Family friendly Hotels in Milwaukee

During my recent stay at Journeyman, I was thoroughly impressed with the overall service, but I have to give special recognition to Jared, the valet. From the moment I arrived, Jared went above and beyond to make sure everything was seamless. Not only was he incredibly polite and welcoming, but he also handled my car with great care and efficiency, making sure it was always ready when I needed it. Each time I interacted with Jared, he was friendly and attentive, offering help with luggage and even providing great local recommendations. His attention to detail and genuine willingness to assist guests stood out as a highlight of my stay. Jared truly represents the kind of service that elevates a hotel experience, and I hope Journeyman recognizes the asset they have in him. If you're staying here, rest assured that you'll be in good hands.

What am amazing hotel. From the moment we walked into the gorgeous lobby, I said WOW. The staff greet you at the front, in the lobby and again at the desk. I was given the choice of the older more historic area or the tower. I chose the tower because I prefer a more modern room. The room was larger and nicer than I expected. And the view toward the lake is spectacular. I had lunch at the cafe, met with friends at the lobby bar, and a fantastic dinner at the upscale restaurant. We felt well taken care of at the conference. The set-up worked well. I so appreciate a conference where it’s easy to return to your room during sessions. I’ve stayed at more expensive hotels that weren’t as nice. Glad I added on a few extra days to enjoy Milwaukee, including being able to walk to the lake, the river walk, and many other fun sites and restaurants.

The Courtyard is in a great location right in the heart of Downtown. It's physically connected to the 3rd St Market which has lots of trendy fast dining options. Close by there are shops, bars, restaurants and the river. The excellent Third Ward area with all its food options and the Public Market is a few minutes walk. The room was modern with a great desk and TV set up, big armchair and a comfortable spacious bed. There were lots of plug sockets everywhere so it was easy to charge. I had a very comfy, restful stay in the heart of Milwaukee for a good price. I got the train from Milwaukee Intermodal station after my stay and that was just five mins walk away.

We went there for the Wild Subaru kite festival in Milwauree and we were lodging at this hotel. Very nice room and super comfortable huge bed. A small bar and restaurant. A nice inside pool. Wide parking. The hotel is nearby the airport, of cource, but also several restaurants around. Unlike many hotels that use covid as an excuse not to provide service (and rase prices), this hotel offers daily room cleaning.

I’m on the fence about this review. When I checked in, the staff was friendly but didn’t explain anything, didn’t mention breakfast or any amenities, just checked me in. I had to ask what room I was in.. She didn’t tell me the cost just asked for my credit card, it wasn’t until my card company texted me about the charge did I realize I was charged more than what I booked the room for. I checked my reservation and I was charged $25 more. When I went back to ask another clerk, she explained there’s a $25 incidental charge that will drop off after check out. Oh ok, no big deal but the first gal didn’t mention it at all. When I booked the room, under special requests, I asked for a quiet room as we are traveling with a 9 month old, I’m in the room directly connected to the pool area, not exactly the quietist room, especially since I reserved the room weeks ago. Also, the room is very bright from the parking lot lights, even with both the shades drawn, I’m hoping the baby isn’t up all night because I can clearly see all the way across the room and it’s 10pm. The last thing is when the air conditioner turns on it blows directly onto the bed. Like I said, I am on the fence. I have no complaints about the condition or cleanliness of the hotel, seems very nice, and the staff gave a great recommendation for dinner. There are just a few small things that when added together could make for a rough night.

As far as hotels go… a unique concept. Some positives, some negatives, of which one – hotel management’s inadequate response to a significant problem – caused me and my wife to checkout after two nights of what was supposed to be a four-night stay. Our room was a junior suite on the top floor and was good-sized and had nice furnishings. We thought the food and service in the restaurants and bar were good (thumbs-up to Kate), the valets and bell staff hustled, and there is interesting artwork on some of the floors. All good things. On the downside: A few days prior to check-in we received an email offering us an early check-in for an extra $25. Not needing early check-in, we arrived at the posted 3pm check-in time. Our room wasn’t ready for another 35-40 minutes. Certainly a mixed message. The front desk staff are definitely hit-or-miss in terms of friendliness. There was no fan in the bathroom to help manage steam from the shower. The bathroom window is opaque but has no shade. As a result, at night, light from the highway adjacent to the hotel comes into the bathroom and continues into the sleeping area through the opaque glass shower wall. While the glass shower wall is opaque, it makes the shower far from private. Not a problem for us, but others might disagree. Also, the freight trains that run on the double tracks immediately adjacent to the hotel are noisy. I don’t want to have to wear a mask and earplugs to get a good night’s sleep in what is supposed to be a luxury hotel. Why the horrible rating and not just a mediocre one? Shortly after 8:00pm on our second night we smelled smoke in our sixth-floor room. Because the smell grew worse, at 8:45 I called the front desk. The person I spoke with explained that on nights when there is no breeze, smoke from the restaurant's “hearth” will drift up the side of the building and into the room. They had a ready explanation. In other words, they knew the smoke could be a problem but have done nothing about it. At 10:30pm I called again and asked to speak to the manager on duty. Unfortunately, the only manager in the building works in food and beverage and isn't that well versed in other aspects of managing the hotel. Regardless, I asked her to come to the room so she could establish for herself that I wasn't exaggerating about the eye-stinging, headache-causing smoky air. She and the restaurant's banquet manager did come upstairs and did acknowledge that the smoke was a problem. For a number of reasons - some the hotel’s, some ours - changing rooms at that hour wasn't a viable option. We were assured by the manager we were speaking with that she would write a detailed email for the hotel manager coming in the next day and that that manager would call us “first the in the morning.” I’m writing this review four mornings later. We are still waiting for that call.

The hotel facilities were very good, but the convention services were very bad. The size of the room was adequate for the 2 queen beds, desk, easy chair, ottoman, microwave and refrigerator. There was even space to set up the ironing board. The bathroom in the mobility accessible room was well equipped. The indoor pool area was beautiful, but the pool lifts were not working. The poolside rooms were disturbed late at night because the desk staff would not enforce the curfew. The breakfast buffet included hot food. The check-in for our group was confused and some of our guests did not get the type of rooms specified in the contract. The ballroom was well furnished, but the AC for half the room wasn’t working. The food and beverages served were not as agreed upon months in advance. Our guests complimented the food that was served. We were not charged for what we did not receive. Apparently, staff turnovers resulted in poor communication even after a year of regular contacts.