Signia Hilton Savannah Tops Out: Songy Highroads, SGCCA Advance $398M, 444-Room Convention Hotel

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Savannah-Georgia Convention Center Authority, Hilton, general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, Songy Highroads, elected officials and community partners marked the topping out of the 444-room Signia Hilton Savannah, a $398 million convention headquarters hotel under construction on Hutchinson Island, with a ceremony that placed the building's highest structural beam. The hotel is scheduled to open in 2028.

Hilton announced the milestone in a press release. The nearly 200-foot-tall tower will connect directly to the Savannah Convention Center, across the Savannah River from the city's Historic District.

Ownership and Development Team Behind Signia Hilton Savannah

The Savannah-Georgia Convention Center Authority (SGCCA) owns the hotel. The project is being developed in partnership with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, with Songy Highroads and Matthews Southwest Hospitality serving as co-developers. Hilton will manage the property under its Signia Hilton brand.

The SGCCA secured $398 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance construction, which indicates the hotel is being advanced as a public convention and economic-development investment rather than a conventional privately funded development. Based on the $398 million project cost and 444 rooms, the implied development cost is about $896,000 per key. That figure is a development-cost metric, not a sale price or valuation.

David Songy, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Songy Highroads, participated in the ceremonial beam signing alongside Kelvin Moore, general manager and senior vice president of the Savannah Convention Center; Mark Smith, board chairman of the SGCCA; Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson II; Chester A. Ellis, chairman of the Chatham County Commission; Rep. Ron Stephens of Georgia's 164th House District; John Parkinson, area vice president of operations at Hilton; and Joseph Marinelli, president and CEO of Visit Savannah.

Construction Progress and Hotel Features

More than 1,200 individual workers have contributed to the project, with more than 300 on site daily. Crews have poured more than 27,000 cubic yards of concrete, installed 2,700 tons of reinforcing steel and 194 tons of post-tension cable, and completed 1,135 auger piles totaling more than 81,000 linear feet of deep foundations to support the tower.

The hotel will include more than 34,000 square feet of meeting and event space, among them a 13,000-square-foot ballroom, five food and beverage venues, Club Signia and an outdoor pool. The culinary program is being developed with Savannah-based hospitality company Grey Spaces, led by Chef Mashama Bailey and restaurateur Johno Morisano.

Executive Comments on the Savannah Convention Center Headquarters Hotel

"This milestone represents much more than the progress of a hotel," said Kelvin Moore. "The expansion of the Savannah Convention Center gave us the capacity to compete at a new level, and Signia Hilton Savannah represents the next critical step in that evolution by creating a more integrated convention campus and delivering an experience our customers have told us they need."

John Fulford, vice president and division manager at Brasfield & Gorrie, said the hotel is "a critical component that will let the Savannah Convention Center compete for the larger, longer-stay conventions, bringing more visitors, more jobs, and more business to the entire riverfront."

Danny Hughes, president, Americas, at Hilton, said the topping out reflects the company's "confidence in the city as a premier destination for all types of travelers" and that Hilton is proud to partner with the SGCCA and its development partners on the project.

Why a Headquarters Hotel Now: Convention Center Expansion and Market Demand

The hotel follows a $276 million expansion of the Savannah Convention Center completed in February 2025, which roughly doubled the facility from about 330,000 square feet to about 660,000 square feet. The larger venue increased Savannah's capacity to pursue citywide events and heightened the need for a large hotel directly connected to the facility.

Savannah's lodging market is a factor in the project. Downtown hotels regularly report occupancy above 90%, compared with national hotel occupancy of approximately 65%. A headquarters hotel can capture convention-related room nights that might otherwise be spread across multiple properties, which can make it easier for event organizers to book larger and longer-stay programs. The 444-room inventory is large enough to anchor major events while still relying on overflow demand from other Savannah hotels.

Hilton's Signia Platform and Development Pipeline

Signia Hilton Savannah will be the second Signia Hilton hotel in Georgia. The brand's portfolio includes properties in Hollywood, Fla.; San Antonio, Texas; Atlanta; and Amman, Jordan, and the forthcoming Signia Hilton Indianapolis.

Hilton is pursuing asset-light expansion. In the second quarter of 2026, the company approved approximately 42,900 rooms, opened more than 24,000 rooms and increased its development pipeline to 541,300 rooms, up 6% from a year earlier. Hilton reported second-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $1.05 billion, up 5% year over year, and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $2.29, up 4%. Because the SGCCA owns the Savannah property, Hilton adds a large convention-oriented hotel without owning the real estate.

Outlook

With the structure now topped out, the project proceeds toward its anticipated 2028 opening. Savannah expanded its convention infrastructure first and is now adding the lodging anchor intended to support larger conventions, meetings and events on a more integrated campus.

Sources

Hilton, "Signia Hilton Savannah Reaches Major Construction Milestone with Topping Out Ceremony": https://stories.hilton.com/releases/signia-hilton-savannah-reaches-major-construction-milestone