Hilton’s Seven U.S. Hotel Projects, Anchored by 803-Room Indianapolis

By Daniel Okafor

An 803-room Signia Hilton Indianapolis, owned by the City of Indianapolis and scheduled to open in December, anchors seven U.S. hotel projects highlighted by Hilton: three new builds and four conversions.

The Indianapolis project is tied to the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. The city owns it, the Capital Improvement Board of Managers of Marion County leads operations, and Hilton manages the hotel. That puts a public owner, a county operating board and a global manager on the same build.

Three new builds account for 1,143 rooms, more than the 620 rooms in the two conversions with disclosed counts. Four of seven properties are conversions or rebrands, bringing existing buildings or operations under Hilton brands.

What exactly is opening?

• Hale Hōkūala Kauaʻi, Curio Collection by Hilton: Silverwest Hotels owns the 210-room resort, and Hilton manages it. Hilton’s website lists stays beginning Sept. 30.
• Signia Hilton Indianapolis: The 803-room city-owned hotel is managed by Hilton and set for a December opening.
• Home2 Suites by Hilton San Diego Downtown: Baxter Hotel Group developed the 130-suite hotel; the property will be franchised and is set for December.
• Signia Hilton Naples Grande Beach Resort: Henderson Park and South Street Partners own the 474-room resort, including 50 villas, and it will be franchised. A resort-wide renovation precedes its January 2027 debut, making it the third Signia Hilton in Florida.
• Valley House Avon, Colorado: Hilton identified Magna as the owner or developer of the 146-room Outset Collection by Hilton hotel. It will be franchised and is set for December.
• Placemakr Pittsburgh Downtown and Anthem House Huntsville: Both joined Hilton’s portfolio under the Apartment Collection brand on Sept. 30, and reservations are now open. That timing comes earlier than the October date Hilton had given for Huntsville. Hilton did not provide branded unit counts for either property.

The Naples signing marks “an exciting step in our strong brand growth,” Meghan Fitzgerald, global brand leader for Signia Hilton, said.

Hilton described the two Apartment Collection properties as “existing Placemakr-operated, mixed-use apartment hospitality properties.” Acram Group owns Pittsburgh; RCP Companies developed Huntsville with Revolution as capital partner.

How much of the growth is conversion-led?

Four of seven U.S. projects, or about 57 percent, are conversions or rebrands. CEO Chris Nassetta said on Hilton’s second-quarter earnings call that conversions represented 36 percent of openings in the quarter and are expected to account for about 40 percent of openings in 2026.

Those figures apply globally; the seven U.S. properties are too small a sample to represent Hilton’s overall mix.

Nassetta also said new development construction starts continued growing in the quarter, led by the U.S., where they rose more than 40 percent from a year earlier. On this list, the three ground-up projects are the convention-connected Indianapolis hotel, the Hale Hōkūala resort and the downtown San Diego Home2 Suites.

What does this change for owners?

Hilton manages two hotels, franchisees run three and Placemakr operates two. An owner choosing a Hilton brand also chooses who runs the building day to day.

Across the projects, Hilton named Henderson Park, South Street Partners, Acram Group, Magna, RCP Companies and Revolution as owners, developers or capital partners. The conversion route lets owners add a Hilton brand to an existing asset without constructing a new hotel.

But the announcement does not show which structure produces the better return. Without financial terms, investment amounts or operating metrics such as occupancy, labor cost and margins, investors cannot compare capital requirements or expected returns among the conversions.

What sits behind the pipeline?

At the end of the second quarter, Hilton reported a record pipeline of 541,300 rooms across 3,853 hotels. Nearly half of pipeline rooms were under construction, and more than half were outside the United States. Hilton expects net unit growth of 6 percent to 7 percent in 2026, with the second half exceeding the first.

Hilton launched the Apartment Collection by Hilton brand in January 2026 through a partnership with Placemakr. Its first three properties opened in Salt Lake City, Austin and Atlanta. The Sept. 30 additions of Pittsburgh and Huntsville place the brand in two mixed-use properties where Placemakr already operated.

The seven projects are the U.S. openings Hilton highlighted, so they may not represent all U.S. activity. Hilton supplied the ownership and operating details, which have not been independently verified.

With the second half expected to outpace the first, Hilton’s 6 percent to 7 percent net unit growth target will be tested by a mix of public ownership, capital partnerships, franchise arrangements and operator-led conversions.