Travis opens new state-of-the-art lodging facility

  • Published
  • By 020602
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Westwind Inn, a new lodging facility here, opened for business Feb. 3 and the base will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Feb. 23 to celebrate two and a half years of planning and building. 

The new, ultra-modern facility features more than 350 rooms, a spa, a business center and a Rickenbacker’s, a quick service restaurant which serves specialty coffees, teas, smoothies, sandwiches and desserts. 

“It’s beautiful,” said Mr. Doug Marchel, general lodging manager. “Everybody loves it.” Building the Westwind Inn added 350 rooms to the other 220 lodging rooms Travis previously had. These rooms were not enough to house the hundreds of visitors who come through Travis each day. 

“It was costing the government more than $10 million per year to send people downtown because we didn’t have the room for them,” Mr. Marchel said. 

Also, many of the old lodging quarters were converted dorm rooms spread across 19 buildings. Some of these facilities didn’t have private bathrooms or the space needed for housekeeping to maintain the rooms. The new Air Force standard requires lodging facilities to have a private bath and private room, according to Mr. Marchel. 

“Our mission is to provide the same quality as a mid-level hotel so we can enhance the quality of life for the government traveler while keeping costs to a minimum,” Mr. Marchel said. “[The Westwind Inn] was totally designed for ease of operation and maintenance.” 

Senior Airman Jose Morales, 733rd Air Mobility Squadron, has been staying at the hotel for a week while on temporary duty from Kadena Air Base, Japan.
“It’s amazing,” Airman Morales said. “It’s probably the best one I’ve been in. I like the look of it. It’s really modern and up-to-date.” 

The Westwind Inn is one of only three such facilities in the Air Force. The other two are at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and Osan Air Base, Korea. 

Media are invited to this event. Those interested should call the 60th AMW Public Affairs office at (707) 424-2011 by 8:00 a.m. Feb. 23.