It Really Is a Small World After All
The lobby is packed with people. It’s prom season and dozens of couples have appeared to pose for photos together, even though the dance is being held elsewhere. Their dresses are brightly colored: sunny yellows, crisp greens, rich pinks and deep purples – embellished with crystalline drops or lacy embroidery. The bubbly nature of youth is contagious, and all are smiling. Suddenly, appearing at the entrance to grand applause, is a woman in the grandest gown of all: a bodice of pure white, encrusted with pearls, and billowing skirt clutched in one hand while her other hand grips a bouquet…
May I Suggest…
The art of the recommendation. It’s a skill born of the preternatural ability to read people and an intimate knowledge of available options. It’s why you go to your local bookstore or record store: the clerks who enthusiastically love what they stock and sell are guaranteed to connect you to what you want – even if you didn’t know what it was you wanted when you walked in the door.
The woman who walked over to the pastry case at the Cafe at the Pfister didn’t know what she wanted. Tailed, on the other side of the…
Welcome to Starbucks at the Pfister [VIDEO]
The historic Pfister Hotel has transformed a portion of the entrance area of Café at The Pfister with a barista counter offering gourmet coffee, fresh baked pastries and other items. The Cafe Pfister now includes an area with casual seating, free WiFi and plenty of outlets to keep your devices charged. It’s a great place to get some work done, afternoon meetings, or host a mid-day gathering.
The Cafe is open until 8pm, daily.
Cafe at the Pfister…
The Pfister Hotel Ranks Among Top 1% of Hotels in the World
Expedia® has named The Pfister Hotel among the top-ranked hotels on this year’s Expedia Insiders’ Select™ list. The Insiders’ Select list formally recognizes individual hotels worldwide that consistently deliver excellent service, a great overall experience and a notable value. The full list represents only 500 of Expedia’s top-ranked hotels selected from the more than 130,000 properties offered by Expedia®, placing The Pfister among the top one percent.
“Delivering our guests superior service is a top priority at The Pfister,” said Joe Kurth, general manager. “We are pleased that our efforts have been acknowledged by Expedia…
Capture and Share your Pfister Memories
Capturing special moments and sharing them with family and friends has never been so simple. Let us take the moments you’ve captured and turn them into treasured memories.
Check out one of The Pfister’s digital cameras at the front desk
Take photos of your time in Milwaukee and at The Pfister
Turn in the camera before you depart
A Pfister associate will use your top 10 photos to create a personalized photo website, available to you the very next day
Share with family and friends via email, Facebook, Twitter and more
If you prefer to use your own…
All the Colors of the Rainbow
The weather in Milwaukee was (briefly) exquisite this week. Temperatures soared into the low 60′s, the breezes indicated Spring was finally here with their combination of warmth and lakeside coolness, and the sun was brightly shining. Perfection. The daffodils and tulips are in full bloom on, what feels like, every city block. In front of the Pfister’s Wisconsin Avenue entrance, tall, brightly colored pink and yellow tulips are ringed in the low, black, decorative iron that mark the corners of the sidewalk garden boxes. All of this belied the clouds that were moving in, ever so slowly, threatening…
Meet Stacie Williams: The 2011 Pfister Narrator
With a love of stories and storytelling, Stacie Williams has worked at a local Milwaukee bookstore for more than five years, and has experience in travel writing and blogging. She studied theater at University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee and is active in its creative writing program.
Williams was chosen to serve as narrator based on her writing style and outgoing personality from a significant pool of qualified applicants by a review panel, which included publisher of The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee, Mark Sabljak; executive director of the East Town Association, Kate Borders; Judith Moriarty, a longtime local writer; and representatives…
(re)Writing History
~
“No single man makes history. History cannot be seen,
just as one cannot see grass growing.”
~
When I told a writer friend of mine about this unique position, she launched into an interesting bit of historical trivia she had learned while living in Russia. In the old hotels there, during the Soviet era, one would often find a little old lady sitting in the lobby, taking notes on all the comings and goings. Essentially, she was hired by the government as a spy. Now, here I am, decades later, chosen to sit in the lobby of an old hotel and…
Passing of the Pen
That’s what we’re calling it. The official sign-off, hand-over and next phase of the Narrator position. I’m not eager to give it up, but when I see Stacie again today, I realize “how can I not?”
