Killeen, Texas
Fort Hood Crashpad — TDY lodging that feels like home
Looking for a Fort Hood crashpad? The Central Texas post in Killeen, still called Fort Hood on plenty of orders and maps, is the home of III Armored Corps and 1st Cavalry Division, and mobilizing Guard units, test contractors, evaluators, and aircrew cycle through on TDY year-round. A furnished crashpad in Killeen, Harker Heights, or Copperas Cove priced at or under the $110 government lodging rate beats a chain hotel on Central Texas Expressway when you are here for a month of pre-deployment training or a test event.
Mission
Home of III Armored Corps — the Army's largest armored installation, where 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, and First Army Division West train, mobilize, and deploy heavy forces worldwide.
Host units
III Armored Corps — the corps headquarters that commands the Army's armored divisions and the reason Fort Hood is called the Great Place · 1st Cavalry Division — the First Team, an armored division with brigade combat teams, a combat aviation brigade, and a constant rotation to Europe, Korea, and the National Training Center · 3rd Cavalry Regiment and 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, and 36th Engineer Brigade — the corps-level enablers that deploy alongside the division · First Army Division West and the U.S. Army Operational Test Command — the mobilization trainers for Guard and Reserve units and the testers who put new equipment through its paces on the West Fort Hood ranges
Commute
From central Killeen it is about 10 minutes up Fort Hood Street or T.J. Mills Boulevard to the Main Gate; from Harker Heights plan on 15 to 20 minutes west on I-14 (US-190) to the Main Gate or Clear Creek Gate; from Copperas Cove about 10 to 15 minutes east on US-190 to Clear Creek Gate; and from Belton or Temple 30 to 40 minutes west on I-14.
Homes near the gate
Crashpads serving Fort Hood
1 fully furnished property positioned for the Fort Hood commute.
Why stay in a crashpad near Fort Hood?
Fort Hood is one of the largest active-duty populations in the Army, with roughly 33,000 Soldiers on 335 square miles between Killeen and Copperas Cove, an hour north of Austin. It was renamed Fort Cavazos in May 2023 and renamed back to Fort Hood in July 2025, this time for Col. Robert B. Hood, a World War I Distinguished Service Cross recipient, so search for both names when you are booking. The tempo here is operational rather than schoolhouse: 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Cavalry Regiment rotate brigades to Europe, Korea, and the National Training Center, First Army Division West runs mobilization and pre-deployment validation for Guard and Reserve units, and the Operational Test Command keeps a steady stream of program offices and contractors on West Fort Hood. That means the on-post IHG Army Hotels fill with deploying units and mobilization surges while the hotels along I-14 and Central Texas Expressway absorb the overflow, and non-availability letters are routine. A crashpad gives you a real kitchen, a quiet place to work, a fixed nightly rate with a DTS-ready receipt, and a driveway for the truck, usually within 10 to 20 minutes of the Main Gate or Clear Creek Gate. It also helps PCS families who arrive to a Fort Hood Family Housing wait list and need a furnished landing spot while they hunt for a rental in Harker Heights, Belton, or Copperas Cove.
Who we host at Fort Hood
- Guard and Reserve Soldiers mobilizing through First Army Division West, often here for weeks of pre-deployment validation before they fly out
- Observer-controller-trainers, evaluators, and staff augmentees supporting 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Cavalry Regiment exercises and NTC train-ups
- Operational Test Command testers, program office reps, and defense contractors fielding and testing new vehicles, aircraft, and networks on West Fort Hood
- Aircrew and maintainers passing through Robert Gray Army Airfield and Hood Army Airfield, plus the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade's rotational visitors
- Instructors, inspectors, medical staff on TDY to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, and III Armored Corps staff officers on temporary assignments
Per diem, DTS, and your wallet
Every Fort Hood stay is priced at or below the Killeen government lodging rate. You'll receive itemized, DTS-ready receipts for your travel voucher — for a typical TDY that means zero out-of-pocket lodging cost. Read the full breakdown in our TDY per diem guide, or run your own numbers: the per diem calculator use the same rates DTS does. PCSing here instead? Check BAH for Fort Hood.
Local intel
Fort Hood crashpad FAQs
Do I have to stay at the IHG Army Hotel while TDY to Fort Hood?
Call the Holiday Inn Express Keith Ware Hall on post first at (254) 532-8233 (36006 Wratten Drive) or IHG Army Hotels central reservations at 1-877-711-8326; there is also a Candlewood Suites in Building 144 for extended stays. If they cannot house you for your dates you will get a certificate of non-availability and can lodge off post at the FY2026 standard CONUS rate of $110 lodging plus $68 M&IE, since Killeen and Bell County carry no special locality rate. Mobilizing Guard and Reserve units usually have lodging arranged by First Army Division West, so check with your unit before booking anything.
Which gate should I use when I arrive?
The Main Gate (Bernie Beck Gate) on T.J. Mills Boulevard off I-14 and the Clear Creek Gate by the Main Exchange are the two that stay open around the clock. The Marvin Leath Visitor Welcome Center, Building 69012, sits right next to the Main Gate and is open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at (254) 287-9909 if anyone in the car needs a pass. Other gates such as Mayborn, Warrior Way, Santa Fe, and 79th Street run reduced hours and have changed several times since 2024, so confirm on the garrison visitor information page before you commit to a route. Everyone 18 and older needs a REAL ID-compliant ID, and visitors without a DoD ID can pre-enroll at pass.aie.army.mil.
Where do Fort Hood families actually live?
Harker Heights is the default for newer neighborhoods and shorter commutes on I-14, Copperas Cove is the smaller-town pick on the west side with a quick run to Clear Creek Gate, and Killeen itself has the widest range of rentals and the shortest drive to the Main Gate. Belton, Temple, and Salado trade a 30 to 40 minute commute for strong schools and the Belton Lake and Salado Creek lifestyle. On post, Fort Hood Family Housing runs the privatized neighborhoods and keeps a wait list during PCS season, so apply at fthoodhousing.com as soon as you have orders.
Mission-ready lodging
TDY to Fort Hood? Lock in your lodging.
Send your dates and reason for stay — we'll match you with a furnished crashpad near Fort Hood (formerly Fort Cavazos) at the government rate.