Not for the faint of heart. Say goodbye to room service, elevators (2nd & 3rd floor rooms), and 24hr staffing. Say hello to history. I'll start with noting this property has changed ownership (& names) frequently. It's back to being The Karsten (nest) Hotel as of about 5-6yrs ago. There is no website so you'll be booking 3rd party online or calling in your reservation. The desk isn't always manned so calling may take some persistence. You'll also be getting called around 9pm, if you haven't made it in yet (there is a number to call on arrival if the office is unmanned.) We booked 3rd party pay on arrival through Expedia for $198 (2ni) in a Deluxe Q lake view on arrival we paid $202 [the owner initially thought it was just 1ni & was ready to adjust pricing, thinking we were being overcharged - i appreciate that kind of honesty) On entering, we noted it was a basic Q room & it appeared housekeeping had gotten distracted when cleaning the bathroom as it was partially completed, with the tub missed (had a presumably used towel, near empty & lid removed shampoo & a used bar of soap, along with hair from assorted body parts. The owner was quick to respond, noting the Expedia booking was rate coded as Basic room & he immediately offered a new room. Alex, the owner & manager has had the place for 5yrs. He takes great pride in the property & is happy to exchange stories. We thoroughly enjoyed the talks. His integrity is certainly note-worthy. The lobby is filled with historical info & the closed bar is a marvel. Operation is more like a BnB than hotel. Meaning, the office area is often unmanned & much is on the honor system, including the dining area where water, soda, juice, fruit, bars, cereal, breads & accompaniments were available. The rooms vary in size & all include tubs, some jetted. I could actually envision a less is more take, removing some of the eclectic decor to really let the historical property sing. As well as hiding mini-fridges in the wardrobe (which is designed to hold a mini-fridge) or removing them completely. Though I'm sure many want the fridges. I'd recommend replacing shower curtains with washable ones or even glass, for easy cleaning and a good vinegar soak to free up the shower head flow. What the property lacks in luxury, it makes up in character & definitely isn't for every traveler. It's old, no denying it. Still, the bedding was fresh & the rooms were odor-free. Windows don't open, though the temperature control works great & each toom controls their comfort level. The front door remains locked & you're given a key for that door, as well as your room. Unoccupied room doors are left open, so you can explore. Room 310 was Agatha's, a long-term housekeeper & 1 of at least 3 ghosts who reportedly decided to spend their afterlife here. As for the ghosts, i heard 4am running in the hall... was it little Billy, the youngest spirit? It could have been or maybe it was another guest... There are plenty of noted experiences to go through in the lobby & I'm sure Alex could tell you even more. read more

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Do not even waste your time! This beautiful old building has been taken over by a crook with no concern to uphold the integrity of the building nor the reputation this business once had. Nothing is as represented. There was no heat on. No lights on. Very strange schotzkis everywhere. Cheap Howard Johnson furnishings and bedding. By the way. Some of the bed spreads had cobwebs hanging to the floor. This place needs to be closed down. What a disgrace. It's truly unsafe for people to stay there. I fully intend to pursue my concerns further! read more

After a day at the Maritime Museum in Manitawoc and picking cherries in Door county we stayed at the Karsten Hotel in Kewaunee Wi. This place is full of character. A huge Lobby and dining area. !0 foot ceilings Huge porch and balcony all for guests to enjoy. They do not have a full operating kitchen but put out all kinds of snacks for guests to take advantage of Including coffee and juice in the morning. Oh by the way it is reported to be haunted. We didn't know that until after checking in. Saturday there was an auto show on the streets around the hotel and downtown. With lots of great cars. If you like adventure definitely have it here. Nice getaway from Milwaukee area Chicago or farther. read more

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Stayed there for 2 weeks. No housekeeping. Asked for a fridge and microwave he said he was going to put one in my room but never did. I checked out about 3 days early was going to refund me two days paid but never did. Would definitely not recommend staying here. read more

