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    Knickerbocker on the Lake

    2.8 (98 reviews)
    ModerateHotels
    Open • Open 24 hours

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    Jasmine G.

    My absolute favorite place to stay for a little break from day to day life. I live in Milwaukee, but staying here makes me feel like I'm on an actual vacation. The rooms are stunning and I always feel safe. I've never heard any loud neighbors or guests, and the lobby alone is always so clean and gorgeous.

    Jay A.

    I don't usually review a place before I've settled in but here we go... In short, I don't like it. It's my fault that I chose a hotel that was not on the preferred list but the hotel I love was full and the others were significantly more than normal. Me being a good financial steward went for the lower cost. I looked online using the travel tool and they had great pictures. The pictures they show are of their suits which looked okay. So I arrive and I'm in a basic room. Damn, this was not what I was expecting. Walking in through the lobby I was like oh this is nice! Then I walk into this Motel 6 level room that is sweltering hot from the ancient furnace being cranked up to hell. It's not going to cool off anytime soon so I figure out how to turn the thing off (I think), crank the window ac unit and open the window. A cold compress and now my core temp is back to normal. Ugh. Do they expect anyone to actually work in this dark dungeon nook for an office space ? And if you turn sideways you can walk through the bathroom which only takes about 1 step from the door to the backside of the tub. Why is the carpet so dirty? Like they haven't shampooed the carpet in 2 years. Ugh. Well now I know. I travel here a lot but this will be the only time I stay at this place. I'd ask for another room but it's probably not reasonable to expect it's better than this if they can't get this one right. At least the lobby is nice. One star for that. There are so many other nice hotels in Milwaukee, give one of those a try because this one my friend is not one of them. Ugh 6 more days. One star. 4 hrs later.... Okay so remember I opened the window and cranked the AC. I decided to go get some dinner at an amazing place (I'll tell you all about that later) while the room cooled down. I return and the place is still hot. I cranked the furnace to off like they told me but that thing just kept on cooking! I returned to a room that is still warm, and I can't sleep with the window wide open. So I call the front desk to figure out how to get the furnace to turn off. The guy says don't worry about it, we will put you in a cooler room that's a little larger. Like that they just made it right, without me even asking. Now I'm in a jr suit (I think )and it's much nicer. Is it the best suit I've ever stayed in nope, but it's what I expected when I booked here. I really like the space and it has plenty of character. I found myself talking about the next time I stay here which reminded me to update this review. +2 stars for the better room, +1 more star for the amazing service. Thank you!

    Cool lobby

    Great location. Quiet neighborhood. Clean room. Fast service. Secure parking. Totally recommend for an affordable, safe, reliable, and cozy place.

    Mari P.

    I stayed here after flying into Milwaukee and although initially the check-in staff was less than helpful, some staff were better and the accommodations were reasonable for the value. Here's my complaint: I had a bad fall and sprained my ankle coming in the back door from the parking lot. After using my hotel key to open the door, I stepped inside and there was a single step down immediately after the threshold. There was NO warning and I went down hard on a cement floor. This was the first day of our trip for a family reunion. The guy who helped us check in was not interested, however when my husband went to file an incident report, the lady who was working the front desk was very helpful. My foot is still swollen and sore but I am hoping to recover without further medical treatment. Here's a picture of the threshold that took me down! They need to make people aware of the step or it's going to happen over and to other people going through that entrance. As you can see they painted the outdoor step yellow, but there was no warning about this step inside. If you're staying here, be careful and let THIS review be your warning!

    The open "coffin" door
    Cher M.

