Prepare Your Taste Buds: Luxury Chain Partners With Award-Winning Chef for New Hotel

Hilton has announced a major culinary partnership for the upcoming Signia Hilton Savannah, naming Grey Spaces, the hospitality company founded by James Beard Award-winning Chef Mashama Bailey and restaurateur Johno Morisano, to lead the food and beverage vision for the highly anticipated hotel opening in 2028.

Johno Morisano and Chef Mashama Bailey. Photo: © 2026 Hilton (Kelly Anthony-Koffi and Semaine)

The 444-room hotel will serve as the headquarters property for the Savannah Convention Center and is expected to become one of the city's premier hospitality destinations.

Grey Spaces, best known for the acclaimed The Grey restaurant in Savannah, will oversee the hotel's culinary concepts, menus, wine program, and overall dining strategy across the lobby bar, all-day restaurant, and rooftop venue overlooking Savannah's skyline and waterfront.

Signia Hilton Savannah. Photo: © 2026 Hilton / Savannah Convention Center

Chef Bailey said the goal is to create a culinary destination deeply connected to Savannah and the Lowcountry.

"At Signia Hilton Savannah, we're excited to create a culinary destination that reflects the spirit of Savannah and the Lowcountry, embraces heritage through food and draws on the global influences that have shaped my journey as a chef," Bailey said.

Photo: © 2026 Hilton / Savannah Convention Center

Rather than replicating existing Grey Spaces concepts, the team says every venue inside the hotel will offer a completely original experience designed to attract both hotel guests and local residents.

Johno Morisano said the project will be guided by Grey Spaces' philosophy of "radical hospitality," creating welcoming spaces where people naturally gather and connect.

Photo: © 2026 Hilton / Savannah Convention Center

Hilton executives described Bailey as one of America's defining culinary voices and said the partnership reflects the company's strategy of collaborating with acclaimed chefs to create destination dining experiences.

Bailey, who co-founded The Grey in a restored 1938 Greyhound bus terminal, has received numerous accolades, including the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast and becoming the first African American woman to win the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2022. In 2026, she was also named to the TIME100 list and received North America's Best Female Chef award from The World's 50 Best Restaurants.

The new Signia Hilton Savannah will feature more than 34,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 13,000-square-foot ballroom, five food and beverage venues, an outdoor pool, and Club Signia lounge. The property is owned by the Savannah-Georgia Convention Center Authority, developed with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, and will be managed by Hilton.

Hilton said the collaboration continues its broader strategy of partnering with renowned culinary talent across its luxury portfolio, joining chefs including Michael Anthony, Michael Mina, José Andrés, and acclaimed beverage experts Ariel Arce and Jeff Bell.