Hilton is strengthening the culinary ambitions of its forthcoming Signia Hilton Savannah through a major partnership with Grey Spaces, the Savannah-based hospitality company founded by James Beard Award-winning Chef Mashama Bailey and restaurateur Johno Morisano.
Scheduled to debut in 2028, the 444-room riverfront hotel will serve as the headquarters hotel for the Savannah Convention Center. Grey Spaces will shape its food and beverage programme, including restaurant concepts, menus, wine programmes and guest experiences across several venues.
The collaboration positions dining as a central element of the hotel experience rather than simply an additional amenity. It will also connect visitors attending conventions, meetings and leisure trips with Savannah’s distinctive culinary culture.
Hilton’s current hotel listing identifies June 2028 as the planned opening period.
Grey Spaces brings Savannah roots to Hilton
Grey Spaces was created by Bailey and Morisano, the partnership behind acclaimed Savannah restaurant The Grey.
Opened in 2014 inside a restored 1938 Greyhound bus terminal, The Grey helped establish a hospitality philosophy centred on Southern food, cultural storytelling, community and welcoming strangers as friends.
Grey Spaces has since expanded internationally, including L’Arrêt by The Grey in Paris.
For Signia Hilton Savannah, however, the partnership will not simply reproduce existing Grey Spaces restaurants.
Instead, Bailey and Morisano will create concepts specifically for the hotel, allowing each venue to develop its own identity while remaining closely connected to Savannah and the Lowcountry.
Five dining venues expand the guest experience
Signia Hilton Savannah is expected to feature five food and beverage outlets, including an all-day restaurant and other social spaces designed for hotel guests, convention delegates and local residents.
Grey Spaces will influence experiences across venues including the lobby bar, all-day dining restaurant and rooftop destination.
The rooftop component could become particularly important for leisure tourism because the hotel sits on Hutchinson Island along the Savannah River.
The location provides access to the convention district while positioning guests close to Savannah’s historic attractions across the river.
Bailey’s culinary approach is expected to draw upon Southern heritage while recognising the international influences that have shaped both Savannah and her career.
That combination supports Hilton’s wider approach of creating destination-focused dining capable of attracting local customers as well as overnight guests.
Mashama Bailey adds major culinary profile
Bailey has become one of the most recognised figures associated with contemporary Southern cuisine.
Her culinary journey connects her upbringing in New York and Georgia with professional experience in New York and Europe. She later established her reputation in Savannah through The Grey.
Bailey received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2019 and subsequently won Outstanding Chef in 2022.
Her involvement gives Signia Hilton Savannah a strong culinary identity before the hotel even opens.
For tourism, celebrity chef partnerships can transform hotel restaurants into attractions themselves. Travellers increasingly select accommodation based not only on guestrooms and location but also on food, wellness, design and cultural experiences.
Convention tourism drives Savannah hotel development
The hotel is being developed as an important part of Savannah’s expanding meetings and events infrastructure.
Signia Hilton Savannah will connect directly with the Savannah Convention Center and provide more than 34,000 square feet of meeting and event facilities. Plans include a ballroom of approximately 13,000 square feet, alongside Club Signia, an outdoor swimming pool and luxury hospitality amenities.
Hilton’s current property information lists 444 guestrooms and extensive event facilities, reinforcing the hotel’s role in attracting large gatherings to the destination.
The connection between accommodation and convention facilities could make Savannah more competitive for conferences whose organisers require substantial room inventory within immediate reach of meeting venues.
At the same time, culinary programming rooted in Savannah gives delegates a stronger sense of destination without requiring them to leave the convention district.
Hilton strengthens Signia growth strategy
Signia Hilton Savannah will become the second Signia property in Georgia, following Signia by Hilton Atlanta.
Hilton has positioned Signia around sophisticated accommodation, meetings, distinctive dining and elevated guest experiences. The company said in 2025 that the Signia portfolio was expected to double by 2028 as projects progressed across several international markets.
Savannah therefore represents both a local tourism investment and part of a wider global brand expansion.
The hotel is owned by the Savannah-Georgia Convention Center Authority and is being developed in partnership with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, with Hilton managing the property.
Savannah prepares for a new hospitality landmark
When Signia Hilton Savannah opens in 2028, its influence could extend beyond hotel accommodation.
The combination of convention infrastructure, riverfront positioning, luxury hospitality and locally connected dining creates opportunities to attract business travellers while encouraging them to experience Savannah as a leisure destination.
Grey Spaces adds a particularly important local dimension.
Rather than offering visitors an interchangeable luxury hotel dining programme, Hilton is building around people whose hospitality story is closely connected with Savannah.
That approach could help Signia Hilton Savannah become both a headquarters hotel for major events and a culinary destination in its own right, strengthening Savannah’s evolving position within luxury, meetings and experiential tourism.
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