Nice room, clean and huge new kitchen! Very nice staff and a comfy place, at a great location! Stayed here with friends for summerfest and couldn't be at a better spot! Our experience is nothing like some reviews on here, granted many of those are from years back. I'd stay here again! read more

Dated and not well-kept (our room was very dusty and musty). Decent size and nice location, but otherwise I don't have much great to say. On the second day, we reported a strong, rotten stench in our room -- front desk confirmed that multiple others on our floor had called in about the same, yet the source remained a mystery. It smelled like decay. They sprayed our room with "deodorizer" but that did little, as the issue was not originating in our room. It was honestly nauseating and kind of creepy. Later that night, we found maintenance drilling down the door of the room next to ours with a sense of urgency... very bizarre and kind of alarming. Nothing here is up to date -- elevators are slow, appliances are dated, and all bathroom features were decades old. Parking is pricey, too, so prepare for that. read more

A horrible experience,the amenities were not working, the room was dirty there was hair on the bed the towels were just thrown in the closet. When I called to question a refund two weeks later after no responses to Messages the manager was rude and denied me a refund. read more

I will be staying here again. The staff was exceptionally pleasant. The hotel had an old charm with a lot of character. Location worked out great for us. $5-$10 dollar Uber to anywhere we decided not to walk to. read more

Knickerbocker on the Lake - Hotels Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We booked a room before the pandemic. Because of COVID 19 the air show we were coming to see was canceled. And with COVID 19 it is not safe to travel. We had to cancel all our plans, I have MS and am at high risk so we were told not to travel during this dangerous time. EVERY place we had booked yes everyplace even a couple who had non refundable rates have refunded us due to it not being our choice but being due to the pandemic. Except the Kinickerbocker on the lake Milwaukee. My sister booked threw Zhotel.com and their room was non refundable however hotel.com refunded them due to the pandemic. I unfortunately went right to the hotel and booked two rooms and I am told NO refund. I have now called 6 or more times leaving messages for the general manager and he has not called me back. When we come to Milwaukee next time with our group we will not look at staying here. I understand if it was our choice to cancel to not refund the room rate however this is an in safe time. Please think about staying there. It is heartbreaking to think that they do not think of others health and safety I gave it a 1 only because I had to rate it to post it. read more

I have stayed at hostales, and 2-star hotels before and this place was one of the most unpleasant hotels I've ever stayed at. They do not provide a comforter on the bed, the shower goes from either scalding hot to freezing cold WHILE you're mid shower, the room decor is old and scary and they charge you $18 a night to park (which is fine, but just another added annoyance). Take the creepy pictures of children off the walls too. I would rather stay at a red roof inn than this place. It's old and smells and isn't even that good of a location. Maybe I'll try the Astor next door. read more

Loud party next to my room between midnight and 3 AM ruined my restful night here. Desk clerk responded to my call by coming up and asking for the guests to quiet down at 12:30 AM. I was then treated to hours of yelling arguments between this party and other guests, the manager's police call, and-- to top it all off-- shouting partiers trying to arrive at the room through the apparently unsecured lobby after the patty had left. Once the police were called the manager offered to move me to another room, then recommended that I stay out of the hallway as the arguments were escalating. Snippy treatment from the desk clerk this morning when I inquired about my refund topped off an exhausting and stressful stay. read more

Even though I put the privacy sign on the door they still invaded my privacy and went into my room. The excuse was that someone in a completely different room complained about a draft coming in from my room. It does not matter how cold or warm I decide to have my room if I payed for the room that should be my choice and by no means should anyone enter the private space that I payed for without my consent unless I allowed them to do so. I did not agree to these terms and feel like they have violated my privacy as well as violated the terms of service that the knickerbocker on the lake offers. read more

I can not recommend this hotel at all. Before making a reservation, I called to make sure the hotel had parking. Having previously lived on the East Side of Milwaukee, I knew that on-street parking is nearly nonexistent. The staff member who answered the phone informed my that "Yes, parking is available, and it is $10 per night." What they didn't tell me, and I didn't find out until I had driven many hours to Wisconsin, is that parking is first-come/first-serve and the hotel does not have enough spots for all of their guests. I was checking in at 6:00 pm, and the lot was already full. I had to spend 45 minutes driving around to find a spot that wasn't 15 blocks away from the hotel. When I arrived to check in, there was no staff member at the desk, and I waited twenty minutes before someone showed up. When she did, she was less than apologetic about making me waste my time or that there was no parking. As for the room: The walls are paper thin, we could hear other guests all night long. There is no central air (a window unit that hardly worked). The bed seemed to be smaller than a Queen, and was very uncomfortable, The shower was streaky hot and cold, scalding you one second, freezing you the next. When you visit Milwaukee, stay somewhere other than the Knickerbocker! read more

