Sports Illustrated Resort Headed for Houston Suburb

A coastal town near Galveston will be home to one of the nation’s first Sports Illustrated Resorts.

A joint venture of Sports Illustrated Resorts, Lagoon Development Company and Sports Hospitality Ventures is spearheading the ambitious project in Texas City, next to the 12-acre Crystal Lagoon in Land Tejas’ Lago Mar master-planned community, the Houston Business Journal reported.

At least 200 rooms across six floors are planned for the southeast border of the artificial lagoon. Amenities will include a Stadium Sports Grill restaurant and a public “beach club,” with cabanas, resort services and a swim-up bar. Grand Prairie-based American Resort Management will oversee the hotel’s operations.

“Texas sports, especially Houston sports, are integral to this state, and we are pleased to bring this resort to such a dedicated fan base,” Christopher Schroeder, chairman and CEO of Sports Hospitality Ventures and Sports Illustrated Resorts, told the outlet.

The project is slated for submission to Texas City for permitting later this year, and construction could start in the third quarter. Lagoon Development Company had previously engaged American Resort Management for property management services, leading to the collaboration with Sports Illustrated Resorts.

The 100-acre Lago Mar community will feature condos and a boardwalk with retail and dining options, the outlet said.

The project marks another milestone for Lagoon Development, which has already established Crystal Lagoon attractions in various Texas communities, with plans for additional lagoons in the pipeline. The technology utilized in these lagoons, licensed from Crystal Lagoons US Corporation, promises crystal-clear waters reminiscent of tropical beaches.

Sports Illustrated Resorts is majority owned by a subsidiary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council, which funded it last year with $324 million in seed money to develop multiple resorts, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Sports Illustrated magazine is owned by Authentic, based in New York. The magazine’s publisher, Arena Group, laid off more than 100 employees this month and is heading toward a “streamlined business model.”

—Quinn Donoghue