Indiana
Signia by Hilton Indianapolis is expected to open in late 2026 and will connect to the Indiana Convention Center via skywalk as part of the city’s $710 million, 143,500-square-foot convention center expansion project.
The new 800-room, 40-story Hilton property will be the tallest hotel in the city when completed and will offer seven dining concepts including a speakeasy bar, a top-level sky bar and a signature restaurant. The hotel will also offer approximately 90,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 50,000-square-foot ballroom. The property will also feature a spa, fitness facility, wellness programming and an expansive outdoor pool deck overlooking the city.
Ohio
Nestled across from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and a short drive from downtown sits the new Hotel Celare. The seven-story, 171-room property offers amenities such as an onsite 24/7 fitness center, pet-friendly environment and a market with locally curated products. The hotel also has two culinary experiences, the rooftop restaurant and bar, The Vick, and Iris Café.
Hotel Celare also features four event spaces. The largest venue is the Onyx Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 200 attendees. Other notable venues include the heated second-floor terrace, prefunction areas and a boardroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the UC campus.
[Related: Community-Focused Hotel and Venue Developments in MidAmerica]
Michigan
The new Vanguard Ann Arbor, Autograph Collection, is located adjacent to the University of Michigan in the heart of Ann Arbor and features 188 guest rooms and 24 one-bedroom suites. The property offers in-room amenities like Dyson hairdryers, Le Labo bath products and an espresso machine along with onsite amenities like a fitness center and the French-inspired La Serre restaurant.
The Vanguard hotel also has 11,062 square feet of meeting space across five event venues. The largest of these venues is the Victors Ballroom, which has over 5,395 square feet of space and can accommodate up to 500 attendees. Other notable venues include the Champions Ballroom and Conquering Boardroom, able to accommodate up to 250 and 40 attendees, respectively. The property also features floor-to-ceiling windows in its event spaces and customizable menu options.
A New Lincoln Convention Center
Assemble Lincoln, the organization overseeing the development of Lincoln, Nebraska’s new downtown convention center project, has selected the Garfield Public/Private site near S. 13th and M streets as the location of a new convention center.
The organization selected the site based on a number of criteria, including site fundamentals and utilities, community integration and growth opportunities, accessibility, connectivity and environmental impact. The convention center would be accompanied by an adjacent, full-service hotel with a proposed 315 hotel rooms catered to convention-goers.
The announcement of the convention center site is the latest step in the Vitality Lincoln strategic plan, a project presented in February 2023 by Jason Ball, president and CEO of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, that outlines a vision for Lincoln’s economic future. The project seeks to develop destination assets and facilities to attract visitors and events to the Lincoln area and includes plans for the downtown convention center, a reimagined Lincoln-based music festival and the creation of mixed-use activity hubs across the city.
“Today’s announcement marks important progress towards a central element of the Vitality Lincoln Strategic Plan,” Ball said in a press release. “A downtown convention center will greatly enhance our ability to attract meetings and groups to our community. This is a tremendous opportunity for the Visit Lincoln division of the Lincoln Chamber to continue growing Lincoln as a destination as the tourism economy evolves.”
