BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge is soon to further cement its status as a prime destination for sports enthusiasts from across the nation with the recently announced development of a Sports Illustrated Resort taking over the current Hilton Capitol Center at 201 Lafayette St., with renovations and construction set for a 2027 start date. Set in an ideal location along the Mississippi River and with easy access to both LSU and Southern University campuses, the project, developed in partnership with Travel + Leisure Co., is eager to not only to be a haven for sports-obsessed travelers and locals but also the first in a multi-faceted revitalization of the Capitol City’s historic downtown district.
“When we acquired the Sports Illustrated brand, we were extremely focused on college towns because in most college towns there is a void of proper hospitality resources,” said Geoff Richards, chief operating officer – Vacation Ownership with Travel + Leisure Co. “Our initial focus was on SEC towns, even though that was hard for me, having gone to an ACC school myself. But from a business perspective, it just made sense.”
Travel + Leisure Co. is a global travel and leisure company with licenses for known hospitality brands like Margaritaville, Eddie Bauer and, as of 2023, Sports Illustrated. With several Sports Illustrated Resort projects underway or renovating existing spaces in cities like Nashville, Chicago, and Tuscaloosa, the announcement of the Baton Rouge redevelopment was kicked off with a grand celebration at the Manship Theatre Shaw Center for the Arts, where the Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band performed.
“If you weren’t awake before, in a millisecond you were,” said Richards of the Human Jukebox’s performance. “Somebody asked me what the city could have done to make our announcement better, and there wasn’t anything I would have changed. It was really neat to have their participation as a key indicator of the kinds of things we will be doing in Baton Rouge.”
Spearheaded by Northshore Development, along with investment partners, including Kituwah LLC, and additional investment from a group of business leaders that includes NBA legend and LSU alumnus Shaquille O’Neal, the Sports Illustrated Resort promises to become a cultural hub for not only college football but all sports. By utilizing the entire breadth of their SI license, including decades of iconic cover stories and images, Travel + Leisure Co. has plans to create a unique experience for sports fans, with the initial renovations of the hotel property potentially evolving into outdoor green spaces, areas for watch parties, and events featuring luminaries from across Louisiana athletic history.
“We want to be true to the environment that we are operating in. So in Baton Rouge, there is going to be a heavy Sports Illustrated pretense around LSU sports, Southern University sports, and the New Orleans Saints,” said Richards. “We also want to have sports figures at these resorts, allowing those visiting the opportunity to interact with their heroes.”
While the Hilton Capitol Center will continue its normal operations through 2026, the redevelopment hopes to kick-start a resurgence of commerce and tourism in downtown Baton Rouge. As an investment in not only the hospitality industry but also in the city itself, the Sports Illustrated Resort is meant to be more than a destination but a hub from which all of Louisiana might benefit.
“Our focus is, how do we convert that hotel into a place that both people visiting Baton Rouge and locals want to come to,” said Richards. “We expect to bring more people to downtown Baton Rouge than would traditionally come for game day, which ultimately will help the neighboring businesses and communities as well.”
