Travel + Leisure Co. Partners with Wyndham to Develop Hotels Under the Sports Illustrated Resorts Brand

Expanded partnership establishes framework to build, operate and scale Sports Illustrated Resorts as a differentiated mixed-use hospitality platform

HIGHLIGHTS

  • A new platform for Sports Illustrated hospitality: Travel + Leisure Co. and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are expanding their long-standing relationship through a new development partnership to scale Sports Illustrated Resorts—now to include hotels—as part of a differentiated hospitality and mixed-use development platform.
  • Built for developers and asset owners: The model creates flexibility to develop standalone hotels under the Sports Illustrated Resorts brand or as part of a mixed-use destination that also includes vacation ownership and/or residence offerings.
  • A partnership strengthened to scale Sports Illustrated Resorts: Travel + Leisure Co. brings the iconic Sports Illustrated Resorts hospitality platform, with Wyndham providing the loyalty, distribution and marketing infrastructure to help bring the concept to new markets and destinations.

ORLANDO & PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Travel + Leisure Co. is advancing the next phase of Sports Illustrated Resorts through an expanded partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts that establishes the framework to build, operate and scale hotels under Sports Illustrated Resorts as a complementary, yet differentiated, hospitality and mixed-use development platform.

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Travel + Leisure Co. is advancing the next phase of Sports Illustrated Resorts through an expanded partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts that establishes the framework to build, operate and scale hotels under Sports Illustrated Resorts as a complementary, yet differentiated, hospitality and mixed-use development platform.

Travel + Leisure Co. is advancing the next phase of Sports Illustrated Resorts through an expanded partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts that establishes the framework to build, operate and scale hotels under Sports Illustrated Resorts as a complementary, yet differentiated, hospitality and mixed-use development platform.

First introduced by Travel + Leisure Co. in 2023, the Sports Illustrated Resorts platform spans a range of hospitality, vacation ownership and residential offerings brought together in sports-focused destinations. The partnership with Wyndham builds on that foundation—bringing the brand into the traditional hotel space through a differentiated model that pairs Travel + Leisure’s brand stewardship, mixed-use development and management expertise with Wyndham’s global scale, distribution, development engine and commercial infrastructure.

The model is designed to give developers and asset owners greater flexibility in how they bring Sports Illustrated Resorts to life, from hotel-only developments to larger mixed-use destinations that combine multiple components of the platform. Wyndham will leverage its relationships across the hotel community to help identify potential development partners and asset owners as Travel + Leisure Co. expands the business.

“Sports Illustrated Resorts is bringing the power of the Sports Illustrated brand to life through travel and hospitality, building on the brand’s legacy in sports, culture and entertainment,” said Michael Brown, President & CEO, Travel + Leisure Co. “Opening the door to traditional hotels, in partnership with Wyndham, is the next chapter for the platform, giving us new ways to extend the Sports Illustrated experience to travelers while creating distinctive opportunities for developers and asset owners. We’re excited about the potential to unlock even more of what the Sports Illustrated brand can deliver in hospitality.”

“Sports Illustrated is one of the world’s most iconic lifestyle and entertainment brands, and its connection to sports creates a powerful opportunity in hospitality,” said Geoff Ballotti, President & CEO, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “Together with Travel + Leisure Co., we have an opportunity to create immersive, year-round destinations across college towns and major urban markets, anchored in unique experiences, distinctive programming and premier sports-centric events. The result is a highly differentiated offering for developers looking to get into the high-yield sports tourism sector and one we believe is well-positioned to generate strong, year-round demand.”

Expanding the Sports Illustrated Resorts Platform

Travel + Leisure Co. introduced Sports Illustrated Resorts in 2023 as a concept for a network of sports-themed resort and lifestyle destinations in college towns and leisure markets. From the outset, the vision contemplated a range of offerings, including vacation ownership, residential and other resort experiences designed around the Sports Illustrated brand and its nearly 70-year legacy in sports, culture and entertainment.

Since then, Travel + Leisure Co. has continued to advance the Sports Illustrated Resorts platform across a growing portfolio of sports and entertainment markets.

Sports Illustrated Resorts Nashville is now welcoming owners and guests, marking the debut of the first fully branded Sports Illustrated Resorts destination. Located on Music Row, the 185-suite resort brings the brand to life through sports-inspired amenities, social spaces and experiences designed to connect travelers with Nashville’s sports, entertainment and cultural offerings.

Additional Sports Illustrated Resorts destinations are underway in Chicago, Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa. Chicago is currently operating in its “preseason era,” with project completion and the full brand offering expected in early 2027. Baton Rouge, the first confirmed resort to feature a hotel component, is planned for a phased opening later in 2027, while Tuscaloosa represents the brand’s first ground-up resort and is expected to open in 2028.

The expansion of Sports Illustrated Resorts into the traditional hotel space builds on a decades-long relationship between Travel + Leisure Co. and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. That relationship extends across Travel + Leisure’s cornerstone vacation club brand, Club Wyndham, as well as experiential brands Margaritaville Vacation Club and Eddie Bauer Adventure Club, which connect with Wyndham’s thousands of hotels globally through Wyndham Rewards. With more than 126 million enrolled members, the industry’s #1 rated hotel rewards program serves as a powerful blue thread between the two companies, driving engagement, loyalty and long-term value across their portfolios.

Sports Illustrated Resorts is operated by Travel + Leisure Co. under license from Authentic Brands Group.

For more information on Sports Illustrated Resorts, including development opportunities or upcoming stays, visit SportsIllustratedResorts.com. Follow @SIResorts on Instagram.

