Sports Illustrated Resorts Chicago

Sports Illustrated Resorts Chicago is converting the original 2015 Virgin Hotels flagship on North Wabash Avenue into a sports-themed, points-based vacation-ownership resort. Accelerated Assets, which specialises in timeshare conversions, bought the 250-room building for Travel + Leisure Co.'s Sports Illustrated Resorts brand, with the hotel staying open through a renovation expected to finish by late 2026.

The place

203 North Wabash Avenue in the Chicago Loop — the 25-storey building that opened in January 2015 as the very first Virgin Hotels location anywhere.

The concept

An affiliate of Accelerated Assets, a firm specialising in converting hotels into timeshare-style ownership structures, bought the original Virgin Hotels Chicago building for just under $77.4 million and is converting it into a Sports Illustrated Resorts property — the sports-media brand's licensing tie-up with Travel + Leisure Co., already running at this guide's Nashville and Baton Rouge entries. The hotel is staying open through the renovation, which is expected to wrap by late 2026, with points-based vacation-ownership sales due to begin once the conversion nears completion. The plan retains the building's grand staircase and other heritage features while adding Sports Illustrated branding and sports-themed design throughout.

Dining & wellness

Plans include a redesigned lobby with sports-themed décor, a street-level coffee shop, a restaurant and a sports bar — broadly the same format as the brand's other Sports Illustrated Resorts locations.