We recently stayed at the Iron Horse Hotel. It is about a 2 minute drive over the 6th Street Bridge to downtown Milwaukee and the Harley-Davidson Museum. The hotel is in an "up-and-coming" area with lots of Mexican restaurants, as well as other restaurants, clubs, bars, etc. This used to be a very industrial area; parts of it still are, but it is not a bad area.
The Iron Horse is designed to be motorcycle friendly, with plenty of bike parking and thoughtful details like special hooks for leathers and helmets in the rooms. That being said, we do not own bikes and arrived via car. The rooms are spacious and very "cool". Lots of contemporary art, sculpture and lighting throughout the hotel. The king size beds feature large, leather headboards. Exposed brick, wood beams and exposed duct work offer a funky feel. Modern amenities like the glass and chrome mini-bar, European coffee makers and slate and glass bathrooms suggest high tech meets loft studio living in an urban environment.
The lobby is full of comfy, overstuffed sofas and chairs. Wood beams and floors are reclaimed from the former warehouse the building used to be. An antique motorcycle graces the lobby in a most unique setting. The hotel also offers a large library stocked full of books and magazines, more comfy furniture, a cozy fireplace and large windows throughout the room.
The enormous bar has a hip vibe, complete with European lightbulbs dangling over tables, lots of seating and a beautiful billiard table.
The restaurant had not yet opened when we visited during the hotel's "soft opening", but the hotel more than compensated by offering complimentary continental breakfast in the library daily, as well as snacks such as sliders and sandwiches in the bar in the evenings.
Also, I had a bad cold which left me in bed our last day there. I called the concierge to see if there was any way the hotel could find me some soup, in light of the fact that the kitchen was technically not yet open. He called me back to let me know that the kitchen "had me covered." 20 minutes later, room service delivered a bowl of steaming hot soup, chock-full of diced carrots, onion, celery and chicken with bow-tie noodles mixed in. This was not soup from a can. The veggies were all firm. They included two warm, crusty rolls, a generous serving of butter, a large carafe of ice water with a pint glass, and a large glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. I was grateful and surprised with the quality, as the kitchen was not yet fully open.
We will definitely stay at the Iron Horse Hotel again. The staff was warm and friendly, from the valet parking (there is little parking near the hotel, so I recommend the service), to the bartenders to the front desk staff.