INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) Board has approved plans for a brand-new hotel to connect directly to Indianapolis International Airport (IND).

With a budget of $205.85 million, the Marriott Westin brand hotel will feature 253 rooms connected to the west side of the IND Terminal Parking Garage. Amenities will include a full-service restaurant, a rooftop bar with views of the airfield, a fitness center, and meeting space for business travelers.

Indianapolis International Airport

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

Indianapolis International Airport

According to IAA, the project has been in the works since the early 2000s, but it has received renewed focus over the past four years due to record passenger traffic and the need for convenient lodging for flyers.

Indianapolis International Airport

“The IAA Staff Hotel Project Committee developed the project funding strategy with input and projections of the hotel’s finances from a national hospitality advisory firm, project budget cost that provides a higher than normal level of project cost certainty and an optimized debt financing structure,” said Robert Thomson, IAA board treasurer and senior director of finance.

Indianapolis International Airport

Funding will come from airport revenue bonds, Marriott investments, and airport equity. Thomson assures no taxpayer dollars will be used.

Construction is expected to create around 3,500 jobs and stimulate the local economy. A groundbreaking ceremony is set for this spring, with the hotel slated to open its doors by December 2027.