First Sports Illustrated College Town Resort To Open In Tuscaloosa By Late 2025

TUSCALOOSA, Al — Sports Hospitality Ventures and Travel + Leisure in a major announcement on Wednesday revealed that the first major Sports Illustrated Resorts college town destination will be in Tuscaloosa and cater to the University of Alabama.

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The Sports Illustrated Resorts campus, which is slated to open at a location on Rice Mine Road in late 2025, is expected to feature a full-service hotel, a vacation club, and residential condominiums, which will immerse guests and owners in iconic moments from almost seven decades of Sports Illustrated content.

Travel + Leisure Co. says all resort campuses will include branded, one-of-a-kind attractions ranging from live-action sports and entertainment to dining, wellness, and relaxation.

“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,” Sports Hospitality Ventures CEO Christopher Schroeder said. “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 Illustrated will also offer a vacation club, with members receiving flexible points-based currency to make repeat resort reservations and take advantage of offerings from across the Sports Illustrated Resorts portfolio.

After announcing Tuscaloosa as the home of its first college resort, partners in the project pointed out that the University of Alabama has been featured on the Sports Illustrated cover more than any other university, before mentioning that Tuscaloosa was named by Travel + Leisure as one of the "25 best college towns in the U.S."

Other Sports Illustrated college town resorts are also being planned and locations will be announced at a later date.

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