Standing in the middle of the hotel lobby, she’s the brightest thing there. She’s been through the PR ringer, having her poster made, providing quotes for a press release, learning the blog system and now, today, taking some photos with me. Her look is bright and excited, mingled with a bit of overwhelmed awe.
I take her…
The Walls Did Talk
People watching is a skill. If you’re good at it (and I really want to believe I am) you can master blending in, even if you’re taking notes and keeping your eyes up, about and above your coffee. People often sit, trying to go unnoticed, and to do so, they revert to the childhood understanding that if “I can’t see you, you can’t see me” and bury themselves in their work, their food, their drink, their smart phone or even clean out the contents of their purse with such dedication you might wonder if they’d…
Personal Baggage
Sometimes I forget the Pfister is a hotel, meant for housing travelers and providing room and board. So much else happens there that it becomes its own community of comings and goings, drinks and dinners, events and celebration. So of course it struck me when I was headed out through the lobby and saw a line at the registration desk.
Sure, that’s what the desk is for—checking people into rooms—but more often I see the staff checking in on people, rather than checking them in. “How was the pizza?” “How was the show?” “Did you make it…
Meet 'n Greet Monday! Do you know Perry?
Well it’s Meet ‘n Greet Monday! While the Pfister Hotel has housed many celebrities over the years, the true stars are our staff. Every week you will meet a member of our staff, and have your chance to share your memories and interactions with them. Today, it’s the man who tickles the ivory, Perry, one of our Lobby Lounge Pianists.
Name – Perry
Position – Pianist
How long have you worked at the Pfister Hotel? – 14 years, since 1997.
Why do you like working at the Pfister Hotel? – The Lobby Lounge has the best atmosphere, friendly people, whats not to…
The Inner Circle
So, I got to meet her: my replacement. There are so many lessons in life out there waiting for you and only a few you’re fortunate enough to catch. I am lucky enough to have started a project and to have the opportunity to hand it off. I’m not the CEO of some big company (yet), not an entrepreneur (yet) and not any of the other typically tenured folks in high ranking positions who perform very public changings of the guards. I’m no Tony Soprano, sitting at the head of the table, handing out orders.
But I…
Gallery Night with Shelby Keefe [VIDEO]
Shelby Keefe put on quite the show on Gallery Night on Friday, April 15 at the Pfister Hotel.
With a great display of a few of her current pieces and a live performance of a completed piece in 20 minutes on her first Gallery Night, we are in for a treat this year with Shelby Keefe as our current Artist-in-Residence.
Listen in to hear about her approach and the culmination of her first Gallery Night as the new Artist-in-residence…
Brunch at the Pfister [VIDEO]
Gather family and friends and hop into one of Milwaukee’s most loved dining destinations for a delicious Easter and Mother’s Day Brunch. With chef-prepared favorite entrees, mouthwatering pastries and complimentary treasured memories.
$49.95 for adults
$24.95 for children 12 and under
Four (4) and under are FREE
Follow along as Joshua Wolter puts on another hat and takes a crack at making some egg omelets with Darin at the Pfister Hotel.
The Rouge is a Milwaukee classic, a historic dining room serving the finest Sunday Brunch. The brunch menu features over 40 unforgettable items including…
Promenading Through History
Everyone spotted them immediately (and I hope I don’t embarrass them by saying so). The young couple, he matched her with a colorful vest and tie under his tuxedo, she was in the most amazing shade of teal green. Her dress fluttered against the floor and I was in complete agreement when the photographers posed them on the stairs to highlight its length and ability to cascade (it’s not too often in life you have the opportunity to wear a dress that “cascades” down the stairs).
It was prom night and after all the up-dos and gowns…
Anatomy of Giving
My after work cocktail turned instantly into a lesson in event coordinating and I learned there’s no better school than the prep hour before a celebrity Blu-Tender event at the Pfister’s Blu.
