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Tuscaloosa Will Be Home to Sports Illustrated’s First College Town Resort
Posted on 9/20/23 at 11:23 am
Posted on 9/20/23 at 11:23 am
Tuscaloosa Will Be Home to Sports Illustrated’s First College Town Resort
Maiden facility in college towns network will be situated across the Black Warrior River from the University of Alabama.
Think Tuscaloosa is already the ultimate experience in college sports, especially when one of the University of Alabama teams is in action? Even so, the bar is about to get raised again, this time by one of the biggest names in sports media.
Wednesday morning, Sports Illustrated launched its new line of college town resorts by announcing that the first will be built in Tuscaloosa, home to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The facility on the northern side of the Black Warrior River is slated to open in "late 2025."
Per the release by Sports Illustrated Resorts, Travel + Leisure Co. and Sports Hospitality Ventures, LLC, the venue will include a full-service hotel, condominiums, vacation ownership club, signature SI Fit Health/Wellness Center, restaurants and entertainment.
“Sports Illustrated Resorts are about hospitality, lifestyle, leisure and entertainment where we celebrate not only the legacy of Sports Illustrated, but the path it is on now, by immersing our guests in sports culture and providing the best entertainment, cuisine, fitness, health and wellness to our guests,” Christopher Schroeder, CEO of Sports Hospitality Ventures, LLC, said in a statement. “People are seeking differentiated experiences that allow them to be more active and participatory, and Sports Illustrated Resorts are delivering the ultimate experiences for guests through the hospitality destinations we are creating.”
Sports Hospitality Ventures, under license from Authentic Brands Group, launched Sports Illustrated Resorts in 2022. Kituwah LLC, the business entity of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, became a key partner and made a capital commitment of $320 million to expand the Sports Illustrated Resorts brand.
The first Sports Illustrated Resorts property opened in 2022 in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic, and was subsequently used as a shooting location for the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue. It's amenities include golf, sport fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, water sports, zip lining, biking and hiking. Another site is set to open in Orlando in 2024.
The destinations are being grouped into three categories: beach and resort, experiences, and "OnCampus." Vacation club members will be able to take advantage of offerings from all three groups. Additional college town destinations are expected to be announced in the future.
Maiden facility in college towns network will be situated across the Black Warrior River from the University of Alabama.
Think Tuscaloosa is already the ultimate experience in college sports, especially when one of the University of Alabama teams is in action? Even so, the bar is about to get raised again, this time by one of the biggest names in sports media.
Wednesday morning, Sports Illustrated launched its new line of college town resorts by announcing that the first will be built in Tuscaloosa, home to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The facility on the northern side of the Black Warrior River is slated to open in "late 2025."
Per the release by Sports Illustrated Resorts, Travel + Leisure Co. and Sports Hospitality Ventures, LLC, the venue will include a full-service hotel, condominiums, vacation ownership club, signature SI Fit Health/Wellness Center, restaurants and entertainment.
“Sports Illustrated Resorts are about hospitality, lifestyle, leisure and entertainment where we celebrate not only the legacy of Sports Illustrated, but the path it is on now, by immersing our guests in sports culture and providing the best entertainment, cuisine, fitness, health and wellness to our guests,” Christopher Schroeder, CEO of Sports Hospitality Ventures, LLC, said in a statement. “People are seeking differentiated experiences that allow them to be more active and participatory, and Sports Illustrated Resorts are delivering the ultimate experiences for guests through the hospitality destinations we are creating.”
Sports Hospitality Ventures, under license from Authentic Brands Group, launched Sports Illustrated Resorts in 2022. Kituwah LLC, the business entity of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, became a key partner and made a capital commitment of $320 million to expand the Sports Illustrated Resorts brand.
The first Sports Illustrated Resorts property opened in 2022 in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic, and was subsequently used as a shooting location for the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue. It's amenities include golf, sport fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, water sports, zip lining, biking and hiking. Another site is set to open in Orlando in 2024.
The destinations are being grouped into three categories: beach and resort, experiences, and "OnCampus." Vacation club members will be able to take advantage of offerings from all three groups. Additional college town destinations are expected to be announced in the future.
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Posted on 9/20/23 at 12:05 pm to Alabama_Fan
Sounds like a terrible idea.
Posted on 9/20/23 at 12:43 pm to Alabama_Fan
I'm sure plenty of people will pay way too much money to stay there for game weekends, but this sounds kinda cringey and dumb.
