Signia by Hilton Indianapolis, an 803-room hotel set in a 37-story building, is scheduled to open in early December 2026 in downtown Indianapolis. The hotel will connect directly to the Indiana Convention Center through an enclosed walkway spanning Capitol Avenue.
The hotel project, city-owned and city-funded, is part of a larger $781 million development. The Signia hotel’s construction costs exceed $581 million, while the project also adds 143,500 square feet to the Indiana Convention Center. The enclosed walkway over Capitol Avenue will link the hotel to the expanded convention center, enhancing access for convention attendees.
Downtown Indianapolis’ hotel inventory will
grow by nearly 10% with Signia’s addition, joining other connected hotels such as the JW Marriott, Indy Marriott, The Westin Indianapolis, and Hyatt Regency Indianapolis. According to CoStar, these existing local hotels report occupancy rates above the national average, with downtown hotels recording a 66.3% occupancy rate and about 1.9 million rooms occupied in the 12 months ending September 2026.
Between 2014 and 2024, Indianapolis turned away over 200 convention groups due to insufficient hotel rooms, meeting space, or unavailable dates. Visit Indy estimates that the Signia and convention center expansion have helped secure about 40% of the hotel and
convention bookings for the next five years, generating an expected $2.3 billion in convention-related economic impact. Major events like FDIC International could continue growth in the city because of this added capacity.
Hotel supply in downtown Indianapolis is projected to reach 10,000 rooms by the end of 2028. Alongside the 803-room Signia, the 116-room Motto and 167-room Kimpton hotels are set to open in 2027, with the 176-room Ritz-Carlton and 175-room AC by Marriott expected in 2028. This influx of rooms could initially impact occupancy rates at existing hotels, but experts expect the market to stabilize within a few years.
A shortage of hotel inventory and connected meeting space motivated the expansion that includes the Signia hotel. Industry experts say a large headquarters hotel close to convention centers is critical for attracting and securing major conventions requiring 800 to 1,000 rooms. Rob Hunden, founder of Hunden Partners, said, “If you can’t meet that threshold for a lot of different conventions and events, it’s really hard for cities to win those kinds of pieces of business.” Brent Benge, president and CEO of KennMar, stated, “Activity breeds activity, and sometimes it takes a big bet like the Signia.”
The Signia hotel has
already influenced commitments for upcoming conventions. Visit Indy attributes the hotel’s impact to securing events such as the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2028, Girl Scouts of the USA in 2029, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2033. The connected ballrooms and convention spaces at the Signia and JW Marriott may also allow Indianapolis to host multiple large conventions simultaneously.
Travelers visiting Indianapolis from December 2026 will have access to additional lodging options with the Signia hotel near the Indiana Convention Center. The enclosed walkway enhances convenience by providing direct access between the hotel and convention facilities,
streamlining logistics for meeting planners and attendees. Rob Hunden noted, “The fewer hotel contracts a meeting planner has to complete, the easier their job and the more efficient the entire experience will be for the planners and attendees.”
Kathy Heneghan, general manager of Signia Hilton Indianapolis, said the hotel is already drawing interest from organizations new to the Indianapolis market for 2027. Brent Benge emphasized the competitive benefits of the expansion, stating, “You gotta play offense to compete,” and noted the elevated guest experience expected from improvements in amenities and customer service.
David Harstad, executive director of the Center for
Real Estate Studies at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, said the hotel expansion will have “spillover into the overall economy and the downtown economy in particular.”
