Home2 Suites by Hilton Milwaukee Downtown — Hotel in Milwaukee

First of all, this building shares rooms, a lobby, a front desk, and elevators with the Tru Hilton in the same location. I was confused by it all, as each time I called or talked with a Hilton employee, they asked which hotel was a part of my reservation. I would like to give the employees some credit for this massive annoyance they must have to deal with regularly.

Second, are the general great parts of the hotel. The best part of this hotel, by far, is the location. You can walk to summer fest, discovery world, the lake, Betty Brinn, etc. There are even a ton of cute restaurants nearby, Flourchild was a hit with the kids and the adults.

The lobby is adorable, with a variety of chairs and places to sit, and a pool table. It was a little awkward during breakfast, but super fun to occupy our kids while waiting for check in. There were two staff members who were incredibly helpful and kind (most were clearly unhappy with their jobs).

The valet (although super expensive at $40 a day, we used spothero for all but one of our group's cars) is super convenient if you just want to pay extra money for easy. There's a link for them to get your car, so it's waiting and ready as you get off the elevator. The kitchen did actually come mostly fully stocked, with plates, silverware, and even a paper towel roll. The fridge was generously sized, and the bigger suite had an actual closing door with a cute table, chairs, and sitting area.

Third, the issues. The room was very loud. We had 2 noise machines, and I could still hear every word the next door couple said while deciding what to eat for dinner. We also heard loud music and a variety of noise outside the window. When we tried to check in early, we were told to come back, which was understandable. We came back to check in an hour after official check in (4pm) and they were swamped, overwhelmed, and generally angry. I was told that I was only going to be able to check into the room because I had status with Hilton, although we had literally been waiting hours (since 2pm). If you're going to this hotel, I would call ahead to see if the room is available, and plan accordingly. Many people didn't have rooms until 6pm.

Alongside this issue, the housekeeping is severely understaffed and overworked. They don't clean rooms each day, the garbage will only be emptied if you have a reason (we had stinky diapers), and you need to request new towels at the front desk (who will act annoyed that you're bothering them). There wasn't dishwashing powder or liquid in our room, so we got some from the front desk to rewash the dishes in the dishwasher. My toddler was crawling on the floor for 3 minutes, and when I picked her up she was literally covered in dirt.

The patio right outside the front of the hotel is where smokers sit, meaning you're going to be smelling like smoke the moment you walk through the doors, especially if you're waiting for your car. There is only short term parking outside the hotel, so you will need to valet or spothero, and either way you're going to be unloading your car while completely uncomfortable and in the way (see smokers).

The breakfast was adequate, with a bunch of sausage/links and parties, a couple premade egg patties, yogurt, and a waffle maker. It felt like the hotel had not yet recovered from a lack of travelers in 2020, including teeny garbage cans.

Lastly, my cousin left her son's lovey in the room and when she called to find out if she could drive back for it, the hotel staff member was rude, dismissive, and inappropriate. She even offered to look at the hotel room herself, and was told that there's no way it was still there. Given the speed of housekeeping, and the fact that they didn't even ask for her room number, there's no way to know what happened to her son's stuffed giraffe.

*Be aware that this isn't the Milwaukee Home2 with a pool. There's plenty to do close by, but multiple people were talking about it at breakfast as if they didn't realize when booking. There is a fitness room, but it's...

I selected 1 because 0 wasn't an option. This was the worst hotel check in experience I have ever had by far. I had similar experiences as others had recently. I would highly recommend avoiding this hotel at all costs.

I called earlier in the week before my arrival and spoke with a front desk attendant. At that time I asked about an earlier check-in, since due to my travel arrangements I was arriving about an hour earlier than check-in. The attendant stated the check-in should not be an issue.

I arrived the day of my check in about an hour prior to normal check-in, at 1:50 pm. I was told there were no rooms available, the hotel was booked, and there would be no check-ins until 3 pm.

I had plans arranged at 3 already, which is why I attempted to pre-plan an earlier check-in, but now I had to wait onsite at the hotel due to the inability to check in. I waited for an hour, and after watching a few people successfully check-in, I attempted to check in at 2:45 pm.

I was able to check-in at 2:45 pm, however, upon walking into my room, I immediately noticed it was a one-bedroom, while I had booked a two-bedroom. I immediately walked back up to the front desk, and informed the attended I believed my room was incorrect.

The attendant then did not believe me when I stated my booking was for a two-bedroom, and repeatedly noted “the system let me assign you that room”. The attendant then asked for proof my reservation was for a two-bedroom. I was able to pull the original confirmation and show it reflected two-bedroom. It’s now 2:53 pm, and the attended said, “I don’t have any two bedrooms to give you” I was completely confused as I’d now waited over an hour to check-in and it’s almost the regular check-time, and I don’t have my room available. I asked what happens now and when my room would be available and the front-desk staff responded “I don’t know” The only consideration that was offered was waiving the $25 parking fee.

Then, at 2:55 pm, in the middle of the interaction, the front desk person walked to the office behind the front desk area, gabbed a bag, and exited the building. There were several people behind me in line waiting to check-in (approximately 15+), and no front desk attendant.

There was no staff at all up front until 3:08 pm, when new attendant finally arrived and asked how they could help me. I explained that I was in the middle of checking in when the prior attendant just let. She said “I know”. It look her another 10 minutes to find an available two-bedroom room. I was finally checked in at 3:20 pm.

It was absolutely one of the most unprofessional and disorganized check-in experiences I have ever had. Again, I would highly recommend avoiding this hotel...

The only reason I gave 1 star is because zero was not an option. This was without a doubt the worst experience I've ever had with any hotel I have ever engaged with. My Fiancé and I were in town from Chicago this past weekend 9/17/22 for a wedding and we booked a room at this hotel over a month in advance. We called a day before we were supposed to arrive to inquire about early check-in and they told us that while it would be unlikely, to check again when we arrived the next day. When we showed up at the property the following day we were told that our room was not yet ready and that we would be unable to check in at that time. We understood as we were slightly early and asked if we could change into our formal wear in the lobby bathroom, and check in after the wedding ceremony. The desk clerk said that was totally fine, so we changed and went to the wedding. Afterwards when we tried to check in again, we were told that our reservation had been cancelled and that we no longer had a room to stay in. While attempting to resolve the situation and get a new room the staff was rude, did not end up helping at all, and ultimately hung up on us. I would also like to add that they did this to two other couples who attended the wedding with us and had reserved and paid upfront for rooms at this same hotel. When we called to ask for a refund the staff fought us on a refund due to a "no call, no show" which obviously is not true and we have videos of us in the lobby with our bags, and call records on our phones proving otherwise. I would HIGHLY recommend not staying at this hotel and there are numerous other reviews from people who went through nearly identical situations as we did when trying to stay here. Clown show through...