Indy Airport Board Approves New Hotel Project

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 21, 2025) — Today, members of the Indianapolis Airport Authority Board voted to approve a variety of contracts to officially move forward with building a new hotel connected to the Indianapolis International Airport (IND).

The approval establishes the overall hotel project budget at $205,850,000 and ratified the project for bond funding. The approved contracts also cover amendments to existing contracts for construction, franchise agreement with Marriott, operations management and various other professional services, such as technology and interior design.

“This will be a long-term investment in public value for the community,” said Mario Rodriguez, IAA executive director. “The hotel will be the ‘front door to the front door’ of the airport, adding elegant architecture mirroring the world-class terminal and delivering a top customer experience that aligns with the airport’s reputation as the Best Airport in North America.”

A terminal-connected hotel has been considered since the original planning of the new midfield terminal complex in the early 2000s. In 2021, the IAA Board directed staff to determine the scope and financial feasibility of an airport-owned hotel. Over the past four years, the IAA has gone through iterations of financial analysis and then fully designed the hotel to have a detailed budget to design, build, inspect, furnish, and operate the hotel– all to inform the board’s decision today. The findings from these analyses have been shared at public board and committee meetings periodically during that time period.

The 253-room hotel will connect to the west side of the IND Terminal Parking Garage and will be a Marriott Westin brand. The hotel will feature a full-service 3-meals/day restaurant and a seventh-floor bar/lounge/restaurant area with an airfield view open to the public, a fitness center, approximately 10,000 square feet of meeting space, dedicated parking with valet and a pedestrian passage through the hotel to the parking garage and terminal for airport employees and passengers. Additionally, the hotel will be built with an energy-efficient and sustainable design.

With approximately one-third of passengers flying out of the Indy airport before 9 a.m. and coming off record-breaking passenger traffic, this new hotel will give weary travelers a convenient overnight option to save time before their early morning flight with elevated amenities compared to a 45-minute to an hour drive.

“Along with the elegance and customer amenities this project will bring to the airport, its financial success will contribute to the economic development of the Indianapolis community via tax revenue and job creation,” said Barbara Glass, IAA board president.

CSO, Inc., developed construction drawings for the hotel, which included architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and interior design services. Shiel Sexton Company, Inc., developed the construction program and guaranteed maximum price. Wischermann Partners, Inc. is the hotel operator and assisted CSO’s design team with overall programming of the hotel.

Rodrigeuz added, “This project is a true reflection of the talent that we have here locally to deliver this elevated customer service initiative.”

The construction of the hotel is anticipated to create nearly 3,500 jobs.

“The IAA Staff Hotel Project Committee developed the project funding strategy with input and projections of the hotel’s finances from a national hospitality advisory firm, project budget cost that provides a higher than normal level of project cost certainty and an optimized debt financing structure,” said Robert Thomson, IAA board treasurer and senior director of finance.

“The hotel will be funded utilizing airport general revenue bonds, Marriott key money and an airport equity investment.”

Thomson emphasized that no taxpayer dollars will be used to fund the project.

A groundbreaking for the Westin Indianapolis Airport hotel is expected this spring, with an anticipated completion date in December 2027.

MEDIA MATERIALS: Hotel renderings can be found here.