I have never been treated worse by hotel staff, I will never stay here again. The night manager harassed us multiple times throughout the night without merit, eventually kicking us out of the hotel for what I think were just personal reasons. At one point late in the evening, we heard something in the hall and opened the door to find the manager and another man just creepily hovering outside our door. We were not a rowdy group, everyone was in bed when he can to kick us out a 3 am. Really, the worst experience ever. And it's too bad because our group was really looking forward to the evening, the Knickerbocker and Larry really ruined it. read more

The reservations were wrong and they were charging me more for a smaller room. The clerk admitted the error, but said that this was the only rooms available. I told her that I understood, but why am I being charged more for a smaller room. Her response: You can always stay "somewhere else. I can refund your money." I was taken aback. It was 10:00pm on New Years Eve and this was her reply. I told her to get a manager on the phone. After an hour, she came out and told me they will adjust the cost to the actual cost. I got a key, and went to my room. The next day, I decided to check out as I was not at all happy with their treatment. A bill was under my door, they never made the adjustment. To this day, no adjustment has been made. Others may have a different experience, but mine felt like I was back in the 1950's. I wouldnt be surprised if they had separate bathrooms. Never, ever going back there. read more

Quite honestly the worst hotel I have stayed in in some time. The rooms are shabby, cabinets unfinished. Air conditioning is very loud. There isn't a full length mirror in the room. The maids do not clean the dishes, coffeemaker or kitchenette if you stay more than one night. They give you only 2 towels in the bathroom. Customer service was horrendous, front desk staff were rude. The only good thing I could say is that it is clean and the bed was somewhat comfortable. Absolute basics of comfort - this hotel badly needs updated based on what they charge. read more

This was the creepiest, grossest hotel I have ever stayed in. I got put there because other hotels in downtown were booked for the first night of my stay. My experience started when I arrived and found their parking lot was closed for resurfacing. That would have been nice to know ahead of time. I called, and the lady? man? acted annoyed that I was asking where to park. She/He says, "just park anywhere outside 'my' front door and you'll be good." He/She was a horrible front desk person and I felt like I was checking in at the YMCA. The room I got, 616, was disgusting. The hallways also smelled like someone was cooking up onions and sausage and something curry. All the furniture looked like it was gathered out of someone's garage or off the side of the road. The bed was lumpy, the pillows were flat and smelly. The "kitchenette" area was laughable. I had an air conditioner in the window and the blinds were dirty. The "work area" was again some old nasty desk with a brass lamp. There was a network hub propped up against the t.v. stand but I couldn't get any connection in the room. The closet was dark with no light and really deep. It looked like a storage room. Needless to say I didn't even unpack. I spent the night there but couldn't sleep and I checked out first thing in the morning. Oh, and that place they told me to park.....apparently not where I should have parked and my gift was a $40 parking ticket. If anyone tries to convince you this place is quaint and cute....run don't walk to another hotel. read more

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I had a very bad experience at the Knickerbocker this past weekend. I booked through Expedia, which was fine. On Expedia it very clearly appears that you can book your room and select the beds. I requested a king bed and when I got to my room it was two doubles. I called the front desk and they were not accomodating at all. Finally they offered a standard room (I booked a junior suite) with a king bed. They did not decrease the price even though our type of room was smaller. The more troubling issue was that the maid service did not clean our room/replace towels/make the bed. We called the desk after returning to our room that night to ask for the maid service to stop by to bring towels and the front desk said they could not bring them up, but we could go downstairs to get them. I was not impressed at all with the service or accommodations from the front desk. I will not stay at the Knickerbocker on the Lake again. read more

NOT impressed. I reserved a JR, suite on a group rate for a family wedding. When I checked in at 12:30, I was charged for the JR. Suite, but given a standard room. I thought the room looked small,. I asked the housekeeper if I had a suite and she said Yes. Only later, did the front desk tell me I didnt have a suite. They gave my room to someone else. Why? Dont know. I asked them to comp my parking charge and after a little while, they agreed. The room was basic, bathroom was old. Fixtures were old. I just thought it was overpriced for what you got. Would rather have stayed at the Hampton for the same price. read more

Stayed here with friends in a two bedroom suite. We were removed from the hotel at 3am for "being too loud." After we were asked to keep our volume down, which only involved us playing a game of cards, most of our group went to bed. Then we were awaken from sleep by multiple phone calls from Larry Robe, the general manager, asking us to turn music down that we didn't have playing. He didn't like the response we gave and kicked us all out of the hotel. He then proceeded to swear at us and he flipped us off as he was pushing us out the front door. I have never in my life seen such unprofessionalism and rudeness from any staff member of a hospitality business. read more

