The Pfister Hotel

The Pfister Hotel opened in 1893 as the most luxurious hotel in the American Midwest, and its Victorian grandeur — hand-painted ceilings, one of the largest Victorian art collections of any hotel in the world — has been maintained through six renovations. The Guerin Spa on the upper floors offers sauna, steam, and a full treatment program in a spa environment that complements the historic hotel's character. Milwaukee's German-immigrant founding heritage included a deep sauna culture, and the Pfister's Guerin Spa maintains that tradition in the city's most historic building. The hotel has housed every president from William McKinley onward who visited Milwaukee.