BATON ROUGE — The Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center on Lafayette Street will be renovated into a Sports Illustrated Resort.

The resort is a new concept by Florida real estate company Travel + Leisure Co. that reimagines hotels in sports hotspots with the magazine's branding. 

"Who doesn't love college sports?" CEO of Travel + Leisure Co., Michael Brown, said. 

The company chose Baton Rouge as the next location due to LSU athletics. LSU alumnus Shaquille O'Neal will reportedly invest in the project. 

"The idea when we launched the Sports Illustrated Resort concept, we decided to go where the fanbases were most passionate," he said. "Unquestionably, it's here in Baton Rouge at LSU and Southern University."

Renovations will begin in 2027, and the resort will open at the end of that year. The Hilton will operate normally for the remainder of 2026.

Brown said there were meetings with the historical society to ensure they are maintaining everything the city of Baton Rouge wants them to maintain.

Travel + Leisure Co., formerly known as Wyndham Destinations, has over 280 hotels across many brands, including Sports Illustrated, Club Wyndham and Margaritaville Vacation Club.

In Feb. 2026, the Hotel was sold to Northshore Development. Northshore applied for a $53.4 million loan to finance the purchase of the 291-room hotel.  

This hotel will be the fourth Sports Illustrated Resort by Travel+ Leisure Co., with others operating in Chicago, Tuscaloosa and Nashville.