Well, let me start off saying that my wife booked a weekend getaway here, looking for a reasonable rate for Egg Harbor and its position at the bottom of the finger, we can drive up and hop from winery to winery. Very Clean under new Ownership in 2013, disregard old reviews. We had the pleasure of meeting Randy the manager, The owner and his wife our first night in and what a pleasant bunch...we were invited for a Limo ride to a wine event at one of the local winery's for the next day! How great is that...right place at the right time! The room is quaint and nostalgic yet updated -if your looking for Kohler this is not the place for you, if your looking for some good old fashion Wisconsin hospitality and to stay someplace that was established by one of Pabst Blue ribbons founders this is for you. When you first pull up you are like wow this place is an old brick building, we were pleasantly surprised with our room (301), as you will see in the photos we attached. I also noticed room 310 is haunted after my wife booked the reservation, Only my wife could make this mistake- she hates scary movies...let alone real ghosts.. A great place to begin your wine tour....30 minutes to Green Bay for shopping, yet nice to get away from all the hustle and bustle, Fishing and boating nearby, and Good Food. Randy makes a killer Pizza. Met tons of Packers fans staying here to avoid all the hustle and bustle in Green Bay. The food is very reasonable as well as the drinks. The reason I did not give a 5 star experience, service is a bit slow when the place was packed on Sat Night, We didn't mind... read more

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We got in very late, we called for the front desk person and he was there in a split second. Absolutely loved the place. We enjoy being at places that give you a feel of the earlier years. This place is gorgeous and defiantly brings you back to the 1900's. We were in room 210, which was part of Mr. Kurstens room where he passed away. As we are avid paranormal geeks, we didn't have any personal experiences, but enjoyed the rich history! We hope to be back during peak season. We'd love to spend sometime in the bar! Thanks for the wonderful visit!!! read more

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You don't come here for any other reason but to have a unique experience. I've been here before and it's unlike any other place in that it takes you back to the very early 1900's. The decor and architecture are just the same as they were if my Great Grandparents had come here. I think they could spruce things up a bit and still keep the charm and grace. The staff is very limited and truly cannot handle everything they need to. There is no one on staff during the night. Don't get me wrong, I like it here but I do believe they could do a bit better for professionalism and running a good business according to a good business plan. I kept thinking that Anthony from Hotel Impossible would be rolling his eyes if he were to come here, but again, it's a unique experience. The haunted part is very subtle. It comes out as playful laughter of children running the hallways all hours of the nights and TV's that don't operate well, like black and white and crazy pictures. If you are looking to see ghosts, you will probably be disappointed. read more

My Father and Step-Mother came down to visit and we all stayed at this hotel for a night. The interior is absolutely gorgeous and I'm very thankful for the time I got to spend in this historical marvel. A lot of the interior decor is original for the building and it's absolutely stunning. The bar area has decent prices for being a bar and the food is very good. The staff that we met with were very kind, very attentive, and engaged in conversation with us about local life, folk-lore, etc. The rooms were nice and clean, and very homey. There is a haunted room on the 3rd floor, I believe, and you can go in there whenever you'd like. The room is always open, and there is a journal that you can read which has entries from previous guests and their experiences. It's really a cool place to go, and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. Maybe in the spooky room even! read more

My wife surprised a 30th birthday getaway at the kewaunee inn. Great place for a weekend getaway. Big beautiful room with lake view. Love how they keep all the room doors open that are not occupied so we can explore every room. Nice staff and breath taking lobby. Heart shaped hot tub in our room was very nice touch. Will be back for another visit! Not your typical hotel experience but if you are looking for something out of the norm with lots of history it is worth a visit. read more

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Absolutely disgusting. Needs to be shut down. The mattress looked like somebody had been killed on it. Covered in something dark red dripping onto the frame. It took two hours to get hold of the management who asked up "what we thought it was" and was hesitant to give us a different room. The room they moved us to was also revolting, the pillows were stained with grease, the floor was covered in black mold due to water damage and never being cleaned. The carpet in the halls also showed water damage. The air was stale and smelled of grease. We decided not to spend a single night in filth. When we asked for a refund the owner refused and became belligerent. Only after I informed him that I had taken photos did his tune change. The building is beautiful, but the owners do not care about cleanliness, service, or basic human decency. read more

A decent place to stay but your memories of this place will be more of the things they didn't have then what they did, except bugs they had a ton of them. read more

