Indianapolis Airport board approves contracts to move forward with new hotel

INDIANAPOLIS — A new hotel connected to the Indianapolis International Airport is expected to be completed in December 2027.

On Friday, members of the Indianapolis Airport Authority Board voted to approve several contracts to move forward with the building of a new hotel. The hotel, budgeted at $205,850,000, will be a Marriott Westin brand and will connect with the west side of the airport’s terminal parking garage.

This comes after a multi-year conversation surrounding the placement of a hotel on the property. A news release from the airport said that in 2021, the board directed staff to determine the scope and financial feasibility of an airport-owned hotel.

“This will be a long-term investment in public value for the community,” Mario Rodriguez, the authority’s executive director, said in the release. “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.”

The release said that the 253-room hotel will feature a restaurant, as well as a seventh-floor bar/lounge/restaurant area with an airfield view open to the public. The hotel will also include a fitness center, around 10,000 square feet of meeting space, dedicated parking with valet an da pedestrian passage through the hotel to the parking garage and airport terminal.

The construction of the hotel is expected to create nearly 3,500 jobs, the release said. The hotel is expected to be funded through airport general revenue bonds, Marriott key money and an airport equity investment. Officials stressed that no taxpayer dollars will be used to fund the hotel project.

The release said a groundbreaking for the hotel is expected this spring. The hotel is expected to be completed in December 2027.