    Stayed in room #620 for the Milwaukee Wine Festival on Aug. 13. Boyfriend wasn't sure about letting me pick the place to stay (I tend to prefer to "wing it" which he thinks is code for "sleep on a park bench" but boy was he ever pleasantly surprised with my choice of the Knickerbocker. First this to know: the Knickerbocker is part hotel, part condos. So you have full-time residents living in this building as well as a steady stream of internet-savvy (It wasn't listen in Kayak, Expedia and the like-- I really had to dig around to find this place) people coming in and out. For some people this is their home, not just their home-away-from-home so the "hotel" vibe wasn't as present as in, say, a Doubletree or a Hilton, and it was a quiet and restful place to stay. It was nice to be in an off-the-beaten-path place that didn't look beaten up. The clerk at the front desk was ridiculous (in a good way) He was good-natured, kind of goofy, but very friendly, and he made it seem like we just MADE HIS DAY by walking into the hotel. I don't know what he was on, but I want some of it. The room was clean, decorated, and very homey. It was like house-sitting for a friend (with really good taste in decorative pillows.) with a kickass flat screen TV and GIANT walk-in closet. Seriously...the closet was as big as the bathroom. You could fit a full-sized bed in there. I was distracted by neat features like the molding (I took pictures, see below) and an old-fashioned dry cleaning passthrough in the door. (which explains the coffin-like doors for those reviewers who don't know how to READ the giant instruction signs inside them), and a kitchenette (complete with a waffle iron, which left me with a 'huh' expression on my face). The only con for me was the bed. It was kind of hard... or maybe just stiff? I'm not sure, but I think it was some version of a tempur-pedic mattress. It did no favors for my back, but after being out of bed for a couple hours, I realized that my back felt better than it had in days. So I'm not sure if I'm a hypochondriac or my back is just falling to pieces. Maybe Yelp can help me find a chiropractor before I return to Milwaukee! Parking was awesomely easy. We arrived around 4 and found a (FREE) parking spot right in front of the building. There's tons of free parking all around the hotel, so I'm not sure what previous reviews were referring to when they complained about parking. Oh, and it was only $99 to stay on a Saturday night! Compared to even the most generic of hotels nearby (Comfort Suites, anyone?) It was the least expensive option by far.

    Creepy looking "The Shining" hall ways.
    Liz C.

    My experience at The Knickerbocker Hotel has to be up there with one of the worse hotel experiences ever. This hotel is basically an old woman with makeup on. She tries very hard to look her best with makeup & jewels but at the end of the day, she's still old & not looking her best. Sorry, it's the truth. When I arrived at glance I thought, cute old hotel. This should be cute. But I was wrong! With people actually living here, they do whatever they want. We had our next door neighbor smoking cigarettes with his door OPEN so the entire floor could enjoy the smoke and smell. The water also went off for an entire day and night with the staff not doing a thing about it or trying to accommodate me to at least make me feel better. Also the rooms get insanely hot because they take out the air conditioners and unless you have a breeze coming in, you're in for some sleepless nights. Speaking of which, the construction outside constantly always serves as a nice wake up call. The room we were initially in had disgusting stained carpets, stained and dusty drapes, and a bed that was lifting up on the foot of it from being laid in so much. I had to see a physical therapist after my back was messed up from just two nights on that bed. We were housed here not of our own choice for 3 weeks so you can imagine the frustration. Don't stay here ever. Find a hotel 30 miles away and drive if you have to. But do not stay here. Easily the worst hotel I have ever stayed at. All we were missing were bed bugs. Which is why I'm giving it a 2 instead of a 1. RUN AWAY!

    Little kitchen in standard room.

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    Excellent front desk service thanks to Jade who gave friendly and personalized attention at check-in.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Knickerbocker on the Lake

    Review Highlights - Knickerbocker on the Lake

    “The room had character because it's a older building, but it wasn't shabby or rundown.”

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    The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel - King room city view

    The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel

    (169 reviews)

    $$$

    Historic Third Ward

    We spent our anniversary weekend in the summer here and booked through the Chase portal as it is an…read moreEdit hotel. It was a great deal as we used the $250 Edit credit and $250 Chase hotels credit as it is an IHG hotel. The rest of the hotel price we used Chase points that we had saved up. The booking includes a $100 credit which we used for valet parking and a $30 per person credit for breakfast which we used for two days. I called in advance to ensure a hypoallergenic room due to my severe allergy to cats since it is a pet friendly hotel. On check in the staff recognized my IHG higher tier status and offered a welcome gift of 600 IHG points or a $10 bar credit - we chose the points. We also told staff we were there to celebrate our anniversary and they kindly gave us two drink coupons which we used one evening at the rooftop bar The Outsider. We loved our room on the 8th floor, we had a south facing view with view of the lake and bridge on the left and buildings of Milwaukee. The bed was comfortable for us - spring mattress but soft. The hotel is nicely decorated but the room was slightly worn down in some places and a bit dusty. Perhaps we were lucky when we went and either didn't have neighbors or had very quiet neighbors but our room was quiet. We didn't even hear anything from the rooftop bar but I believe our room was on a different side than where the bar is - the rooftop bar shows a North facing view. The brunch at Tre Rivali had large portions and all the food we got was delicious - hours were 8am-2pm for brunch. I reserved our brunch tables on OpenTable just to be safe but the inside dining area wasn't busy when we went between 8-9:30am both days - a lot of people ate outside. We used the valet parking which was easy to use via their app and we only called our car when checking out and it only took 5-10 minutes. Overnight valet parking is $48 plus $3.79 parking tax. I checked out in person instead of via the app to ensure the Chase credits were used. The location of the hotel was perfect for what we wanted to do - near the riverwalk, lakefront, and many restaurants. Highly recommend this hotel for a nice weekend getaway!

