Travel + Leisure Co. has started construction on a $150 million Sports Illustrated Resort near the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The ground-up project is planned as a mixed-use hospitality destination that will bring a branded resort concept to the collegiate setting, with opening targeted for 2028.
The resort plan calls for two six-story towers connected by a shared central lobby. One tower will house 75 hotel-managed condominiums, while the other will contain 86 vacation ownership units. The configuration is designed to accommodate both owners and short-term guests within the same integrated property.
Residents and visitors will have access to a lounge featuring stadium-style seating intended for sports watch parties, reinforcing the connection to the local collegiate environment. Additional planned amenities include a fitness center and a pool deck, offering on-site recreation and gathering space for guests.
The development will also incorporate retail and public-facing social areas to activate the property beyond traditional hotel uses. Plans call for indoor and outdoor bars, a game lounge and a coffee bar, creating a variety of food-and-beverage and entertainment options open to resort users. The design further includes a broadcast booth and a rooftop terrace event space to support media, events and group functions.
Upon completion, the Tuscaloosa project is expected to be the first ground-up collegiate Sports Illustrated Resort in the United States. It will expand a pipeline that already includes previously announced Sports Illustrated Resort projects in Baton Rouge, Nashville and Chicago, extending the brand’s presence across multiple university and urban markets.
