Historic Hotels in Milwaukee

The Pfister, opened in 1893 as the ‘Grand Hotel of the West,’ is the oldest of the hotels we list that was built as one; the Wisconsin Historical Society’s inventory calls it the only grand hotel of its era still standing in Milwaukee. Two hotels fill older buildings, both opened as hotels in 2013: the Brewhouse Inn & Suites, in the Pabst Brew House (begun in 1882 by the hotel’s account, 1877 by the state inventory’s), and the Hilton Garden Inn, in Northwestern Mutual’s 1885–86 home office.

There’s no official ranking, but the Pfister has the best-known stories. Shepherd Express calls it probably Milwaukee’s most notorious ghost story, reporting staff sightings of Charles Pfister’s apparition and ghostly encounters described by visiting ballplayers such as Adrian Beltre, Carlos Gomez and Bryce Harper, and TMJ4 covered an Oakland A’s outfielder’s 2023 account. These are stories guests and staff tell, not documented fact, and we found no ghost lore for the other six hotels.

For most first visits, East Town: the Pfister, Hotel Metro and the Hilton Garden Inn are in the downtown core that The Hop’s free M-Line crosses, a short ride or walk from the Third Ward’s market, galleries and RiverWalk, where none of the seven historic hotels sits. Hilton Milwaukee in Westown is on the skywalk to the Baird Center and the airport bus line, the Brewhouse in the Brewery District is the pick for Bucks games and Pabst history but is off the streetcar, the Iron Horse suits Harley-Davidson Museum visits, and the Knickerbocker is near the Art Museum and the lake.

Most of the historic hotels charge: the Pfister’s attached garage is $40 plus tax a night (valet $49 plus tax), the Brewhouse’s valet is $40 a night, and Hilton Milwaukee’s garage was $40 a day on its brand page this year. Interstate Parking’s downtown garages and lots post ‘starting at’ rates of $2 to $9.50. Near Fiserv Forum on event nights, book ahead or walk: WISN found a lot that usually charges $4 asking $60 during the 2025 NCAA tournament.

None of the seven historic stays we list is a B&B: they’re hotels in an 1893 grand hotel, a 1928 hotel tower, office buildings from 1885–86 and 1937, a 1907 factory, the Pabst Brew House and a 1929 apartment hotel. For a more residential feel, the Knickerbocker on the Lake rents suites, many with kitchenettes or full kitchens, and all 90 units at the Brewhouse Inn & Suites are suites with kitchenettes.