KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Starting Oct. 1, a room at an Air Force lodge won't be quite the bargain that it once was.
For the first time in four years, the Air Force is raising rates for all room types at lodging facilities worldwide in an effort to pay for current operating and capital improvement costs, officials announced Thursday.
Large temporary lodging quarters, with three or more bedrooms, will see the biggest rate increase of 51 percent, from $52 a night to $78.75, according to Air Force officials.
Officers ranked colonel and above, as well as civilians at the GS-15 pay level and above, will pay $66.75 a night for an officer suite, 38 percent more than the old rate of $48.25.
Even airmen will have to pay more, though the 20 percent rate increase for visiting airman quarters is the smallest change, from $34.75 to $42.
In the Kaiserslautern Military Community, where the Air Force manages all lodging facilities, the rate increase applies to lodging at Landstuhl, Vogelweh and Ramstein Air Base, including The General Cannon Hotel, base officials said.
The lodging fee hikes will fund costs for operations, room renovations and construction, Maj. Gen. A.J. Stewart, the commander of the Air Force Personnel Center in San Antonio, said in a news release.
Other adjustments in the current constrained budget environment may be necessary, officials said in the release, without saying what those might be.
Col. Thomas Joyce, the director of the personnel center's Services Directorate, said the service is committed to keeping room rates as low as possible while providing clean, comfortable quality facilities.
Officials noted that even with next week's increase, Air Force rates are lower than comparable commercial rates outside Air Force installations.
