Some say the name Milwaukee comes from the Potawatomi or Ojibwe language, and means “gathering place,” while others trace the meaning to “good land.” Milwaukee is both. The city, along with its surrounding area, is the spot for groups looking for big-city amenities and entertainment at small-town, family-friendly prices and conveniences.
A gathering place it is. Milwaukee continues to invest in redevelopment making it more accessible and offering more hotel rooms and meeting spaces, all the while maintaining its roots with revitalized historic buildings downtown. With its lakefront location, the city offers many opportunities for outdoor activities like kayaking on Lake Michigan, hiking the Lakefront Trail, biking on the over 100-mile Oak Leaf Trail or just relaxing at Bradford Beach.
On the Rise
Milwaukee is experiencing a surge of growth, with $2 billion currently invested into projects throughout the city. Major developments in the works that will change the cityscape are a new sports and entertainment complex, the Milwaukee Streetcar and the 32-story Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons. In addition, two new hotels, a Kimpton and SpringHill Suites, are on schedule to open in 2016, and the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee recently unveiled its new rooftop event space.
“Excitement is building for 2016 as the new Kimpton and SpringHill Suites add to downtown hotel offerings and work begins on large-scale civic projects,” says Paul Upchurch, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee.
The new multipurpose arena and sports and entertainment district is a $500 million project and will be the new gathering place of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, but also a space for an array of events year-round. The live entertainment block will serve as the forecourt of the arena and a space for the community.
“We’re not just trying to build a new home for the Milwaukee Bucks, but create a 365-day attraction that will help revitalize downtown Milwaukee,” says Peter Feigin, president of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Expected for completion in 2017, the complex will be a few blocks from the Wisconsin Convention Center.
The development of the Milwaukee Streetcar is also under way. Construction is expected to start in spring 2016. The new streetcar system is expected to begin connecting 80,000 downtown workers, 25,000 downtown residents, as well as millions of annual visitors in 2018. The first phase, a 2.5-mile route, will link the Milwaukee Intermodal Station with hotels, businesses and attractions downtown, in the Historic Third Ward, Lakefront and Lower East Side neighborhoods. The Third Ward was originally an industrial and warehouse district in the 1800s and is now the hub of the city’s culinary, arts and fashion scene.
“Milwaukee’s reputation as a sought-after meetings destination continues to grow with these investments for the future,” Upchurch says.
New Downtown Hotels
Scheduled to open in 2016 in the Historic Third Ward is a 158-room Kimpton hotel. The eight-story property will have a chef-driven restaurant on the ground floor and a rooftop bar and meeting space.
Another hotel debuting in 2016 is the SpringHill Suites Milwaukee. The property is located in the 97-year-old, fully renovated Commerce Building and will have 150 guest rooms. The new hotel will offer nearly 2,000 square feet of meeting space over two rooms and can accommodate up to 200 people. The SpringHill Suites will be located across from the Wisconsin Center and connected via a sky bridge. The Wisconsin Center has 188,696 square feet of exhibit space and a 37,506-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate 3,150 seated.
The 481-room Hyatt Regency Milwaukee opened its new rooftop event space, VUE, last October. The renovated space on the 21st floor, which was home to Polaris restaurant for 30 years until it closed in 2009, offers circular views of the city. The venue features a total of 4,000 square feet of space that is divided into two—VUE East and VUE West.
According to Hyatt Regency Milwaukee Marketing Manager Margarita Klikizos, the spaces can be rented together, with the smaller—VUE East—used as a prefunction area, or each room can be used on its own. The property, which is also connected to the Wisconsin Center by enclosed walkways, has over 33,000 square feet of meeting space overall, including 23 meeting rooms and the 9,900-square-foot Regency Ballroom.
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The 19-story hotel at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, located in the renewed Menomonee Valley neighborhood, opened in 2014. While the casino and event center have been open since 1991, the new hotel has 381 guest rooms and 12,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The largest of the seven new meeting spaces at the hotel, the Serenity room, measures 2,787 square feet and can accommodate up to 300 for a reception.