This place is not your typical hotel, so your experience is going to be not so great if you expect it to be like a Best Western. With that being said, we enjoyed our stay here. A girlfriend and I visited the Kewaunee/Algoma area for the weekend and stayed on a Friday and Saturday night. Some reviews I mentioned thought the check-in experience was sub par, and I wouldn't say that but it is different. There's not always someone at the front desk and we kind of wandered around till we finally called the number posted at the desk for help. Not much information was offered at check in, we were just given a key, but it's not as if the hotel is so huge we couldn't find our room. I had to call someone for the wi-fi password, our remote had no batteries, and our door had a 2 inch open gap between the floor and the door bottom as the floors aren't level. Those were just minor annoyances, and not a big deal to me. Bring your own hair drier and hygiene products. The room heater was very loud, so bring ear plugs if you're a light sleeper. They keep the doors to the rooms open when someone isn't in them, so we wandered around looking at each room. Every room is decorated differently in very strange mish-mashes of decor, most dated in an 80's way, but the floors are beautiful wood and there are some interesting fixtures. Our room was clean and comfortable, we got clean towels in the bathroom while we were out, and when we talked to staff they were nice, including the bartender at the cute but quiet bar attached to the hotel. This is a really perfect location if you're looking to go out in Kewaunee, there are 4 bars within walking distance (although we didn't find many people out even on a Saturday night.) Didn't try the food at the hotel bar but I've heard it's pretty good. Didn't have continental breakfast. Overall this is a perfectly adequate place to stay, and we enjoyed it. Just don't expect it to be like modern chain hotels. P.S- no ghostly experiences, although I did hear quick running down the hall in the middle of the night which I'm told is the ghost of the little boy Billy. But I can't prove anything! read more

Not impressed. It use to be a very charmed and historic icon of the town but is now rundown by the current owners who have no idea how to run a business. This is severely overpriced for lackluster service. read more

The building is great, huge fireplace, tons of wood work, really nice antiques scattered throughout. The front desk staff was really helpful, friendly and let us peek in a few rooms. They all looked cozy and inviting, each one a little different from the last. Make sure to get one with a view of Lake Michigan. So you are wondering why I would give this hotel 2 stars. Well, my actual experience was at the hotel bar on my first night. I was in town visiting a friend and we stopped in for a drink and to look at the beautiful hotel. Every bar stool was full on this particular night, so we stood close, but not to close, to the other customers waiting to catch the bartenders attention. We paced the length of the bar trying in vain to get this oblivious bartender to even look at us. I went to one end my friend to the other (where he even tapped out a few notes on the piano!) and nothing! Finally, a "Hey!" seemed to work. At this point we had been waiting at least 10 mins. My friend orders a local stout. The bartender just cuts the tap loose resulting in a pint (not an imperial pint) of half beer and half foam. Tells us, "Just let that settle out." Then walks away. Uh....I might want something too, guy! Another, "Hey!" brings him back. I ask for a sample of the local Oktoberfest. Another, albeit smaller glass, of half beer and half foam followed by another quick exit. I didn't like the Oktoberfest and had decided that I would again try to get his attention so he could properly fill the pint glass of stout that had settled out to only 3/4 full. Standing and staring while he showed off pictures on his phone to customers. There appeared to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, he was headed to my end of the bar. Oh no such luck, he strode right on past me and out from behind the bar and directly outside!! I looked to my buddy, mouth agape with eyes wide, total astonishment. Needless to say we walked out leaving the 3/4 of an untouched beer on the counter. I shudder to think what would have happened if we had sat at one of the tables and waited for service from this man. read more

You kind of get what you expect. If you are looking for a fancy b&b, nope not here. A consistent chain hotel with typical amenities, wrong again. What you get are nice sized rooms, small town charm, and reasonable prices. Reasonably close to both Green Bay and door county. read more

Very cool 100 year old Arts and Crafts building houses a 20 plus room Inn, a dining room, and a wonderful Tavern/Bistro. Very well done basic Soup and sandwich menu, with a nice fish fry on Fridays. Nice outdoor dining on the porch, which has great views of the Harbor and Lake Michigan. read more

We stayed here 2 nights for a Packers game, 30 minutes from Lambeau and cheapest price in the area. Classic 100+ year old hotel nicely updated with modern amenities and wifi. Nice antiques throughout, hotel bar/grille, and free breakfast. Very friendly staff and they even mailed me an item that I left in the room. If you are expecting the Ritz Carlton, stay at the Ritz Carlton. If you want a great classic hotel in a friendly small town on Lake Michigan, this is the place. I would not hesitate to stay here again. read more

Wow what a beautiful place with so much potential! If you are into antiques you will love this place! All of the old decorations and furniture with all of the modern conveniences! The rooms have that nice at home feel about them! read more