As the dust settles on the Savannah Convention Center’s $276 million expansion, another major project is lining up next door. Matthews Hospitality has been selected as co-developer—alongside Atlanta-based Songy Highroads—for a new 400 room hotel planned for Hutchinson Island. The goal? Bring more big conventions to town and provide the extra lodging space those events require.
The hotel, which is still in the planning process, will rise beside the newly revamped convention center, now one of the largest in the Southeast. The expanded center nearly doubled in size, with new ballrooms, a rooftop patio overlooking the river, a 900 space garage, and a massive hangar door that allows aircraft and large installations inside. Over 120 events are already booked through 2030, including several that had previously outgrown the space.
The new hotel is expected to help Savannah compete with cities like Nashville and Austin for weekday business tourism—a quieter side of the tourism industry that fills hotel rooms and brings dollars downtown even when leisure travelers aren’t around.
Some locals have voiced concerns about the hotel’s appearance and impact, but officials say the project is essential for continuing the city’s growth on Hutchinson Island. For better or worse, Savannah’s skyline is changing, and this hotel will likely be part of the picture.