Travel + Leisure Co. Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Forward-looking statements are any statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, hopes, intentions or strategies about the expansion of Sports Illustrated Resorts discussed in this press release and the future. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “expects,” “plans,” “will,” or “bringing,” or other words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results of Travel + Leisure Co. and its subsidiaries (“Travel + Leisure Co.” or “we”) to differ materially from those discussed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the acquisition of the Travel + Leisure brand and the future prospects and plans for Travel + Leisure Co., including our ability to execute our strategies to grow our cornerstone timeshare and exchange businesses and expand into the broader leisure travel industry; our ability to compete in the highly competitive timeshare and leisure travel industries; uncertainties related to acquisitions, dispositions and other strategic transactions; the health of the travel industry and declines or disruptions caused by adverse economic conditions (including inflation, recent tariff and other trade restrictions, higher interest rates, and recessionary pressures, travel restrictions, terrorism or acts of violence, political strife, war (including hostilities in Ukraine and the Middle East), pandemics, and severe weather events and other natural disasters; adverse changes in consumer travel and vacation patterns, consumer preferences and demand for our products; increased or unanticipated operating costs and other inherent business risks; our ability to comply with financial and restrictive covenants under our indebtedness; our ability to access capital and insurance markets on reasonable terms, at a reasonable cost or at all; maintaining the integrity of internal or customer data and protecting our systems from cyber-attacks; the timing and amount of future dividends and share repurchases, if any; and those other factors disclosed as risks under “Risk Factors” in documents we have filed with the SEC, including in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the SEC on February 18, 2026. We caution readers that any such statements are based on currently available operational, financial and competitive information, and they should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s opinion only as of the date on which they were made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to review or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances as they occur.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements related to Wyndham's current views and expectations regarding the potential demand, growth and scalability of the Sports Illustrated brand in connection with Wyndham’s expanded partnership with Travel + Leisure. Forward-looking statements are any statements other than statements of historical fact, including those that convey management's expectations as to the future based on plans, estimates and projections at the time Wyndham makes the statements and may be identified by words such as "will," "expect," "believe," "plan," "anticipate," "predict," "intend," "goal," "future," "forward," "remain," "confident," "outlook," "guidance," "target," "objective," "estimate," "projection" and similar words or expressions, including the negative version of such words and expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Wyndham to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation, general economic conditions, including inflation, higher interest rates and potential recessionary pressures, which may impact decisions by consumers and businesses to use travel accommodations; global trade disputes, including with China; the performance of the financial and credit markets; the economic environment for the hospitality industry; operating risks associated with the hotel franchising business; Wyndham's relationships with franchisees; the ability of franchisees to pay back loans owed to Wyndham; the impact of prior or any future impairment charges related to the credit Wyndham extends to its franchisees; the impact of war, terrorist activity, political instability or political strife; global or regional health crises or pandemics including the resulting impact on Wyndham's business, operations, financial results, cash flows and liquidity, as well as the impact on its franchisees, guests and team members, the hospitality industry and overall demand for and restrictions on travel; Wyndham's ability to satisfy obligations and agreements under its outstanding indebtedness, including the payment of principal and interest and compliance with the covenants thereunder; risks related to Wyndham's ability to obtain financing and the terms of such financing, including access to liquidity and capital; and Wyndham's ability to make or pay, plans for and the timing and amount of any future share repurchases and/or dividends, as well as the risks described in Wyndham's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and any subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones Wyndham may face and additional risks may arise or become material in the future. Wyndham undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or otherwise, except as required by law.

About Travel + Leisure Co.

Travel + Leisure Co. (NYSE:TNL) is a leading leisure travel company, providing more than six million vacations to travelers around the world every year. The company operates a portfolio of vacation ownership, travel club, and lifestyle travel brands designed to meet the needs of the modern leisure traveler, whether they’re traversing the globe or staying a little closer to home. With hospitality and responsible tourism at its heart, the company’s nearly 19,000 dedicated associates around the globe help the company achieve its mission to put the world on vacation. Learn more at travelandleisureco.com.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is one of the world’s largest hotel franchising companies with approximately 8,400 hotels across approximately 100 countries on six continents. Through its network of over 873,000 franchised and affiliated rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 25 hotel brands, including Super 8®, Days Inn®, Ramada®, Microtel®, La Quinta®, Baymont®, Wingate®, AmericInn®, ECHO Suites®, Registry Collection Hotels®, Trademark Collection® and Wyndham®. The Company’s award-winning Wyndham Rewards® loyalty program offers over 126 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.

About Sports Illustrated

For over 70 years, Sports Illustrated (SI) has been recognized for shaping modern culture at the intersection of sports, lifestyle, and entertainment. SI is a 360-degree platform that unites athletes, teams and fans worldwide through quality content, innovative digital experiences, unforgettable events, and original products. Its award-winning media arm brings powerful storytelling to life through probing profiles and up-to-date news on SI.com, across social media platforms, and through its renowned print magazine whose cover is widely regarded as the most coveted space in sports media. The most trusted name in sports transcends media through SI Tickets, a fan-first ticketing platform, SI Resorts, the ultimate destination for active lifestyles & sports enthusiasts, SI Studios, the brand’s home for film, TV, and long form podcasts, and more. SI brings its unique perspective to marquee events and captivating brand activations including “SI The Party”, Club SI, the Sportsperson of the Year Awards, SI Swimsuit Launch Weekend, and the SI Circuit Series.

For more information, visit SI.com.

Follow Sports Illustrated on X, Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook.

Media Contacts

Jessica Doyle
Travel + Leisure Co.
media@travelandleisure.com

Rob Myers
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
+1 973-753-6590
​rob.myers@wyndham.com​

Source: Travel + Leisure Co.

Released Oct 5, 2026