Wisconsin

MADISON

Local Update

• Following a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion, the historic Edgewater Hotel is set to reopen this August. Set on the southern shore of Lake Mendota, the 202-room property will offer four dining options, more than 8,000 square feet of meeting space and a spa.

• Adjacent to the University of Wisconsin, the 194-room Hampton Inn and Suites Madison/Downtown opened last October with an indoor pool, a fitness center, free Wi-Fi and a boardroom that seats 12.

• The Monona Terrace convention center on the shores of Lake Monona will undergo a renovation early this year to add new workstation areas for laptop/tablet users, redesign outdoor areas and more. The facility's stunning exterior was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1938, while the 250,000-square-foot convention center made its debut in 1997.

• The Radisson Hotel Madison recently renovated its 153 guest rooms (including eight suites) with contemporary furnishings, 37-inch HDTVs and new workstations. Hotel amenities include an indoor pool and whirlpool, a fitness center, free Wi-Fi and 8,000 square feet of meeting space. An on-site restaurant and lounge serves traditional American fare.  

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 356-room Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club, 240-room Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, 239-room Sheraton Madison, 226-room Crowne Plaza Hotel Madison, 202-room Edgewater Hotel (to reopen in August), 163-room Doubletree by Hilton Madison, 153-room Radisson Hotel Madison and 151-room Hyatt Place Madison. For more, go to mcvenues.com.

Convention Centers: Alliant Energy Center; exhibit space, 100,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 14. (608) 267-3976, ext. 2; alliantenergycenter.com

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 37,200 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 21. (608) 261-4000; mononaterrace.com

Airport Transit: Dane County Regional Airport, six miles from downtown Madison. Transfer cost by taxi, $21-$25

Taxes: Room tax, 9 percent; sales tax, 5.5 percent; total tax on hotel rooms, 14.5 percent

Group Venues: The Wisconsin Brewing Co., which opened late last year, features indoor event space for up to 400 in its taproom and brew house, with additional outdoor areas for larger groups. The space, 10 miles from Madison, also offers tours of the brewery and beer tastings. (608) 848-1079; wisconsinbrewingcompany.com

The Aldo Leopold Nature Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The Monona facility, 15 minutes from downtown Madison, offers trails that meander through a variety of ecosystems, such as wetlands, prairies and woodlands. For groups, the venue offers several meeting spaces, including a conference room for 25, classrooms for 160 or the grand lawn, which can accommodate 400. (608) 221-0404; aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org

Contact: Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, (800) 373-6376; visitmadison.com

MILWAUKEE

Local Update

• The Milwaukee Marriott Downtown opened last summer with 205 guest rooms. The $54 million property, within walking distance of the city's Third Ward district and Lake Michigan, is set in a repurposed 19th-century building. On-site are several dining options, a fitness center, an indoor pool and 9,000 square feet of meeting space.

•  At the Pota­watami Bingo Casino, construction is under way on an 18-story hotel project, to debut this fall. The $150 million hotel will feature 381 guest rooms, a restaurant, an exercise area and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space. The casino opened in 1991 as a bingo hall but has since expanded to include 800 slot machines, 25 blackjack tables and a 500-seat theater.

• In 2015, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will open a new upscale boutique property in the city's Historic Third Ward District. The 158-room hotel will include a restaurant, a rooftop bar, a fitness center and meeting space.

Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 730-room Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 508-room Wyndham Milwaukee, 481-room Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, 307-room The Pfister Hotel and 253-room Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center. To find hotels and send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.

Convention Center: Wisconsin Cen­ter; exhibit space, 188,695 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 28; (414) 908-6072; wisconsincenter.org

Airport Transit: General Mitchell International Airport, about eight miles from downtown Milwaukee. Transfer cost to the city center by taxi, about $28

Taxes: Room tax, 9.5 percent; sales tax, 5 percent; total tax on hotel rooms, 14.5 percent

Group Venues: Built in 1892 as the home of famed Milwaukee beer baron Captain Frederick Pabst, the Pabst Mansion accommodates up to 125 people for outdoor receptions or 70 for seated indoor dinners. The mansion's lavish décor includes marble tiling, ornate fireplaces and a grand staircase. (414) 931-0808; pabstmansion.com

The Milwaukee Public Museum  features 150,000 square feet of exhibit space on human and natural history, with more than 4.5 million specimens in its current collection. The facility accommodates up to 3,500 people in 80,000 square feet of function space, which includes a six-story domed theater. Smaller groups can rent out portions of the venue, such as the ground floor, which spotlights a nearly complete skeleton of a woolly mammoth. (888) 700-9069; mpm.edu

Contact: Visit Milwaukee, (414) 273-3950 or (800) 554-1448; milwaukee.org