    Our experience one-night at the Kimpton Journeyman was perfect. We've stayed at a handful of…read moreKimptons around the US (and even one in Paris) so we dig the overall modern-boutique vibe, generally hopping atmosphere, and, of course, the signature complimentary wine hour! We got all of that during our one-night stay. It's perfectly situated in the Historic Third Ward with easy walking access to anywhere you'd want to go in that part of Milwaukee. Our room was nice on a high floor with a decent view of the surrounding buildings. Everyone at wine-hour was friendly and seemed happy to see us. I enjoyed the wine...the snacks part may have been a little less in terms of offerings from what we experienced elsewhere, but halfway through my glass of wine I'm pretty sure I didn't care...it was a pre-dinner situation anyway.) There was always a lot of people and energy in the lobby throughout our stay. They have a very popular roof-top bar which attracts lots of people from outside of the hotel. We loved it here and would definitely stay again!

    DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Milwaukee Downtown - Hotel Exterior

    DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Milwaukee Downtown

    (130 reviews)

    $$

    Westown, Downtown

    Allergy sufferers, note: this is a pet-free hotel. There aren't many of them in Milwaukee. This…read morehotel was very clean. They even put an air purifier in my room, which was highly appreciated. The room was quiet, and the bed was comfortable. Great water pressure in the shower. We ate breakfast at the hotel every day. My friends ate the buffet and liked it. I had made-to-order breakfast. The food was prepared well and in a timely manner. The hotel's location is also very good. It was a manageable walk from the Amtrak train station. The staff at the front desk were Midwest-friendly, professional, and likable. Not a single complaint. This would be my go-to spot whenever I return to Milwaukee.

    3.5 stars Read on for my 'Pros' and 'Cons'…read more.. YOU MAY NOT GET THE ROOM YOU PICKED OUT ON THE APP Be cautious that if you book a room on the app before arriving, they might try to put you in a different (worse/noisier) room when you get there, telling you the 'view' is better. This happened to us and I overheard it happening to someone else checking in. The room they chose to put us in was facing the street and extremely noisy. (Not worth the so called 'view'). After unpacking and getting ready for bed and trying to bear it, we decided to ask to switch rooms (to the room we'd originally booked on the app!) We packed up and moved to a room facing the alley, although it still had *some* street noise, it was much better. I think they try to put you in the 'unsellable' rooms in hopes that you'll stick with it. We still had to wear ear plugs and run the A/C at night to drown out some street noise. You might argue that any downtown hotel would have have street noise, but I don't think this older hotel has very good insulation. Read on for the PROS AND CONS... PROS ~Friendly, accommodating staff, really can't fault them. Kathy in the breakfast room is especially friendly. ~Decent location, walkable to the airport bus stop, Avis, Harley Davidson Museum, River Walk, Pabst Mansion. Most attractions were a 15-20 minute walk. For sights further by the lake (i.e. Milwaukee Art Museum), we took a ride share. It would have been more convenient to be closer to the waterfront, but this is reflected in the price. (Which I thought was still expensive!) ~They gave us some drink vouchers to use in the bar as we were celebrating an occasion. That was a nice touch and we enjoyed the atmosphere in the bar and the friendly bar tender. ~Clean. ~Daily housekeeping service. ~We paid for the breakfast buffet as part of our tariff, which was in a dining room with a buffet all but one day (a Monday) when they had us pick off the menu as there weren't enough people to warrant a buffet. Despite the buffet, waitstaff serve your drinks, so factor tip into the price. Try to get a table with Kathy serving you. ~Standard room amenities like iron/board, safe, decent shower, pump toiletries, large TV, mini fridge. ~Three elevators that always came quickly. CONS ~Noisy, especially if your room faces the main road. A lot of noisy motorbikes, sirens, people blaring music. The hotel can't help this, but it didn't seem like the windows were insulated very well, perhaps due to the fact it's an older hotel that's been renovated. I would not recommend staying here on this factor alone. ~Small bathroom. We like to both be in the bathroom getting ready in the morning -- one shaving while the other is putting on make-up, etc. The bathroom was definitely tight. ~When we checked into the first room they put us in (we later switched rooms), the A/C was soooo cold. We couldn't adjust it, so they sent a technician out to fix it. ~When we switched to a different room, the TV didn't work, so a technician was sent out to fix it the next day. ~Older hotel that's been renovated -- you can tell by the popcorn ceilings. ~No pool. ~Still quite expensive for the location/noisy rooms. ~Breakfast is not completely self serve, so tipping is expected. (They take you to a table, take your drink order and serve your drinks). ~Decor has been updated at some point, but is still a little dated. Helpful?

