Generations of Serendipity Swirl Through the Pfister

It’s not every day a person informs you the place you work probably had a hand in their family escaping the Holocaust.

This past weekend the Pfister was blessed to host the wedding of Mr. Wiley Norden and Ms. Marissa Mullen. Marissa recently followed her career to Chicago but left her heart in Milwaukee. With the man willing she decided not only to marry in Milwaukee but wanted their big day to contain components specific to the city. Area beer, wines, and cheeses were par for their course and Marissa wanted them to be encompassed within a prominent Milwaukee…

A Message from Joe Kurth, General Manager

At this special time of year looking ahead to the holiday season we are especially thankful for the overwhelming support for the Pfister in our Brand Madness final four run.  It is a true privilege to have been voted as not only Milwaukee’s number one hotel brand within the contest, but also as one hotel to have reached the final 4 of the 64 other outstanding partners within the community.  Your public support and votes are appreciated, and our entire team is humbled and appreciative of you taking time in multiple voting rounds to show how much this special…

Veterans Day at the Pfister

This past Saturday I asked Pfister Chef Concierge Peter Mortensen (found out chef translates to “chief,” and not strictly the cuisine variety. Yep, I asked.) to grant me a tour of a few rooms and unique suites. The Pfister is actually two buildings, the initial 1893 Wisconsin Avenue building and the 1960′s tower addition which stretches the hotel to Mason Street. I wanted to get a feel for the subtleties of each. Saturday morning there was time prior to check-in so Peter and myself raced around the two buildings. Just in case…Knock knock knock. Knock knock. “Good…

The Pfister Hotel and Johnson Controls grew up together

Did you know the first building to (ever!) have temperature controls in each room was the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? During the Industrial Revolution Johnson Controls and the Pfister Hotel grew up like two kids on the same block. Both also grew to garner international recognition in their chosen fields. I met with Johnson Controls Head Archivist Ken Wirth to hear their intertwined stories.

We couldn’t leave the guest of honor out of the conversation, so Ken and I talked over coffee in the hotel’s lobby lounge. This interview originally aired November 1st, 2011 on 89.7…

Fall Right Through

Gwen and Adam are seeing their daughter off to college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They’re in town to help their daughter settle in to her new life here, as well as renovate a cottage near Oconomowoc for future visits.  Originally from Waukesha, Gwen met Adam, an Ohio native, and they moved to West Palm Beach, Florida where they now make their home.  Gwen says she misses Wisconsin, with its mild summer and changing seasons.  While staying at Hotel Metro, they come to the Pfister for drinks nearly every day, on top of seeing other Milwaukee sights.  In…

Historic Happenings

The Pfister Hotel has been a historic destination in Milwaukee since its grand opening in 1893. This vision by Guido Pfister and his son Charles has been viewed as the “Grand Hotel of the West” and a welcoming and luxurious meeting place. At its opening, the Pfister hotel boasted groundbreaking features such as fireproofing, electricity through the hotel and thermostat controls in every room.

As a historic destination in Wisconsin, The Pfister is a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

We’re proud of…