New 1,000-room Lee hotel still short on space - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

New 1,000-room Lee hotel still short on space

PETERSBURG, Va. — The Army's biggest lodging center is on schedule to be completed by June at Fort Lee.

The seven-story, $86.3 million military hotel will provide 1,000 rooms to visiting soldiers and military students who train at the sprawling Petersburg base.

Combined with existing lodging facilities, the new hotel will still fall short of providing enough rooms for visiting military personnel.

Mike Thurman of the Fort Lee Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation office said contractors are now putting finishing touches on the lodging center, such as laying carpet and installing lights. The first visitors are expected in the fall.

Some hotel and motel owners in the Petersburg area opposed the new lodging center, arguing it would harm their businesses.

The Army says visiting students will still require off-base lodging once it's completed.