ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 17, 2025--
Travel + Leisure Co. (NYSE:TNL), a leading leisure travel company, today announced plans for a new location for the Sports Illustrated Resorts brand in Nashville, Tennessee. As one of the country’s most sought-after sports and entertainment destinations, Nashville offers an ideal setting for a resort that immerses travelers in the spirit of sports, music, and community.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250717915027/en/
Nashville is home to iconic professional football and hockey teams, and competitive college conferences. From Sunday game days to playoffs and college rivalries, the city delivers a nonstop calendar of athletic excitement.
“Nashville is a city where the thrill of game day and the energy of live entertainment go hand in hand,” said Geoff Richards, chief operating officer at Travel + Leisure Co. “With this new resort, sports enthusiasts can enjoy that same excitement at a resort built specifically for them, offering a place where game day culture meets iconic sports storytelling.”
Set to welcome its first owners and guests in Spring 2026, the resort will be located on Music Row in the heart of Midtown, just one mile from downtown Nashville and The Gulch. The planned Nashville resort will operate as a vacation ownership property, offering a selection of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom suites. Each suite will feature a full kitchen and in-unit laundry, providing comfort and convenience for those looking to unwind after a day of sports and city exploration.
Amenities will include a resort-style outdoor pool, a quick-service dining venue, an exclusive lounge for owners, and a signature fitness center. Rooted in the legacy of nearly 70 years of Sports Illustrated storytelling, the resort will reflect the brand’s celebration of athletic achievement, competitive spirit, and fan connection while embracing what makes Nashville a destination unlike any other.
The addition of the Nashville location reinforces Travel + Leisure Co.’s multi-brand strategy to expand its portfolio into new vacation experiences tailored for today’s travelers. It also supports the vision of Sports Illustrated Resorts to bring fans closer to the action—whether following their favorite teams on the road or returning to the places that hold game-day memories.
Building on its previously announced resort in Tuscaloosa, set to break ground in Spring 2026, this marks the latest addition to the Sports Illustrated Resorts portfolio, expanding the brand’s presence into one of the nation’s premier sports and entertainment destinations.
Designed for sports fans who want to travel alongside their teams or return to their favorite game day destinations, Sports Illustrated Resorts plans to offer flexible, points-based ownership across a growing collection of iconic locations.
To learn more about Sports Illustrated Resorts, visit https://www.sportsillustratedresorts.com/.
Follow Sports Illustrated Resorts on Instagram.
About Travel + Leisure Co.
Travel + Leisure Co. (NYSE:TNL) is a leading leisure travel company, providing more than six million vacations to travelers around the world every year. The company operates a portfolio of vacation ownership, travel club, and lifestyle travel brands designed to meet the needs of the modern leisure traveler, whether they’re traversing the globe or staying a little closer to home. With hospitality and responsible tourism at its heart, the company’s nearly 19,000 dedicated associates around the globe help the company achieve its mission to put the world on vacation. Learn more at travelandleisureco.com.
About Sports Illustrated
For 70 years, Sports Illustrated (SI) has been recognized for shaping modern culture at the intersection of sports, lifestyle, and entertainment. SI is a 360-degree platform that unites athletes, teams and fans worldwide through quality content, innovative digital experiences, unforgettable events, and original products. Its award-winning media arm brings powerful storytelling to life through probing profiles and up-to-date news on SI.com, across social media platforms, and through its renowned print magazine whose cover is widely regarded as the most coveted space in sports media. The most trusted name in sports transcends media through SI Tickets, a fan-first ticketing platform, Sports Illustrated Resorts, the ultimate destination for active lifestyles & sports enthusiasts, SI Studios, the brand’s home for film, TV, and long form podcasts, and more. SI brings its unique perspective to marquee events and captivating brand activations including “SI The Party”, Club SI, the Sportsperson of the Year Awards, SI Swimsuit Launch Weekend, and the SI Circuit Series.
For more information, visit SI.com.
Follow Sports Illustrated on X, Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook.
Travel + Leisure Co. Announces New Sports Illustrated Resorts Location in Nashville. Pictured here is a rendering of the resort's exterior.
Travel + Leisure Co. Announces New Sports Illustrated Resorts Location in Nashville. Pictured here is a rendering of the resort's lobby.
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court began hearing arguments Monday about the sentencing of democracy advocate and onetime-media magnate Jimmy Lai and his co-defendants, whose convictions under a national security law could land them in prison for life.
Lai, 78, is the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper and an outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party. He was arrested in 2020 under the law imposed by Beijing following massive anti-government protests that rocked Hong Kong the year before.