First visit to Milwaukee. Loved the city for the green space,museums,and architecture. MOST disappointed in Knickerbocker on the Lake For several reasons. The hotel is not "on the Lake" nor is the lake in view; while historical it is not well maintain d beyond the lobby; rooms have "kitchenettes" squeezed into a space 3 ft from the foot of the bed and included greasy cookware; the bed may have been there since it's 1929 opening with non-existent pillow filling; window air conditioner sounded like a truck starting; televisions and voices from next rooms easily heard; actual metal key for locking door; requests for housekeeping unmet until our fourth attempt in five days. The failures of the Knickerbocker continued as we were billed for a week of parking even though we paid $18.00 cash daily -no refund .Finally we called (within 15 hours of leaving)to advise our forgetting a pair of men's dress shoes .No surprise they were not turned in by housekeeping. We will return to Milwaukee but NEVER to the Knickerbocker Hotel. read more

My bf and I had an absolutely wonderful experience at this hotel. First off, it is an older hotel. But "older" doesn't have to equal "bad" or "poor quality." Essentially the rooms are studio apartments. We had a fully-stocked kitchenette, dining table and a HUGE closet. Everything was clean. Everything looked neat. The bed was comfortable (isn't that the most important part?!). The room had character because it's a older building, but it wasn't shabby or rundown. Also, I really appreciated the fact that parking was adjacent to the hotel. Generally, I thought the staff was responsive (promptly delivered my request for extra pillows) and friendly (thoughtful front desk and housekeeping staff who provided directions and recommendations). Bottom line, we will stay again. It's a little more personal than your typical hotel, but not as overly intrusive as a bed-and-breakfast. read more

This turned out to be a lovely place to stay. My room was large, with a king-sized bed, walk-in closet, kitchenette, and all those neat little interesting details that come along with older buildings (high ceilings, old light fixtures, servidoors, etc). The place was very clean and the staff at the front desk were friendly and efficient. The bed was comfortable and the hotel itself was quiet. I didn't try the restaurant but it was always packed when I walked by it. I gather there is a lot of difference among the rooms because they are all owned by different people. So I didn't run into any of the problems other people reported. My room did have a window box air conditioner but I didn't open it. The walk-in closet had a light in it and was pretty spacious for a hotel. The kitchenette had plates, glassware, silverware, and some dish linens available but the gas stove was shut off. Not a big deal for me and there is a microwave available. The bathroom was simple with probably the original 1920s tile on the floor (yay!) and a strong shower head. I was surprised to find that the water was hot IMMEDIATELY when I turned it on. I didn't have to wait for the water to heat up at all. I didn't use the wi-fi but the room had its own router and hub and there is a nice desk area to work at. I also didn't use the AC because I cracked the windows open for some fresh air instead. I would like to have been able to open the windows a bit further but they had some kind of lock built in to prevent that. For me the best thing was the location. It is literally a block to the lake front and there is a beautiful park with bike paths there. You can easily walk down to the art museum area or into downtown without too much effort. The neighborhood is one of older gentility, lots of big trees and ornate old buildings, and feels completely safe. I would certainly stay here again if I ever come back to Milwaukee. read more

Had an absolutely wonderful stay here for a night in Milwaukee. Was in town to see a concert a few blocks from the hotel, and it was so great. The front desk was super helpful, the room was clean, the kitchenette nicely stocked with utensils and glassware and in general it was a friendly, thoughtful, warm stay. I definitely recommend it! read more

The staff is very helpful and welcoming, by far one of the greatest hotels to stay whether it's for a weekend or longer. There are two restaurants that have great food on the first floor as well. read more

Staff friendly and helpful. The room was spacious and suitably furnished. But the carpet was disgustingly dirty. And no parking was available. I will not be returning! read more

Upon arriving, we were not greeted by friendly staff. The lady at the front desk (Jasmine) was extremely rude. We drove all the way from Detroit to Milwaukee and upon getting to the hotel we discovered that all of the parking spots were full and we needed to park on the streets, Jasmine was not very helpful. She was extremely short, rude and not accommodating. Although the view was nice in the room, I will never come back to this hotel and will recommend that others not come here either. I have never experienced this type of behavior from a hotel staff member in any of my hotel stays. read more

The hotel itself was nice. My complaints about it are that the bathrooms are way too small with no counter space to put your things. There are no curtains, only light colored shades on the windows so as soon as the sun rises it gets bright in the room and it's hard to sleep. Also, my room did not get cleaned on one day of my stay. I called the front desk to send up new towels at about 5pm but did not receive them until about 6:30pm. The management is bad. I had a dispute about my bill at checkout and the supervisor, Larry, was combative and just kept repeating his script to me over and over again. He wanted to lay the blame entirely at my feet and refused to acknowledge his staff's part in the misunderstanding. I'll never stay here again, read more

