Gypsum Hotel Partners Breaks Ground on 140-Room Hilton at Lindbergh Drive

The wind off the Eagle River cuts through the valley floor, carrying the distinct, metallic scent of jet fuel from the tarmac at Eagle County Regional Airport. Just a few minutes away, the asphalt of Lindbergh Drive stretches out, lined with the kind of commercial sprawl that defines the Airport Gateway Business Center. It’s a landscape of transit and transition, where business travelers swap their ski boots for briefcases and vice versa.

Into this specific slice of Gypsum, Gypsum Hotel Partners is pouring concrete.

The project is a dual-brand Hilton property, set to house both a Hampton Inn & Suites and a Home2 Suites by Hilton. Construction is slated for completion in early 2028, a timeline that places the opening squarely in the thick of the next ski season. The 140-room hotel will sit at 135 Lindbergh Drive, a location that offers more than just convenience; it offers proximity to the very activities that drive the local economy.

“We are thrilled to announce one of the first new hotels down valley in more than 25 years,” said Chris Manley, the hospitality industry veteran leading the development. “The immediate proximity to I-70, the Eagle River and the Eagle County Regional Airport will provide guests with adjacent access to the hiking, biking, fishing, golfing and hunting that makes down valley such a popular destination.”

Manley, formerly of Stonebridge Companies, is partnering with local developer Bryan Desmond, who has been shaping Eagle County’s real estate landscape for nearly 25 years. They aren’t working alone; ArrowMark Partners is providing the capital, having invested over $4 billion in debt and equity since 2019. The financing comes from FirstBank, now part of PNC.

The math here isn’t just about building another place to sleep. It’s about splitting the difference between the transient business traveler and the extended-stay visitor. The Hampton Inn & Suites will offer 62 rooms, including 22 king suites with expanded living areas. The Home2 Suites will take up the other 78 rooms, all equipped with fully developed kitchens to accommodate stays ranging from seven days to over a month.

That kitchen amenity is a deliberate choice for the modern traveler who needs to work remotely or care for family while away from home. It’s a shift from the traditional hotel model, one that acknowledges that a week-long golf trip or a month-long remote work stint looks different than a two-night conference stop.

The property will also feature two meeting rooms totaling approximately 1,100 square feet, an outdoor deck with firepits offering Rocky Mountain views, and a two-story lobby serving local beer and wine on tap. It’s a design that tries to bridge the gap between corporate efficiency and Western Slope leisure.

Manley sees this as a significant expansion of Hilton’s footprint in the Vail Valley.

“This is a significant expansion of Hilton’s presence in the Vail Valley, and we are excited to solidify our partnership with the best-in-class hospitality leader,” Manley said.

For locals, the question is often what this means for the immediate area. The hotel is situated in the Airport Gateway Business Center, an area already defined by its utility. It’s not a destination in itself, but a hub. The 140 rooms represent a modest addition to the valley’s hospitality inventory, but the dual-brand strategy suggests a focus on capturing both the leisure crowd and the business crowd without cannibalizing existing inventory.

The project is being operated by Crestline Hotels and Resorts, a move that places it under the management of a firm with national reach but local operational focus. When the doors open in 2028, guests will step out of their cars onto Lindbergh Drive, walk into a lobby with local beer on tap, and find themselves minutes from the airport and the start of I-70.

It’s a development built on the promise of accessibility and the reality of the valley’s enduring appeal. As Manley put it, the goal is to capture the traffic that already exists and give it a place to rest that feels less like a chain and more like part of the landscape.

“We are excited to solidify our partnership with the best-in-class hospitality leader,” Manley said, signaling that the brand is betting big on the valley’s continued growth.