Indiana
SoLa in Michigan City, Indiana, is a mixed-use development project that includes townhomes, condos and a Marriott International Renaissance Hotel. Construction is set to begin in January and expected to take two years. The 12-story hotel will contain 240 rooms and 24 suites. The 11th floor will be home to meeting space and a ballroom. A restaurant with a view of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline is on the top floor of the hotel. The hotel will span the east side of the property. The property is in a prime location for beachgoers and art lovers, with close proximity to Michigan City Beach and the Uptown Arts District.
Ohio
Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio, has been renovated and rebranded to The Ohioan Hotel & Event Center. The transition comes from a change in Nationwide’s business plan to host more third-party events. Previously, the Nationwide Hotel was for internal use only. Improvements include upgraded ballrooms, expanded prefunction areas, refreshed guest rooms and outdoor amenities. Attendees can stay in the nearly 200 guest rooms and suites. The Ohioan offers a variety of meeting packages and training academies in its 35 different meeting spaces, boardrooms and Ohio convention center. The Ohioan sits on 15 acres next to Columbus’ Highbanks Metro Park minutes from the city.
[Related: New Convention Centers, Multimillion-Dollar Renovations and More MidAmerica Property News]
Wisconsin
The water park capital of the world is getting a medieval twist. Wisconsin Dells will welcome the Dellshire Resort in spring 2026. The medieval castle is a 257-room resort sitting on 48 acres. The four-story hotel also has the capacity for 280 guests in its meeting space. Dellshire Resort will be managed by Boston-based company Pyramid Global Hospitality.
In the hub of Milwaukee’s meeting spaces, Hilton Milwaukee—connected to the Baird Center—finished renovations during last summer. Hilton Milwaukee is the largest hotel in Wisconsin’s largest city, and the $40 million renovation transformed the guest rooms, lobby and 34,000 square feet of meeting and event spaces. Hilton Milwaukee is owned by Marcus Hotels & Resorts. Renovations were made to 554 guest rooms. Hilton Milwaukee has a total of 729 guest rooms, with the remaining, unrenovated rooms in the west tower will eventually come off market. As the hotel dates to 1928, the renovations were intended to refurbish the property while maintaining its history. Hilton Milwaukee’s three ballrooms saw extensive renovations and its meeting spaces received new carpeting, draping and wall coverings. Hilton Milwaukee can accommodate groups of 20-1,000 in its 18 meeting spaces.
Under One Big Roof
A new 800-room Signia by Hilton will be the 12th property connected by skywalk to the Indiana Convention Center.
In Indianapolis, skywalks connect the largest number of hotels to a convention center in the U.S. The addition of a new Hilton brings the total number of hotel rooms “under one roof” to 5,200.
The new Hilton is a part of a $710 million expansion project that includes enhancements to the Indiana Convention Center. In addition to the 143,500-square-foot convention center expansion, the Signia will also offer small meeting spaces and a junior ballroom in the basement of the hotel. The second floor of the Signia will connect to a 50,000-square-foot ballroom that is a new addition to the convention center.
The Signia stands 38 stories high, and the third floor contains a 9,000-square-foot signature ballroom. The fifth floor is comprised entirely of different venues for meeting and event space.
Construction at the convention center is currently underway and attendees can expect to see updates across all ballrooms and their supporting meeting rooms. This project is anticipated to be completed by fall 2026.
