What's New in Wisconsin?

With several newly renovated hotels, Milwaukee is ready for groups with 

The state motto of Wisconsin, “Forward,” seems especially apt these days: There are many new hotels cropping up around the state, not to mention renovation and expansion projects at existing properties. 

In Madison, the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace has just wrapped up a multimillion-dollar renovation of all 240 guest rooms as well as public spaces. New furnishings include mahogany dressers and desks with built-in media hub connectivity, new carpeting, and in-room safes. The hotel offers flexible meeting space to accommodate groups of up to 80 people.

The new 119-room Courtyard by Marriott Milwaukee Airport opened in December 2011. The hotel features an ultramodern lobby and two meeting rooms, each able to accommodate up to 50. 

The Four Points by Sheraton Milwaukee North completed renovations in 2011. The 149-room hotel updated all 7,500 square feet of meeting space, spanning seven rooms (the largest of which measures 3,872 square feet). The property also refreshed its restaurant, pre-function space, and lobby. 

The 169-room Courtyard Milwaukee Downtown completed renovations to its lobby and dining spaces last June. The hotel’s traditional front desk has been replaced with separate “welcome pedestals,” and guests can connect to free wireless Internet throughout the lobby. The property offers a total of 2,649 square feet of meeting space divided into four rooms.

The Ramada Plaza Milwaukee Airport renovated its 160 guest rooms in 2010. The property features 11,000 square feet of meeting space, including a corporate boardroom, and offers complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access.

The Hilton Milwaukee City Center completed an $11.5-million renovation in December 2010 that touched its 730 guest rooms, meeting spaces, lobby, and fitness center. In all, the hotel has more than 34,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes four ballrooms and 18 meeting rooms. In 2011, the property was awarded AAA Four Diamond status.

At the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, about an hour’s drive southwest from Milwaukee, extensive renovations were completed in 2010. All 355 guest rooms were outfitted with new carpeting, draperies, bedding, and furniture, as well as refrigerators and 37-inch LCD flat-screen televisions. Bathrooms were remodeled with new fixtures, granite-topped vanities, and high-tech mirror-televisions that disappear when turned off.