Home2 Suites by Hilton Milwaukee Airport

We return here every time we visit WI. The location works well for us, just minutes from the airport and central to shops, restaurants, and entertainment. Our rooms are always clean and well appointed, and the staff are friendly and accommodating. We use the laundry, pool, and free breakfast, though not the gym. We enjoy staying here. We’d only ask for more handicap parking spots.

For the price, this hotel offers a lot. It was in tip-top shape, well maintained, and had the amenities you need during a stay. The fitness center had new equipment. I stayed for three days.

We booked a room for the night we were driving to Milwaukee so we’d have somewhere to sleep, but a snowstorm stretched the trip to more than three hours. When we arrived the next morning, they said we were a no-show and couldn’t check in. Booking another room would mean an extra $75 for early check-in. I couldn’t find any information about these rules online. We rented a room we couldn’t use even though it was empty and staff were at the desk. The refund page only says “request submitted,” so we don’t know whether we’ll get the money back. Absolutely ridiculous.

We’re looking forward to staying here again. The Home2 Suites suited our family well for three nights during the Milwaukee Mile 250 at State Fair Park, west of downtown, from Fri Aug 22 to Mon Aug 25. My girlfriend’s daughter isn’t comfortable seeing us share a bed, so the one-bedroom king plus a rollaway worked better than the usual two queens and rollaway. We’ve had bad experiences with Wyndham and switched to the Hilton portfolio. Airport hotels can be much cheaper on busy weekends, even after daily $10-$20 Uber/Lyft rides to venues. At 65, I was hoping to avoid the kind of unpleasant surprises we’d had at the other chain, and the stay was mostly issue-free. The room was quiet and comfortable, and breakfast was adequate. The pipes weren’t noisy, the pool and workout room were open, the window fan didn’t whine, we couldn’t hear other guests, and the buffet was mostly stocked. Those had all been problems at the other chain. The HVAC was built into the wall instead of having a fan below the window, which felt modern. The clean pool had nice outdoor views through its glass walls. The workout and laundry rooms were open and clean apart from a couple of dryer sheets on the floor. We mostly had the pool and gym to ourselves during our short visits. Free front desk check-in and checkout were a nice feature, and we could unlock the room with a phone. The app controlled the TV, though it couldn’t control the lights or thermostat as advertised. The view was mostly airport and parking lot, as expected, with trees and lawn on the well-kept grounds. One small annoyance was that the thermostat only allowed the fan to be always on or always off, instead of cycling. We chose always off for quiet. Breakfast was the weak point, as it often is at three-star hotels. The TV promo showed a toasted bagel with cut fresh fruit, but neither appeared during our three days, though I understand bagels are usually available. The server seemed a little miffed when I asked. There were processed egg patties, waffles you pour and cook yourself with toppings, sausage patties, plain oatmeal, cornflakes, and similar items. No non-pork sausage such as veggie or turkey, or higher-tier choices like breakfast burritos or granola. I held back a star since I haven’t had a decent hotel breakfast yet. There’s a working fire pit and chairs out front, plus a small, comfortable lobby. I also looked at the Hilton Garden Inn across the parking lot, which has an impressive lobby and fancy restaurant next door. Its helpful front desk attendant gave me an insider comparison since we’d considered it at about the same price. The two hotels are owned by the same group. They said Home2 Suites has better rooms and is more geared to longer stays. Better rooms matter more to me than a fancy lobby or pricey restaurant, especially when I’m paying rather than using a corporate tab.