This place is even more beautiful than the photos. We stayed 3 nights for our honeymoon, and it was the best thing about Milwaukee, to say the least. The staff was a huge contributor to this. Janelle was so warm and welcoming and darling. Larry was equally attentive and respectful. And Brenda was a delight and very informative. The room was so inviting and cozy and felt immediately like home to us. It was easy to settle in and difficult to leave. And the art deco! Stunning! This place had a lot of incredible energy to it, and we miss it already. The prices are astonishing for the utter class and beauty of this place. We love it and it holds very sweet memories for us always. read more

This hotel is amazing! You feel at home. I was a little concerned with the reviews thinking this could be really fun our really bad. But it was so nice and comfortable! I love that they made it feel like home with everything from knitted blankets in the living room to cuddle up with to the movies and cd's stocked up in the tv. cabinet. There was stationary in the desk and books in the shelf. The kitchen was stocked with all kinds of beautiful antiques and fun old cookbooks. The staff was friendly and helpful. This is a boutique hotel don't expect it to feel like the Marriott. Expect to take a trip to grandma's house! read more

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Very disappointed at the restaurant service that I received while dining there a few weeks back. The bar was full of staff but they were drinking and hanging out. It was about 945p, took us 45mins to get a drink but the bartender kept making drinks for the staff right in front of us!!! I finally received my food and I ordered a salmon salad. I began eating it and noticed a hair under my lettuce, I thought I was crazy but I pulled a long black hair out of my food!!! I told the staff and they went to get the manager. While I was waiting (forever!!!) I noticed someone who seemed to be a manager so I asked her, she said yes, I am the manager. I proceeded to inform her that I had hair in my food and she looked at me and said hold on I will be back. No apologies, no concern and absolutely no customer service!!! I wasn't even upset because I have worked in hotels for 8 years and 12 years of customer service and I thought it could just happen. However, when the manager returned she said "no one in the back has hair that long"!!! I was furious, I mean what kind of manager basically blames the customer!!??? I will never eat here again nor recommend that anyone else does. This was the absolute worst service that I ever experienced at a restaurant in Milwaukee in my life!!! I would have given zero stars but that was not an option...Also FYI I still tipped the waitress!!! read more

Checked in at 3:00 PM to be told there was no king size jr suite available which we reserved through Hotels.com. Requested a view - inside room looking at air conditioning..,, read more

Beautifully restored building! Great location in the heart of Milwaukee, helpful staff, parking available. Located right by the lake for an easy stroll to enjoy the lakefront! Amazing restaurant connected to the hotel for grabbing a bite after a long day or grabbing a nightcap! I've stayed here a couple times and each time it proves to be a wonderful experience! Rooms are great size with all the amenities you can expect from a well known hotel! Next time I'm in Milwaukee, I'll be staying at the Knick! read more

Great staff, very friendly very helpful. Clear and beautifully presented rooms. Definitely stay there again.

Great room! Very cozy room with a little dinette. Nice to be able to have our own refrigerator to use. WiFi was easy to connect to and very dependable. Bed was super comfortable, air conditioning kept the room nice and cool. Fast, easy check in Love the older style hotel feel with modern amenities. Parking can be a little tricky. Will definitely stay here again! read more

My husband and I booked the "Knickerbocker on the Lake" hotel early this year for dates in August because we were traveling to Milwaukee for the WI State Faire (which has been canceled). Due to COVID-19, we have had to cancel our trip. Our flights and other hotel in Milwaukee have refunded us, no issues or questions asked. This hotel refuses to refund us or give us any kind of compensation for our scheduled stay. With everything going on, they should be more understanding and try to help their customers in any way they can. Working in the entertainment industry, I have been out of work since March 15th and will continue to be out of work for some time still. This is a very greedy action on their part and I encourage everyone to NOT GIVE THEM YOUR PATRONAGE unless you support these types of actions. I understand that everyone is struggling but this is completely ridiculous and selfish on their part. I will never be staying at this hotel. read more

Awesome food. However, my drink was a cup FULL OF FRUIT flies. When this was brought to the waitresses attention she replied "it happens in this industry". Now formerly working in this industry we are always taught TO NEVER SAY THIS AT ALL. To add insult to injury she didn't try to accommodate in any way. This pissed me off. Shout out to the chef I was satisfied but the situational circumstance was just disgusting and handled improperly read more

Knickerbocker on the Lake - Flies in beer yyyuukk - Hotels Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin