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MEETINGS

Luke AFB’s Club Five-Six Receives
FACELIFT

C lub Five-Six at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona recently

received a makeover — with a little help from some friends.
The new look will help the venue compete for a va-
riety of events including weddings, retirements, meetings
and seminars. “We are in Phoenix surrounded by a metro
area,” said Melissa Arnold, club manager. “There are tons of
resorts and facilities that can really welcome events of that
nature. We were dingy, things looked dark and dirty and not
very welcoming; so, we didn’t feel like we were competitive
to the outside market.”
A major problem before the renovation was the flooring in
the 5,600-square-foot facility. “We had old Spanish-style clay
tiles that were raised and they ran through the entire building,
with the exception of the ballroom, which was carpet,” she
said. “Whenever a woman would come in dressed in formal
wear with high heels, the heels would catch on the flooring.
It was not pretty at this point and it was certainly not safe. We
replaced all of that tiling with wood plank porcelain tiles.”
Arnold had help in deciding on the new look of the club
from the Luke Spouses Club. “I asked them to come
together, and they chose all of the finishes for our
renovation,” she said. “They chose our new chande-
liers, our paint color, our drapery, our new banquet
chairs (from Gasser Chair) and the new flooring.”
Beyond getting their input on the décor, there
was another benefit to the spouses’ involvement. “I
think it is a great way to have them feel invested in
the club, as well as get a collective effort so it is not
just one person’s opinion,” said Arnold. “They are
very proud. They bring their friends to show them.
It has really been great.”
In addition to the Spouses’ Club input, the base
arts and crafts center made a new stage front. “That
was my favorite part of the whole renovation,” she
said. “It has ‘Thunderbolt Nation’ engraved into it,
and it is a beautiful maple wood. It is gorgeous.”
Also part of the work was a facelift to an outside
area of the club. “We have a beautiful outside area
and one of the things about Phoenix itself is
that the weather is marvelous,” said Arnold.
“We bought new patio furniture, tables

20 MILITARY CLUB & HOSPITALITY | OCTOBER 2017