The Knickerbocker on the Lake

8.4

Excellent

964 Guest reviews

8.4

Excellent

964 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness8.6/10

Service8.4/10

Comfort8.4/10

Condition8.4/10

Neighborhood9.0/10

Amenities8.0/10

good

10/10

The knickerbocker on the Lake is venerably old and is a National historic site. In spite of its age, it very well maintained and has been updated to feel like a more modern hotel that also feels a bit like home. This was our second stay and we were as impressed as we were with the first. Our room had a full kitchenette. while we didn't use it that much it was nice to have. A comfortable bed and good size tv that was easy to navigate made it feel comfortable. While the bathroom was small, it was clean and somewhat updated. The location was perfect for our needs. We could walk to most of the places we wanted to go and with on site parking it was easy to come and go. There is a very nice restaurant attached (The Knick). Serving breakfast lunch and dinner with a friendly bar and reasonable prices. It is close enough to downtown to be convenient, but is in a quiet neighborhood virtually on the lake.

Classic

Lovely historic property and front desk staff were very welcoming and helpful. The room was nice but a little warm - but we were able to open the window. The cleaning was underwhelming though - no coffee replacement even - and unfortunately, they left our room unlocked after cleaning! No issues - nothing missing - but that was a concern.

Nice, but lacking in house keeping

Was initially excited do to there being a kitchenette. Unfortunately there was not oven mits to take the baking sheet out of the oven which was annoying. Also house keeping only came to my room once in the 4 night stay. I initially thought wa be cause we slept in the third day. Though we left the next morning at 9am for an event we were in Milwaukee for and the room still had not had house keeping to at least remove garbage. This could of just been unfortunate overlook but i likely will not stay here again after this stay.

A+ customer service

Larissa at the front desk was incredible! I had some trouble with my tv upon checking in and she went above and beyond to resolve the issue and could not have been sweeter while doing so. Overall my whole experience was fantastic but Larissa's customer service was above and beyond. I support giving her a raise :)

Great stay!

Classic and comfortable

Classic hotel with updates that make it comfortable and beautiful. The Knick Restaurant & Bar was wonderful, too.

Front staff was not friendly. However restaurant staff was suberb

Spacious rooms

Truly rhe worst stay ever

The hotel is terribly outdated something reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby. It took three rooms to get it "OK". First room featured dishes in the sink, a deposit in the toilet and no towel service. The second room had garbage in the kitchen, no towel service and an unmade bed. Goldilocks? The final room was habitable. I will nerver, ever stay at this hotel again as long as I live.

Friendly staff, nice room, no complaints. Very cheap for how nice it was.

Friendly staff clean room

The front desk, especially Precious, were excellent, friendly, very professional and often went out their way to accommodate both special and ordinary requests. Stay here if you want your faith in humanity restored.

the only thing stopping me from coming back is the price

I love the esthetics of the building and the unique design which is very true to the historic era. I also love the fact that you don’t have to leave the premises as there is a restaurant/bar, spa, laundry room, everything you need right there.

Great hotel

Very nice

One Night Stay

We stayed in a standard king room. Bed was comfortable and room was quiet. I loved the old architectural features but it may not be for everyone. We ate at their restaurant next door and breakfast was delicious. Will definitely be back.

i loved the art deco charm of this building, it a historic gem. the restaurant downstairs is lovely with great food and drinks. So close to the eastside and downtown; will stay again.

Home away from home

Very rude management team .

Terrible check in

Got there at 5:15 and tried to check in. Was told room was not available. And need to wait an hour for them to clean. Terrible check in experience. Needed to get in the room to get ready for the night and unable to.

X

This is an aging hotel, so be aware of that. We couldn't find a thermostat in our room, so we had to leave the windows open, which was quite loud. The room's amenities were clean but very dated. I would not have been happy had we paid the normal rate, but we got a deal. The location is lovely, though and the staff is very nice. Perhaps some rooms are more updated than others, so I would ask for one of those if you consider staying here.

Love the Knickerbocker

As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Knickerbocker on the Lake. I love being able to walk to Juneau Park safely to enjoy the out of doors. When visiting in the summer, I always take advantage of the Juneau Park Beer Garden. This visit was the first time I ate at the Knick, the on-site restaurant. I had the best grilled shrimp mango salad.

Great location

Classic hotel with large room with kitchen.

Loved the location and our room was great!

the hotel was beautiful and a very nice stay. the initial impression from the front desk was terrible. after a six hour drive late in the evening, we waited 20 minutes at the front desk for the receptionist to check in, while she was outside chatting. very let down to the start of our stay.

It was a really nice historical place to stay - we really enjoyed it

We loved staying at this property. Parking was very convenient, especially for a city hotel. Staff were very friendly and helpful.

Would recommend love allbof it

For the Knickerbocker being an "older" hotel, we thought the room was very nice, clean and quiet. We will consider staying here again when we venture to Milwaukee in the future. Top notch.