In December, he was found guilty of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces and conspiracy to publish seditious articles.
His conviction raised concerns about the curtailing of press freedom in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
His case could also be a test for Beijing's diplomatic ties. The verdict drew criticism from foreign governments, including the U.S. and Britain. After the verdict, U.S. President Donald Trump, who had raised Lai’s case with China, said he felt “so badly.”
Lai, alongside other co-defendants involved in the case, appeared in court for the four-day mitigation hearings. The maximum penalty for their convictions is life imprisonment. Sentencing will come later.
The court Monday morning heard arguments concerning two activists’ sentences. Lawyers representing them suggested the starting points of their clients’ sentences should be 10 years and 10 to 15 years respectively, but they should receive reductions in part due to their assistance in the case.
Lai’s lawyer Robert Pang will deliver his arguments in the afternoon.
When Lai entered the courtroom, he pressed his palms together, an apparent gesture to express gratitude, and smiled at those sitting in the gallery. The media tycoon appeared to be in good spirits and greeted a convicted Apple Daily editor who was also sitting in the dock.
In August, his lawyers told the court that he suffered from heart palpitations. Hong Kong’s government said no abnormalities were found in a subsequent medical exam.
Prosecutor Anthony Chau said Lai’s health was stable. Chau said Lai had lost just 0.8 kg (about 1.8 pounds) over five years of detention, weighing 79.2 kg (about 175 pounds) when it was last measured this month. Lai is still considered obese as an Asian adult, Chau said. The obesity comment drew chuckling from some members sitting in the public gallery, and Lai also smiled in the dock.
Before sunrise, dozens of people had already lined up outside the court building to secure a seat in the public gallery. Retiree Simon Ng, a former Apple Daily reader, said he arrived and waited in line since Friday morning, hoping to see Lai.
“I want to let him know that he’s not alone," Ng said. “Many people support him."
Lai was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security, in addition to one count of conspiracy to distribute seditious publications. Lai pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A conviction on the collusion charge under the security law results in a sentence ranging from three years in jail to life, depending on the offense’s nature and his role in it. The sedition charge under a separate, colonial-era law carries a maximum of two years’ imprisonment.
Three government-vetted judges wrote in their December verdict that Lai spearheaded the conspiracies and took issue with what they called his “constant invitation” to the United States to bring down the Chinese government with the excuse of helping Hong Kongers.
Lai’s lawyers admitted during the trial that he had called for foreign sanctions before the national security law took effect, but insisted he dropped these calls to comply with the law. They also argued on freedom of expression grounds.
But the judges said that Lai had never wavered in his intention to destabilize the ruling Chinese Communist Party. After the enactment of the law, he intended to continue, though less explicitly, they said. They emphasized that Lai was not on trial for his political views.
Beijing has opposed what it called the smearing of Hong Kong's judiciary “by certain countries,” saying the judicial authorities perform duties according to the law.
Six ex-Apple Daily senior executives and two activists involved in Lai's case had entered guilty pleas, admitting that they had conspired with Lai and others to request foreign forces to impose sanctions, blockades or engage in other hostile activities.
The executives were publisher Cheung Kim-hung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, editor-in-chief Ryan Law, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung and editorial writers Fung Wai-kong and Yeung Ching-kee. Some of them, alongside the two activists Andy Li and Chan Tsz-wah, served as prosecution witnesses during the 156-day trial.
A guilty plea usually can lead to a sentence reduction. Under the security law, a reduced penalty may be granted to those who report on the offense committed by others.
Chan Pui man's husband, Chung Pui-kuen, a former top editor of Stand News who had been sentenced to 21 months in jail in a separate sedition case, was among those sitting in the public gallery.
After the verdict, Lai's daughter, Claire, said Lai would devote himself to God and his family rather than political activism if he were released.
Trump said after the verdict that he spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Lai and “asked to consider his release." British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said his government has made it a priority to secure the release of Lai, a British citizen.
People line up behind the barricades to attend the hearing about the upcoming sentence for pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
Correctional Services Department vehicles arrive at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, ahead of a hearing to hear arguments about the sentencing of democracy advocate and onetime media magnate Jimmy Lai, in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
Members of foreign councils arrive at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts to attend a hearing to hear arguments about the sentencing of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
Robert Pang, center, lawyer for pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai arrives to the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, ahead of a hearing to hear arguments about the sentencing of Lai, in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
Teresa Lai, wife of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai arrives to the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts to attend a hearing to hear arguments about the sentencing of Jimmy Lai, in Hong Kong, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
FILE- Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court in Hong Kong, Dec. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