I arrived very early and witnessed an incredible transformation. See, I’m a part of many charity and fundraising events myself. I’ve been on the “Who has the nametags?” end of things, the “We need a 9-volt battery, stat” side of the event and the “What do you mean our host/guest of honor/celebrity’s flight didn’t come in?” fringe of…
Kevin Bacon Meets his Match
In three characters or less, can you connect yourself to the popular actor Kevin Bacon? How about if I give you six characters? Or, we can go back to the standard version of the game (that was actually made into a board game, by the way) and ask that you use six movie actors and their films to draw a line between Kevin Bacon and what ever actor whose name you draw.
The Pfister should design such a board game. They can give Mr. Bacon a run for his money as more than A Few Good Men have passed through…
Historic Hotel Selects Next In-House Storyteller: Welcome, Stacie Williams.
The historic Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee has named Stacie Michelle Williams as its second ‘Pfister Narrator.’ In the role, she will spend time in the hotel’s lobby, interviewing visitors and guests and sharing their stories on the Pfister’s blog (blog.thepfisterhotel.com). As narrator, she will be posting blog entries twice-per-week over a six-month period.
“To say I’m excited to be the next Pfister Narrator would be inaccurate and a little bit of an understatement,” says Williams. “More accurate would be to say that I’m a little nervous, as there’s great…
Get your Feet in Check at WELL Spa + Janice Salon [VIDEO]
With warmer weather and the festival season approaching quickly, their is a pressing need to go and get you feet in check for Flip-Flop season.
Follow Joshua Wolter as he checks his feet into WELL Spa + Salon at the Pfister Hotel…
Plein Air Office Space
I try not to write about the staff. They’re an easy target—each is polished, professional and full of juicy bits of knowledge. They’re the eyes and ears. But we, the “in-residencers” are also staff in a way, but with the very specific charge to engage and make the hotel colorful.
So, what I’m trying to say is, I have to tell you about hanging out with Shelby Keefe, the new Artist in Residence. A program different (and longer) than the narrator, Shelby’s work life will live at the Pfister for a full year. She…
Meet 'n Greet Monday! Do you know Jessica?
Well it’s Meet ‘n Greet Monday! While the Pfister Hotel has housed many celebrities over the years, the true stars are our staff. Every week you will meet a member of our staff, and have your chance to share your memories and interactions with them. Today, it’s the traveling girl, Jessica, our Assistant Front Office Manager.
Name – Jessica
Position – Assistant Front Office Manager
How long have you worked at the Pfister Hotel? – 2 years this summer.
Why do you like working at the Pfister Hotel? – I love the interaction. Giving guests a high energy, warm welcome and helping…
Scaling Forward
I’m a Libra. Some of you may have already guessed as much. One of our best qualities is indecision. Our symbol is the scales because we try to be fair and just.
I was happy to share indecision Thursday with my colleagues at the Pfister as we looked at the six finalists for the Narrator position to begin in May.
Choosing your replacement is a difficult task. Many of us would choose…well, us.
But I’ve heard, and believe it’s true, that “if you’re not replaceable, you’re not promotable.” But of course, this is where…
Artist-in-Residence: Katie's Farewell Reception
With Katie’s time with us at the Pfister Hotel coming to an end, we’re sad to bid her adieu. But not without the proper send-off.
Watch as Katie shares the legacy she leaves with us at the Pfister Hotel with her commissioned piece of Dr. Jeffery Hollander and provides some valuable insight for the next Artist-in-Residence, Shelby Keefe.
Thank you for gracing us with your presence this past year, Katie…
The NASA Game
I’ve done a lot of organizational consulting and training. Among the structures for company retreats and more is a ropes or games course. Every one I’ve ever done says start small–ice breakers and get to know you type work.
One of the games my organization and later, I, used in classes was the NASA game. There are a million versions of the activity, but this one reads that NASA has to populate the moon. Earth is on its last legs and we’ve got a 2001-type opportunity to go intergalactic. The game provides a list of…
