Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, Milwaukee
The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel is a stylish boutique landmark located in the heart of Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. Designed by Dutch East Design, the hotel’s concept revolves around the persona of a world-weary traveling craftsman. This narrative is woven into every detail, from the lobby’s raw steel and exposed concrete to the guest room credenzas, which are stenciled with the engine numbers of historic Milwaukee locomotives.
The building itself was a ground-up development specifically crafted to mirror the neighborhood’s industrial-chic aesthetic. Its red-brick facade and reclaimed-wood flooring help it blend seamlessly into the Third Ward, a district once dominated by warehouses that has since transformed into a hub of art galleries, boutiques, and trendy eateries.
One of the hotel’s most famous features is The Outsider, its year-round rooftop bar. With glass walls and cozy fire pits, it offers an elevated view of the city and is widely considered one of the best nightlife spots in Milwaukee. The hotel is also famously pet-friendly, welcoming guests with thoughtful touches like custom porcelain dog statues in the rooms.
Its prime location makes it an ideal base for exploring the city. Guests are just a short walk from the Milwaukee Public Market, while major cultural institutions like the Milwaukee Art Museum, with its iconic “wings,” and the Harley-Davidson Museum are only minutes away. Whether you are in town for the festivals or to explore the riverfront, the hotel captures the creative spirit of Milwaukee perfectly.
Expert reviews
“The Journeyman brings stylish digs to the heart of the Third Ward, right in the midst of cool-cat shops, bars and restaurants. The 158 large rooms have mod, earth-toned decor with pops of color, comfy beds and chunky wood desks.”
What guests liked
- Top location
- Comfortable beds
- Boutique style
- Free Wifi
- Friendly staff
Location
Recent guest reviews
4 July 2025
Pretty hotel but missing standard comforts for a pricey stay
It’s pretty and the roof top is beautiful. It is close to the summerfest area where where we were headed.
It was too expensive for the small size of the room given.i had asked for a microwave , fridge and coffee maker which seemed odd to have to ask for these items as they are usually standard in most hotels . As it turned out they do not provide coffee makers in the room. And there was no microwave as I requested and was told would be in the room.All in all I think the hotel should focus less on dogs and nursing mothers and remember to address standard needs of the general public staying at the hotel.
25 April 2025
Staff was mean
Pool table
Dog on the floor tripped over it!
19 February 2025
Great place to get away
Good food at Restaurant
Nice rooftop bar and cocktails
Room had a great view of city
A lot of places to walk to
23 January 2025
Staff was very attentive!
Very well kept hotel
3 November 2024
Charming, cozy hotel in a great location!
Beautiful hotel in a great location In Milwaukee with lots of places within walkable distance. Staff was kind enough to check us in early which we were very appreciative of after a long morning of flying. We also appreciated the free drink hour offered by the hotel.
Food and drinks were overpriced. $9 for a bottle of kombucha and $7 for a bottle of water seems a bit extreme.
15 October 2024
Great location and great for doggies too
Excellent location and can bring the doggie
3 October 2024
We highly recommend this property for a fun, get away weekend!
Location in the historic third ward!! Ambiance was excellent as soon as we walked in the lobby! Decor in the room was very interesting! A little funky & very clean! Great shower👍
It was all good!
15 September 2024
It was perfect
Location, roof top bar and very nice bathroom
Expensive parking
3 September 2024
Day in Milwaukee
Location, staff, and room were all great.
N/A.
30 August 2024
Promised so much but delivered so little with plenty of attitude.
Good location to check out the attractions.
The valet staff, Lewis and the lady who hosted the free drinks were the nicest and most caring people in the whole place.
Front desk staff were all horrible. They were full of attitude and were flustered by whole process.They said that they were getting our 2 bed room ready Because of the delay, we received drink voucher for the bar upstairs to get us out the space.
As we had an event that afternoon we had to attend, we were anxious about the delay. Also as they didnt use the international code for our mobile- we didnt receive the notification that the room was ready. Lewis came up to find us as he knew we were waiting. When we finally got our room, it only had 1bed. I went down to front desk and asked them' How they could fk this up even more?' They did not honour the booking I made and put my sister and I into a one bedded room. They blamed this website and said I should read the T&C. I told them that I had used 3rd party websites for hotels all around the world and we never have had this crap.We had just driven 4hrs and we were not expecting such incompetence. The person at the front desk apologised and then said that they are fully booked on Saturday but will move us to 2 bedded room from Sunday onwards. Considering I was billed $700 au just for the Sat night, it was a big rip off. We are in Milwaukee-not New York! We had booked for 4 nights- surely we should get a better room than someone who just booked 1night for a Green Day concert.The first attendant said that she will discount the night. However when we checked out we were stonewalled by a mean receptionist who said read the T&Cs- boy do Americans love their legal bullcrap.
The room itself is tired. Dated faux nouveau riche furniture and fittings. The showerhead had the water flow octogenarian with prostate problems.
12 August 2024
It was okay but not worth the price tag.
Big room
I asked for quiet room but placed on noisy corner room. Room was poorly cleaned. Wear and tear was a bit too much. Missing upholstery bottom covers on sofa for example.