    Dubbel Dutch

    Dubbel Dutch

    (40 reviews)

    East Town, Downtown

    *This review is for the bar in this beautiful and unique hotel--I already 5 star reviewed my stay…read moreat the hotel!* **add this to your list of places to grab a cocktail when downtown MKE, you won't regret it. This is a hidden gem** Since I'm on the email list from my previous stay I saw that Dubbel Dutch was hosting a fun event featuring a local tarot card reader. While we waited for our reading we posted up at the gorgeous bar and Michael took excellent care of us. He personally hand crafts several syrups which get mixed into very unique cocktails. They are served in glassware that resembles antique crystal and it's truly a hidden gem. They serve food which looked and smelled delicious but we came just for the drinks and the tarot reader! What a special place Dubbel Dutch is.

    I stayed here on my work trip to Milwaukee because I loooove historic hotels, and this one seemed…read moreto have a great location. I walked everywhere downtown during my time here; there are some great restaurants close by and a cool bar inside of the building. This hotel has "invisible service" (which I take to mean as "we don't want to pay actual staff") which I'm not a huge fan of. No lobby, check-in kiosks or humans; you're provided with your room number and a code to access the exterior doors and your room during your stay. I was assigned to room 303 on the top floor, and no elevators/no staff meant having to haul all of my luggage up 3 flights alone. The room itself was spacious and charming. I liked all of the natural light and downtown views. The large shower stall was great and they actually provided plenty of towels! I also liked that they provided a full-length mirror. I do think it would have been cooler to decorate the room and lighting in pieces that complemented the history and style of the hotel, rather than the modern and IKEA-ish pieces they used. I also wish the room had a desk, or more places to store my belongings aside from the floor. It was hard to sleep at night and I was glad I brought earplugs. Both nights were windy and I could hear my shutters banging against the wall, the shades didn't completely block out light, and the HVAC system was placed high on the wall and had a bright, large, glowing temperature number if it was turned on. I had to turn off all heating and air to get complete darkness, but next time I would bring post-its to cover the light! I rounded up to 4 stars because I love that this historic building is still being used for all of us to enjoy! I'd stay here again, especially if I were traveling with someone who enjoys taking my luggage upstairs so that I don't have to!

    Kinn Guesthouse - Common space

    Kinn Guesthouse

    (43 reviews)

    Downtown, East Town

    God, where do I start?…read more First off the place is sophisticated and well appointed. That's not the problem. I was there on a Saturday night and my room was just above the street, freeway side. There was non-stop drag racing, loud stereos and yelling till 3AM. At first I thought the window was open because it felt so close, like it was 10 feet away. Turns out there's just really poor noiseproofing. They do provide ear plugs but they didn't help. When i complained about it, (everything by text, BTW) they said they had never heard that complaint. The first lie of a series of other crazy lies. At checkout, Rosa said she would talk to the owner and adjust my bill. I thought.... great! Weeks go by and like 20 texts, still no credit. I called and talked to the owner. He assured me I would get the credit. Another week goes by. Finally they said they had issued the credit and sent me some "proof". My name and the words "-$100". What the hell was this? I still had no credit, having checked my credit card daily. Finally, almost a month goes by and I email the owner and say, I never got the credit. He said he didn't have time for this and they would void the credit card "credit" and mail me a check. It's been weeks and still no check. I figure these grifters need the money more than I do so I'll just let this review suffice. Stay at your own risk. Sketchy as hell!

    Feel bad to write this BUT....Beautiful place but noise level at night was HORRIBLE. Did not sleep…read morefor 3 nights. Went to Milwaukee for USA Triathlon Nationals in August '26. Had requested "Quiet Room" on reservation under "special request". Had nice corner room on second floor. Holy cow the level of noise of motorcycles, hot rods, yelling, honking, police cars, and club music continuously the ENTIRE night from 10pm-1am! Might be less noisy in winter? Only stay here if a heavy sleeper. Not sure if any rooms face inward. Might want to ask about this if thinking of staying here.

    Knickerbocker on the Lake - hotels - Updated October 2026

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