Posted on 9/20/23 at 12:45 pm to gumpinmizzou
Well I know where FEMA will be staying if we have another tornado in the area.
Posted on 9/20/23 at 12:46 pm to Alabama_Fan
Isn't Sports Illustrated dying?
How TF can they afford and make a resort
How TF can they afford and make a resort
Posted on 9/20/23 at 12:53 pm to WeWillFly
I’ve actually worked with authentic brands group in the banking space. Generally they acquire brand licenses for use or the revenue streams associated with them, so they own stuff like Marilyn Monroe’s image IIRC.
It sounds like the LLC is either a joint venture with Sports Illustrated by ABG, or a separate Venture under ABG. They’re using the Sports Illustrated name as the front to a series of hotels and those hotels will presumably be built in major college towns (so think Austin, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge). ABG may also already own the Sports Illustrated rights and they’re just licensing it out.
Probably operates as a regular hotel but has some college gameday specific amenities during the season. It’s probably not Sports Illustrated running it, think of it as Penn adopting the ESPN name for their sportsbook.
It sounds like the LLC is either a joint venture with Sports Illustrated by ABG, or a separate Venture under ABG. They’re using the Sports Illustrated name as the front to a series of hotels and those hotels will presumably be built in major college towns (so think Austin, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge). ABG may also already own the Sports Illustrated rights and they’re just licensing it out.
Probably operates as a regular hotel but has some college gameday specific amenities during the season. It’s probably not Sports Illustrated running it, think of it as Penn adopting the ESPN name for their sportsbook.
This post was edited on 9/20/23 at 12:55 pm
Posted on 9/20/23 at 1:44 pm to Alabama_Fan
Swimsuit edition, down by the river.
Posted on 9/20/23 at 2:17 pm to Alabama_Fan
Tuscaloosa doesn’t use the river nearly enough so I guess that’s a start
Always makes me sad seeing the Cypress Inn collecting dust
Always makes me sad seeing the Cypress Inn collecting dust
This post was edited on 9/20/23 at 2:20 pm
Posted on 9/20/23 at 2:29 pm to Glorious
quote:
Tuscaloosa doesn’t use the river nearly enough so I guess that’s a start
That's what I never could understand when I was in college. There's so much potential for an entertainment district along the river but nah...
This post was edited on 9/20/23 at 2:30 pm
Posted on 9/20/23 at 3:09 pm to EthanHunt007
quote:
Number of Posts: 528
Registered on: 8/23/2023
Posted on 9/20/23 at 3:10 pm to Alabama_Fan
Can't wait for more road construction!
Posted on 9/20/23 at 3:16 pm to EthanHunt007
quote:
That's what I never could understand when I was in college. There's so much potential for an entertainment district along the river but nah..
They've actually done a lot of building along the river in the past 10 years. I don't know when the last time you went down there but it is drastically different than when i was down there from 05-09
Posted on 9/20/23 at 4:20 pm to cdur86
On the university side they have a lot things, walking trail, farmer’s market, garage door venue, couple of restaurants, condos, the amphitheater. On the other side of the river where it looks like this is going, it’s mostly residential but is growing.
Posted on 9/20/23 at 4:24 pm to Syd
Its location just keeps it a little hidden. I know there's a housing complex down there or was about eight years ago
Posted on 9/20/23 at 8:44 pm to Alabama_Fan
This would have been way more exciting if SI simply kept using beautiful women in their swimsuit issues.
Since they've gone a full 180 on that, I have extremely low expectations for this project
Since they've gone a full 180 on that, I have extremely low expectations for this project
Posted on 9/21/23 at 6:20 am to Glorious
A local developer bought it and will try to get the restaurant going again soon
Posted on 9/21/23 at 6:33 am to biggsc
I think it'll do well and will sell out. My only concern is that they may turn it into something tacky/garish/obnoxious. I guess the developers can do what they want but it'd be a shame for it to be an eye sore.
Posted on 9/21/23 at 7:09 am to East Coast Band
quote:
This would have been way more exciting if SI simply kept using beautiful women in their swimsuit issues.
Since they've gone a full 180 on that
Basically the project will be passable, but there will be a dick tucked in somewhere.
Posted on 9/22/23 at 4:21 pm to Alabama_Fan
Gotta float across the river to campus. Pack a raft.
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