Lodging facilities modernized, upgraded

  • Published
  • By Corey Dahl
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  It's easy for people to wake up in a hotel room and forget where they are.

At Peterson's Pikes Peak Lodge, it's likely happening more and more, lately.

Following more than $1 million in renovations, lodging here is closer to an upscale resort than an austere military facility. Improvements made to the buildings have included swapping out sofas, mattresses, bedding and draperies for more modern, comfortable alternatives. New flat-screen televisions have been placed in all visiting quarters (Buildings 1026 and 1030) and distinguished visitor suites, and fresh paint and carpet now cover most hallways and walls.

"Our whole goal was to create buildings and rooms comparable to what you'd see in the commercial industry," said Ms. Joey Sanchez, general manager for Pikes Peak Lodge. "It's a complete transformation."

The improvements started first in the base's one-bedroom temporary lodging facilities and then moved on to the two visiting quarters buildings. The whole project will wrap up in 2009 once improvements to the two-bedroom TLFs are completed, Ms. Sanchez said.

In addition to the renovations, lodging will upgrade to high-speed Internet in all of its rooms this summer with the possibility of wireless capabilities. By the end of the year, guests will also have improved cable service, with new features like movies on demand and an express checkout channel. 



"We're really trying to keep up with the times and make sure we're on the cutting edge of everything," Ms. Sanchez said. "We strive for excellence 100 percent of the time."

So far, that attitude is paying off. Pikes Peak Lodging has a 95 percent customer satisfaction rate, and guests staying in the newly renovated rooms have "raved" about the accommodations, Ms. Sanchez said.

Some of lodging's improvements are even being considered for benchmark as Air Force standards, Ms. Sanchez said. Peterson is one of the first bases to use patterned carpet, like the kind seen in commercial hotels, and a Duraflex paint process, which is meant to improve the appearance of the paint job and lengthen its life.

The praise doesn't mean the lodging staff can sit back and relax now, though. As soon as the final renovations are complete in 2009, they'll start the process over again, looking at what else needs to be modernized, Ms. Sanchez said. As one of the busiest Air Force Inns - serving Peterson and all of its tenant organizations, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Schriever Air Force Base and a detachment from Fort Carson - Pikes Peak Lodge needs to constantly stay on its toes, she said.

"Because of our missions and our operations tempo, we have to stay a cut above the rest," Ms. Sanchez said. "We really do want to be the best lodging option in the Air Force."
LODGING INFORMATION:

Because of the busy nature of Peterson and the multiple bases Pikes Peak Lodge serves, rooms can sometimes be hard to come by. Joey Sanchez, general manager of Pikes Peak Lodge, suggests Airmen use the following tips when planning to stay on Peterson:

- When changing stations or temporary duty assignments require lodging at Peterson, make sure to contact Pikes Peak Lodge at (719)556-7851 with the tentative travel dates as soon as possible.
- Don't try to go around the lodging system that's in place. While Pikes Peak Lodge might be full and Airmen might be sent to accommodations downtown, the lodging staff still needs to document that it was unable to accommodate everyone in order to justify a need for future expansion.
- Because lodging is usually at 86 percent capacity or higher, space availability reservations can only be taken a maximum of three days in advance.

 

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