Room odor was awful.

Very historic cool doors.

The room was quaint

A Nice Hotel with a full kitchen was a surprise. The Restaurant onsite was able to handle a big group and the food was delicious.

Pretty good, other than there was a bunch of spiders and webs by the back door in the parking lot. And some of the channels in the tv was out of contract so that was kinda an inconvenience.

Very nice and clean

Nice room with a little kitchen.

Very cool hotel with all the original details and very spacious room. The doors are very loud though, we were woken up multiple times in the middle of the night by people slamming their doors. Overall good accommodations.

I very rarely share reviews, but I loved this property and our stay. I would definitely return and recommend. The building is beautiful. The rooms are spacious. The restaurant attached to the hotel offered excellent happy hour pricing, and great service. The attached spa also offered great service. The neighborhood felt very safe, and we were able to walk to the Summerfest grounds.

Great location. Excellent staff and great hotel if you love old properties. Great having a full suite

Here’s what’s great: beautifully restored art deco property with all needed modern amenities. Spacious room, kitchenette, walk-in closet. Not so great: front desk clerk was gone twice when we needed help. One absence was so long—15 minutes—that the absence made us late for our dinner reservation. This was early in the evening too—not the middle of the night. When we mentioned this problem to the front desk supervisor the next morning during checkout, she couldn’t have cared less. Terrible: we met a friend for a drink a half-block from the hotel. Walking to his car around midnight, he was brutally attacked and robbed by three men who jumped out of a car. He was one of several people attacked in the area that night, according to the police who responded to our 911 call. The Knickerbocker is supposed to be in one of Milwaukee’s nicest neighborhoods. Not so nice or safe that night. Of course we don’t hold the hotel responsible for what happened to our friend, but it should be known that it happened one block away.

The hotel was clean and the staff was friendly. At the time of our stay, it was the most affordable in the area. However, the parking situation is not great. There is very limited on site parking available. You are expected to find street parking. We got lucky, but I can see this being very difficult.

Love It!

The hotel originally opened in 1929, and it’s a jewel! If you’re into super modern architecture and all the trimmings, this is not your place. But if you like history and reminiscing about yesterday, this is the best! Room was clean and comfortable! Service was top notch and location is great! I would definitely stay again.

.

Older hotel

The property was easily located for easy access to many parts of the city. Walkable to the lace and the downtown entertainment districts. Room was unique in its own special way.

This was a nice place to stay but parking was a little cramped and hard to maneuver.

Quiet neighborhood near a park. Attached restaurant is nice but not open for breakfast M-F. Options for breakfast are walkable.

A few hours after checking into our hotel a live cockroach came out of the wall. The front desk was notified and asked for a new room, the staff mentioned they had no available rooms. I asked the staff to remove the cockroach and check for others. After the cockroach was removed I asked again for a new room or refund. Staff again said there were no available rooms, but mentioned they needed to contact their supervisor for a refund as they could not approve. We were told to wait 10 minutes for manager to arrive. After waiting 15 minutes and no contact from the manager we decided to book a new hotel and leave as we felt the room was unsanitary. Upon leaving and telling staff the manager was already there, but refused to address us or apologize just made a quick glance. I was very kind about the whole situation and even willing to switch rooms, but the fact the manager ignored us irked me. I have not received one call from the manager apologizing or updating me on the refund. I was told through Expedia they refused my refund. I feel like finding live cockroaches in the wall of your hotel room would leave any guest uneasy. Please treat your paying guests better.

Executive suite was huge!

Will stay again!

Always stay here for Summerfest! Walkable to the festival. The hotel is quiet, comfortable, and clean. Will stay again next year!

Awesome stay great staff

Booked for 4 people. One bed .

I liked this hotel plenty. Nice location. Yes faint food smells. There’s a cooking area in the unit. Have to pay $20 to park and that always drives me crazy. Just charge more for the room upfront. Would consider staying again except for the parking.

Unique hotel, great customer service. Clean rooms, comfortable beds. Great stay! Will definitely stay again!

Great spot and amazing location

Very cool hotel!

This is a cool old property in Milwaukee. Convenient to the lakeshore and Veterans park. Our room had a full kitchen. The bathroom/shower was fine but dated

Two nights in upscale Milwaukee.

Classic hotel in good condition. Friendly staff. Easy walk to lakefront park and a few nearby restaurants.

Beautiful property with great view of Lake Michigan. Clean and comfortable. Easy to get to.

Great location

Elegant historical hotel with parking right there. Great location for running along oak leaf trail.

Great location for walking to local attractions, nightlife, and restaurants!

We loved how the historical architecture was preserved and was paired with all the comforts of a modern studio apartment.

Property was so much more spacious than we expected. Extremely walkable to everything.

I loved staying at this historic hotel. I had a lovely room that was a junior suite. The only things that I didn’t like was a surprise parking fee of $20.00/day. Also, the window air conditioner unit was very noisy, and hard to adjust.

