PAL, an Army-led public-private partnership that was established to revitalize on-post lodging for soldiers, their families and government travelers. Under this program, Lendlease and IHG have also built hotels branded Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites.

Lendlease, PAL’s executive developer under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, is owner/developer, design/builder, and asset manager on the Fort Jackson hotel. InterContinental Hotels Group is the operator and manager of IHG Army Hotels.

“The PAL program is a great partnership [among] the Army, Lendlease, and IHG,” stated Scott Chamberlain, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Housing, and Partnerships. “I look forward to ongoing success as we continue to meet the mission of the PAL program by improving the quality of life for service members and their families.

Each of the rooms includes a kitchenette among its amenities.

MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN HOUSING, AFTER MANAGEMENT FLAWS EXPOSED

Stars and Stripes reported last month that the Army plans to spend $2.8 billion in base housing over the next five years to build 3,800 new homes and renovate nearly 18,000 existing homes at Army bases. This announcement followed reports about dangerous housing conditions that include exposure to lead paint, mold and asbestos; insect infestation, and poor maintenance.

Military officials attribute some of these problems to poor oversight of private companies that manage nearly all the housing on stateside bases.

This latest investment would build on a $500 million base housing investment last fall, according to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.