10 August 2024
It was ok
Roof bar
Did not get the room I booked and had to sleep on a cot bed. Not acceptable for $300 a night
30 July 2024
Great hotel, great location, great rooftop bar, and good room.
Best Hotel in downtown Milwaukee!
No secure parking for my $50,000 Harley
30 July 2024
Was told 15-30 minutes for our room and it was 2 hours
Was not able to check in for 2 hours
I had tp rearrange my plans because we our room was not available until 5
27 July 2024
Wonderful 2 days stay
The location was good, we were near to the most famous spots in the area. The roof bar was excellent in the sunset.
No breakfast but in the hotel a very nice and fancy restaurant. The breakfast was wonderful but quite expensive.
30 June 2024
Lovely hotel with friendly people, nice ammenities and excellent location
Everyone we were in contact with was exceptional and friendly. Our room was lovely and very clean, and included a mini fridge and comfortable seating. Lovely, spatious bathroom. Eco friendly...they had a bin in the room for recycling.
The rooftop bar area was beautiful, with excellent service and drinks.
We were given a special surprise for our anniversary.
Location was perfect...close to all the restaurants of the Third Ward, close proximity to the highway and we easily walked down to the lakefront.
I wish they offered some pillows that were softer.
20 June 2024
Short, but very nice stay
Location was excellent and close to everything.
Facilities -especially evening eception - was excellent.
N/A
5 June 2024
Nice accommodations and friendly staff
Location was very convenient and happy hour was a bonus
There was no coffee maker in room and when we called down about it we were told we had to arrange for it ahead of time. I asked at desk and were told one would be delivered - it was, but discovered in morning that it only had tea and hot chocolate pods.
28 May 2024
Excellentvhotel in a great location
Great location, nicely-appointed rooms, & excellent customer service!
23 April 2024
Great hotel but we had a poor housekeeping experience
Loved the wine hour, the location, friendly staff
Housekeeping was unresponsive and never cleaned over 4 days. That is unacceptable. I called once and they said they’d come one day they asked and we declined that leaves 3 days not cleaned.
17 March 2024
Great, welcoming, but this morning could’ve been much better
Property was beautiful and welcoming staff was great! Location was also great and all the amenities were a nice perk
The late night/ morning staff was not as great as the day staff. We asked for a microwave and my friend asked if there was a charge and the lady said umm have you stayed places where you have been? And repeated several times it’s not which was nice and maybe it was more concern but made us as the customer feel dumb, I asked for a wake up call for to a super early flight and never received one because I was already up before the time I requested as I set my alarm thank Goodness or my flight would’ve been missed if I depended on that call, and we messaged to get the car yet when we got down they hadn’t went to go grab it. They were visiting with the front desk having McDonald’s shakes, we wondered if this was why we hadn’t gotten our call either.
22 February 2024
The staff was wonderful. The valet attendant was kind and helpful as well as the check in staff.
Modern and clean rooms and bathrooms. Rooftop bar was beautiful and very enjoyable. Ambiance was great and the staff was always attentive and nice.
Crowded happy hour made it so that there wasn't enough seating. We had to take our drinks up to our room instead of being able to enjoy them in the lounge.
20 November 2023
I stayed with my mom and sisters. We loved the hotel! Loved the location. Friendly staff
I loved the overall feel of the hotel, we had a fabulous view and the location was amazing
My one and only complaint is that the water pressure in the shower was really bad. But that’s it everything else was perfect!
28 August 2023
Nice hotel in great location, but lacks some amenities for the price
Beds were extremely comfortable. Rooftop bar was beautiful. Location was excellent.
No coffee or water in the room. Given the cost of the room, having in-room coffee machine is a must have. Parking is valet at $40/day, but there is a parking garage down the street for $25/day.
13 July 2023
A gem in Milwaukee!
Gorgeous place! Very clean and beautiful room and loved the fireplace downstairs and the restaurant served delicious food. Very very happy with our stay! Thank you!
N/A
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Breakfast in the room
- - Special diet menus (on request)
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Coffee house on site
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
- - Business centre (additional charge)
- - Fax/photocopying (additional charge)
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Express check-in/check-out
- - Luggage storage
- - ATM/cash machine on site
- - Concierge service
Activities
- - Fitness centre
- - Games room
- - Billiards
- - Fitness
- - Happy hour
- - Bicycle rental
General
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Family rooms
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Heating
- - Allergy-free room
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Pet basket
- - Pet bowls
Cleaning services
- - Laundry (additional charge)
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Ironing service (additional charge)
- - Trouser press (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Outdoors
- - Sun terrace
- - Outdoor furniture
- - Outdoor fireplace
Parking
- - Parking garage
- - Accessible parking
Miscellaneous
- - Key card access
- - Smoke alarms
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Face masks for guests available

More photos

23 October 2025
As bad as it can get
No coffe maker in room even it was confirmed with booking - comment: that is not standard. Supplied one and was not cleaned/replenished next day. Upon complaint, it was removed. Again to frontdesk and a new one was brought to room, but now NOT Nespresso, instead Chefwave-something with low quality coffee.
Never heard anything from GM, even front desk staff reported it and I trust them
Price/Performance ratio very bad an not worth $300+ per night.