Nellis lodging competes for Air Force Award Published July 23, 2008 By Senior Airman Andrew Dumboski Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The 99th Services Squadron is in the running for the Air Force Innkeeper Award, competing against other large lodging programs throughout the Air Force. Having won the Air Combat Command award, Nellis' lodging office is moving up to compete against the winners of the other major commands. "We're competing against the best of the best in the Air Force," said Cathy Fierstein, 99th Services Squadron lodging general manager. "I think everyone's a little nervous, but we're also pretty confident about our chances." Services has been working hard to make sure that the 1,089 rooms in 20 different facilities are ready for the inspection team that's scheduled to arrive July 24. "We've been running the checklists on ourselves, and we've made upgrades to many of the facilities," said Tech. Sgt. Will Hightower, 99th Services Squadron guest services manager. The inspectors will look over the facilities starting July 25, and plan to wrap up on July 28. The lodging program will be graded on a variety of categories, ranging from initial customer service at the counter to room cleanliness and the size of the televisions in the rooms. "This competition isn't like some of the other ones that Services competes in," said Ms. Fierstein. "There will be a potluck the night the inspectors get here to introduce them to the squadron. We're getting graded on what we do every day." Since the last time Services competed for the award in 2006, Nellis has seen many improvements throughout its lodging facilities. In March, several upgrades were made to the Temporary Lodging Facility. New nightstands and dressers were put in to better use the space in the room, allowing for more storage space and more space for people staying in the rooms. The round tables in the kitchen area were replaced with rectangle ones to better accommodate the fold out bed in the living area. The TV's in building 595 were upgraded to meet the Air Force's new standards on television size in rooms. "No matter what the outcome of the competition is, we're still making improvements," said Ms. Fierstein. "The bottom line is what is best for our customers." The last time Nellis won on the Air Force level was in 1988. Services did not compete in 2007 due to mission requirements and squadron deployments.