Charming, old school hotel. Charming neighborhood. Polite, helpful staff, and efficient elevators!

Very beautiful old building! Upon walking in, we couldnt help but look everywhere and take pics in the entrance and foyer, it was beautiful! The gentleman who check us in when we got there around 5 was not very friendly (quite rude actually) but the man that was there in the morning when we checked out was very kind so it helped us leave on a good note! Great location to summerfest and the lake, very safe and easy parking! Would stay again!

Have stayed several times and the location is convenient to the festival grounds and walking distance to fiserv arena area. Rooms and building area is clean and well kept.

Have stayed at The Knickerbocker several times, and it’s always a treat. Cool building, beautiful entry. Rooms are comfortable. Close to downtown and Third Ward. Gem.

Summerfest 2024

A return visit to one of my fav. Hotel.

didn’t get a coffee pot in room until day 3/4. older woman at front counter was not friendly. shower had no pressure. great location. nice rooms.

Loved it

We loved it. The location is great, it’s an old school hotel, classic. The room was large, clean, the bed was comfy. We would definitely stay again

We loved everything about this property. The Lady at the front desk who was the supervisor (Jolene?) was awesome. Dominque was one of the cleaning ladies with such a bright attitude and great smile. Our room was above and beyond what we expected. We LOVED it all and will be back. Thank you so much Knickerbocker on the Lake!

loved the history of this building, would absolutely stay again

A Stay at The Knickerbocker

Lovely vintage hotel with a very good on site restaurant. Staff was friendly and helpful. Convenient location.

We really enjoyed our stay. Parking was easy and everything was in close proximity. We could easily walk to the park and other places.

I didn’t like that we didn’t get the room we paid for through Expedia for the 1st of a two night stay. They accidentally gave our room to someone else for the first night. So we had to move over the next day once they had cleaned the room. When I asked about reimbursement the crabby old lady working at the front desk said “ it’s booked through Expedia nothing i can do.” I know this review will probably reach no one but makes me feel better sending it.

Wonderful Experience at the Knick

We’ve stayed at several Grand Old Dames, and the Knickerbocker on the Lake is the best. Beautiful lobby, on-site bar restaurant, salon, off street parking, well kept hallways, large comfortable rooms with kitchenettes, AC, clean bathrooms, hot water, etc. on top of the mentioned amenities, the hotel is located a 7 minute walk from the Juneau Park Beer Garden which is a great place for a warm weather beer and brat. Keep walking and you one to the gorgeous lakefront of Lake Michigan, the War Memorial and the connected Milwaukee Art Museum, the MAM, designed by famous Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava.

Great location and really cute hotel

Great Location! Walking distance to Shank Hall and County Clare Irish Pub! Hotel very clean, parking super easy….you pay about $20 a night but it’s right next to the hotel ! Thank you for a very nice stay!

My parents had their wedding here 76 yearsago.

Property was elegant and vintage which perfectly paired as a desirable location.

I’ve stayed here multiple times but rented from owners. I rented from the hotel this time, and was disappointed in the dusty conditions and built up filth of the window sills and the outlet boxes. There were items missing from the suite that should have been there: only one glass, but two wine glasses, no dish drainer provided, no paper towels, nobody told me about any amenities, like ice or coffee. The phone kept blinking the message light and couldn’t be deleted. That should have been cleared for me. The location made my business walkable and I love that location. For the price, I will be looking elsewhere in the neighborhood.

Rooms w/kitchen is nice. Really need to add a coffee maker! Even cheap hotels give you coffee!

Unique and quaint!

Check in attendant not friendly and condition of room was poorer than expected due to large carpet stain. For price paid it was disappointing to not have breakfast nor parking included. Bathroom small as well.

The property is older. Rooms must have been apartments years ago. Phone didn’t work, couldn't connect to wifi. The room was had a kitchen but we will not go back. No where to upload my pictures.

'we would be back

we were pleasantly surprised with the suite, it was spacious, only thing we did not care for was there was no shower curtain in the bigger bathroom and the toilet in that bathroom also ran off and on throughout the stay not sure why.

lovely place, great room, very hard bed, hard to sleep in. great view of the lake, friendly staff, but there was a man lift parked in the front blocking the front entrance.

Knickerbocker

Comfortable stay

Ok stay

Easy walk from train station and to lake. Restaurant is really good. Enjoyed exploring downtown.

The staff especially Jade and Angie at the Knick were exceptional

Excellent location. Charming style.

There is a parking fee

Really just wanted to mention, would've preferred to also know my parking was taken care of when I booked the room and not an additional charge at check in

In Room Convenience

The condition, cleanliness and comfort of the hotel room were excellent. The only negative thing was that there was no forewarning about the fact that there is no in room coffee service. While there was a coffee machine, there were no items to use it with. Nor was there any information in the room as to what the hours would be for breakfast.