On a trip to Milwaukee earlier this summer, I stayed at the stately Hilton Milwaukee City Center hotel for an evening. Located toward the west side of the downtown area (see map), the Hilton Milwaukee City Center is just across the street from the Midwest Airlines Center, which hosts a number of trade shows and conventions each year.
It's also walking distance to the Bradley Center - home of the Milwaukee Bucks; and to the U.S. Cellular Arena, where the Marquette Golden Eagles play their basketball games. And it's also a short walk to the Shops of Grand Avenue, and located close to the great restaurants and bars in the Old World - 3rd Street area. (For a full map of the downtown Milwaukee area, click here.)
The hotel was built in the late 1920's by Walter Schroeder, a hotelier and insurance executive who sought to make his namesake hotel the most exquisite of its kind in not only Milwaukee, but in the Midwest. At the time, it was the tallest building in Milwaukee rising up 265 feet and offer 811 rooms.
The hotel was bought and renovated in the early 70's by the Marcus Hotels and Resorts corporation, which also owns the elegant Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, as well as resort hotels in the Lake Geneva area. The Marcus Amphitheater on the Summerfest grounds was built with a hefty donation from the Marcus corporation.
Each room was enlarged, bringing the hotel up to date with then-modern conveniences. The enlarging of the rooms brought the room count down to 500 rooms. It became a Hilton property in the mid-90's and the Marcus' added 250 new rooms when the convention facility was built across the street. Conventioneers can walk across the connecting skywalk to the Midwest Airlines Center without having to brave the elements in the cold Milwaukee winter.
The other big draw with the Hilton Milwaukee City Center is the Paradise Landing indoor water park - the first urban water park of its kind in the U.S. This 20,000 square foot facility was built just a few years ago and is one of the hottest weekend family destinations in the Midwest. It's based on a Jamaican-theme with four pretty good sized water slides.
I parked my car in the adjacent parking ramp just to the south of the hotel. Parking is a little steep for my taste - $20 bucks a night. But because the Hilton Milwaukee City Center is so centrally located, you may find that you won't have to drive your car once you're there.
The hotel lobby is very classy, and refurbished in a 20's style with a lot of dark colors and stately furnishings. It's almost like walking into the past when you come into the lobby.
I got a pretty good deal for the night - $116 for a king bed room in the older part of the hotel. And with it came a great view of downtown Milwaukee and the lake. The room was somewhat large and roomy, but the funny thing was that it had no closet in which to hang clothes. It thought that was sort of weird.
I would have to classify the room as "tired elegance." The bathroom was extremely small and the toilet was the old style without the tank on the back. There was no sufficient counter space in the bathroom on which to place toiletries, but since it was just me, that was OK. Now, if I was with my wife, that may be a big problem.
The Milwaukee Transit System bus line to Summerfest picks you up right on Wisconsin Ave. to the north side of the hotel. For $2.00, it's a round trip to and from your hotel to the Summerfest grounds. It's a great way to go for Summerfest.
If I can continue to get the $116 a night rooms at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, I'll keep staying there on my trips to Milwaukee. And if you're looking for a good place to stay in downtown Milwaukee for a weekend trip for yourself or with the whole family, try the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. I'd go back.
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