MacDill’s new visiting quarters a celebrated investment

  • Published
  • By Carole Chiles Fuller
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  The long-anticipated MacDill AFB Visiting Quarters in Florida opened for business April 15. The facility features 350 guestrooms, two conference rooms and an on-site food operation to provide guests a casual dining option.

Thanks to its state of the art Davis Conference Center, one of the premier locations for Department of Defense meetings, seminars and conferences, MacDill is a much desired temporary duty destination.  Unfortunately, the base's visiting quarters have not been equal to the demand, until now.

"We found, based on long-term TDY traffic demands, that there is a huge demand for lodging at MacDill, and base lodging was short by 200 rooms. The new building construction definitely meets the need," said Capt. Adam L. Baker, chief of Air Force lodging for the Air Force Services Activity.

"This state-of-the-art hotel provides all the features found within a mid-scale commercial brand hotel. In every room, guests will find expanded bandwidth, full coverage Wi-Fi, an extensive HD cable TV lineup and a modern interior design," said Kevin Norton, Air Force chief of lodging recapitalization. "Business-suite travelers will find fiber-optic internet available, allowing for maximum performance and flexibility. An amenity for every guest is a full-featured business center with VoIP telephony, networked print, copy, scan and fax capabilities."

"In the past few years, we've allocated more resources to upgrading the lodging inventory," Baker said. Since 2013 room rates have remained at $60 per night, much less than comparable commercial hotel rooms.  Approximately $40 of that room rate goes right back into renovations, technological enhancements and new construction. 
 
Because of the shortage of rooms at MacDill, the overflow of military travelers was being sent to commercial lodging in the Tampa area, after they were issued a nonavailability voucher. In fiscal 2015, MacDill issued more than 124,000 vouchers in terms of bed nights.  "This new facility will help us capture that overflow," Baker said.

The new facility will provide savings in energy costs as well. It has been awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED is a certification program used worldwide to encourage energy-efficient design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings.

"This project used recycled construction materials and meets all energy-saving initiatives," Norton said, adding, "Air Force Inns is proud to announce the grand opening of this facility."