In addition to the hotel, the Event Center—one of the largest venues in Milwaukee—is connected by a skywalk to both the hotel and the parking structure. The center features over 32,000 square feet of space and can accommodate all kinds of events, from tradeshows and receptions to seminars and galas, with a capacity of 2,500 reception-style or 1,200 seated. The property also offers the 8,600-square-foot Woodland Dreams Ballroom.
Foodie City
It is hard to find a chain restaurant in downtown Milwaukee, where the restaurant scene is flourishing with creative independent spots, including several James Beard-recognized establishments.
Chefs are taking their own spin on the local flavor, including at Braise Restaurant and Culinary School. Lead by Chef/Owner David Swanson, this restaurant takes the farm-to-table movement seriously—and literally. Aside from a rooftop garden, the restaurant’s mission is to reconnect people with their food through helping the community become aware of the source of their foods and understand the importance of the relationship between local farm and restaurant.
There are classes for all levels of cooking, and Braise also offers private, hands-on classes for groups, with popular themes being Mexican street food, homemade pasta-making and cooking with seasonal ingredients. The restaurant also features private space for 40 on its second floor, or on its rooftop, with space for 90.
The Milwaukee Public Market is a culinary destination in the Historic Third Ward neighborhood. The market’s independent merchants offer a diverse selection of ethnic and artisan products, and on the second level of the market, the Palm Garden can be rented for private use. The space has a kitchen area that groups can use for teambuilding programs, such as cooking classes or demonstrations.
Marcus Hotels and Resorts, which owns and operates The Pfister Hotel, the InterContinental Milwaukee and the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, started the Straight to Your Plate program in which Marcus Restaurant Group’s chefs partner with local purveyors to identify unique ingredients to be featured across its properties each month. This initiative was developed to showcase local Wisconsin purveyors and vendors.
“Straight to Your Plate creates a unique and memorable dining experience for our guests,” says Edward Carrella, corporate director of restaurants for Marcus Hotels & Resorts. “The program lets us share the story behind the food we’re serving and adds local interest. Creating exposure for these vendors and introducing visitors to the local people, traditions and food ultimately results in a richer guest experience.”
The Pfister Hotel has a new program for groups, the Pfister #foodart Experience, designed for teambuilding or corporate retreats. Lead by Executive Chef Brian Frakes, this program combines food styling and gourmet dining with social media. The interactive experience begins with the chef demonstrating plating techniques using a variety of ingredients and providing food-styling tips, then participants prepare their own plate of food art. Once complete, a professional photographer takes photos of each dish and the photos are e-mailed out for posting on social media.
Kil@wat, the InterContinental Milwaukee’s on-site restaurant, offers a new dining concept, Table75, which uses only ingredients sourced within 75 miles of Milwaukee. The property’s executive chef, Aaron Miles, can accommodate a meal for two or a group of 25 and can work with diners on choosing the ingredients and curating the meal, whether a three-course dinner or 15 small plates.
Outlying Areas
Brookfield, located less than 15 miles from Milwaukee’s city center, is home to 13 hotels that can accommodate up to 800 guests. Small to mid-size groups that want a suburban experience will find the city an ideal alternative to downtown Milwaukee. Brookfield has over 250 retail stores, golf, theater and parks, making it a family-friendly destination, and is a few minutes from Miller Park, the Milwaukee County Zoo and many other Milwaukee-area attractions.
The Waukesha and Pewaukee area is another option for groups looking outside Milwaukee. Just 20 minutes from downtown, the cities offer 100,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,000 guest rooms. The Waukesha County Expo Center features 40,000 square feet of indoor meeting space designed for exhibits, banquets, stage shows and larger events, while the smaller meeting rooms can be used for breakouts, planning sessions or small meetings. There is also a horse complex and an outdoor main stage on the 135-acre grounds.
