March 19, 2007: GROUNDBREAKING FOR HOTEL AT THE FORMER INDIAN SCHOOL SITE

Albuquerque, NM — Construction has begun on a Holiday Inn Express at 12th and Indian School Road NW.

The $5.5 million project is being built by Indian Pueblos Federal Development Corporation (IPFDC) Hospitality, LLC. IPFDC Hospitality, LLC will also manage the property when it is completed in October 2007, just in time for the Balloon Fiesta.

The new hotel will have 108 guest rooms, a meeting room that can accommodate 75 people, and an executive board room that overlooks Old Town.

The Holiday Inn Express will be adjacent to the Pete Domenici Indian Affairs Building and the Manuel Lujan Jr. Building. These buildings currently house Indian Health Services, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Department of the Interior, and the National Indian Programs Training Center (NIPTC).

IPFDC Chairman Everett Chavez said that the central location of the hotel will be ideal for serving travelers who visit the Federal buildings and future tenants of the area, as well as those who visit Old Town and interstate travelers who exit from I-40 on to 12th Street.

“It is important to the Pueblos that the hotel reflect contemporary Native American culture, and that it be consistent with the overall style of the development,” said Chavez.

The new hotel and the Federal buildings sit on a 47-acre, master-planned property which IPFDC plans to develop for additional office, hospitality and retail use.

The Indian Pueblo Federal Development Corporation (IPFDC) is a federally-chartered corporation that is owned and operated by the 19 New Mexico Pueblos. IPFDC pursues and promotes economic development and diversification for the benefit of the Pueblo communities, principally through the development of the former Albuquerque Indian School property.