Sports fans could soon have more places to stay under the Sports Illustrated Resorts banner. Travel + Leisure Co. and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts have expanded their partnership to develop conventional hotels alongside the brand’s existing vacation ownership and residential offerings. Announced on October 5, the agreement gives developers a route to create standalone hotels or combine them with other accommodation types.
The appeal for travelers is straightforward: a hotel designed around following a team, watching a big game or spending a weekend in a city with a strong sports culture. The practical test will be whether those properties offer enough beyond themed interiors to earn a place in an ordinary trip itinerary.
What Wyndham Adds to the Sports Illustrated Brand
Travel + Leisure Co. contributes brand oversight, development and management expertise, while Wyndham brings distribution, marketing, loyalty infrastructure and relationships with hotel developers. Sports Illustrated Resorts has been part of Travel + Leisure Co.’s portfolio since 2023 and operates under a license from Authentic Brands Group.
Wyndham CEO Geoff Ballotti identified college towns and major urban markets as opportunities for destinations that can draw visitors throughout the year. For a hotel, that means finding reasons for guests to arrive between the headline sporting weekends. For travelers, it could mean a place that works for a family break or city visit as well as a match-day stay.
Nashville Shows What Guests Can Expect
The first fully branded location is already welcoming guests on Nashville’s Music Row. Travel + Leisure Co.’s opening announcement describes a renovated, 185-suite property with studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom accommodation. Each suite has a full kitchen and in-unit laundry, useful features for families and visitors staying beyond a single game.
The property combines a fitness center, sports bar, game room and pool deck with an on-site sports concierge. Its Music Row setting places the resort about a mile from downtown and the Gulch, giving guests a base for Nashville’s music and entertainment as well as sporting events. Travelers should check the price and availability of any event access separately from the room booking.
Work is still continuing on some spaces. The brand’s resort details list an expanded tailgate deck and branded valet entrance among features expected to open by November 2026. Anyone choosing a stay for a particular facility should confirm that it will be available on their dates.
Chicago, Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa Come Next
The published timeline puts Chicago’s project completion and full brand offering in early 2027. The property is currently operating during renovation in what the company calls its preseason era. That distinction matters when comparing a stay available now with the finished experience described in promotional material.
Baton Rouge is planned for a phased opening later in 2027 and is the first confirmed resort to include a hotel component. Tuscaloosa, the brand’s first resort built from the ground up, is expected to open in 2028. These remain projected opening windows, so travelers should wait for confirmed operating dates before building a nonrefundable trip around them.
What to Check Before Booking
The expansion brings several accommodation models under one name. A conventional hotel reservation, a resort rental and a vacation ownership promotion can carry different conditions. Check the room type, cancellation policy, resort charges and included amenities, and read any requirements attached to a discounted promotional stay.
The brand’s official website offers a route to explore current stays and ownership products. The new partnership does not establish a universal room price or guarantee the same event access and facilities at every future property.
We have also covered the Baton Rouge project and the Chicago conversion. The latest opening forecasts extend that story: Nashville is the operating example, while the next locations will show how the concept translates into different cities and hotel formats.
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