Travel + Leisure Co. and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts have set a 2027 completion target for three new Sports Illustrated Resorts hotels, with the Nashville property already welcoming guests as an 185-suite debut on Music Row and a fourth Tuscaloosa project slated for 2028.

The two companies confirmed an expanded partnership that establishes the operating framework for the Sports Illustrated Resorts brand in the traditional hotel space, layering franchising, distribution and development infrastructure from Wyndham onto Travel + Leisure Co.'s brand stewardship and mixed-use background. The 2023-launched Sports Illustrated Resorts platform had previously centered on vacation ownership and residential products; the new model adds traditional lodging as a complement.

What does the deal change for developers?

The agreement lets Wyndham recruit developers and asset owners through its existing hotel-community relationships, while Travel + Leisure Co. controls the brand layer across hotel-only and mixed-use formats. Wyndham's network of approximately 9,200 hotels across more than 95 countries and its 25-brand portfolio serve as the commercial backbone.

For operators, the structure points toward two build archetypes: standalone hotels and multi-component destinations that combine lodging with the broader Sports Illustrated Resorts amenity set. Baton Rouge is positioned as the first confirmed resort to feature a hotel component, with a phased opening later in 2027.

What is open and what is in the pipeline?

• Nashville (Open): The 185-suite resort on Music Row, the first fully branded Sports Illustrated Resorts destination, is now accepting guests.
• Chicago (Early 2027): Operating in a "preseason era," with full project completion and brand rollout expected in early 2027.
• Baton Rouge (Later 2027): Phased opening, and the first confirmed property to include a hotel component.
• Tuscaloosa (2028): The brand's first ground-up resort, expected to open in 2028.

The announced four-market footprint leans heavily on college towns, a positioning that ties the Sports Illustrated brand equity into sports-tourism demand tied to university athletics.

What do the operators say?

Travel + Leisure Co. framed the move as a brand extension rather than a pivot. President and CEO Michael Brown said: "Opening the door to traditional hotels, in partnership with Wyndham, is the next chapter for the platform, giving us new ways to extend the Sports Illustrated experience to travelers while creating distinctive opportunities for developers and asset owners."

Wyndham President and CEO Geoff Ballotti pointed to the lodging economics behind the brand stretch: "We have an opportunity to create immersive, year-round destinations across college towns and major urban markets, anchored in unique experiences, distinctive programming and premier sports-centric events. The result is a highly differentiated offering for developers looking to get into the high-yield sports tourism sector and one we believe is well-positioned to generate strong, year-round demand."

How does this sit within both companies' existing stacks?

Travel + Leisure Co. continues to operate Sports Illustrated Resorts under license from Authentic Brands Group. Wyndham's existing relationship with Travel + Leisure Co. runs through the Club Wyndham vacation club, plus the Margaritaville Vacation Club and Eddie Bauer Adventure Club brands, all of which plug into the Wyndham Rewards program.

Wyndham Rewards carries approximately 120 million enrolled members, a distribution channel both companies expect to layer over the Sports Illustrated Resorts development effort.

What should owners and franchisees watch next?

The framework is brand-level rather than a series of signed franchise agreements for named sites. Operators evaluating entry will look to the first wave of developer filings in Chicago, Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa for indications of cost of goods exposure, labor share, and revenue mix between transient, group, and sports-event demand. Three of the four announced properties carry 2027-2028 completion targets that will test whether the Sports Illustrated brand sustains year-round demand outside major event windows.