The road to forever starts at the Hilton Milwaukee
251 to 300 guests
Holds ceremonies and receptions
AWARD WINNER (1X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
The Hilton Milwaukee is a luxurious hotel and wedding venue located in downtown Milwaukee, WI. Built in the late 1920s, this historic property with classic Art Deco architecture is an iconic fixture of the city. Full-service amenities are available for you and your special day on these premises.
With its convenient location, The Hilton Milwaukee is only steps away from all the sights and amenities of downtown. This venue has five separate event spaces in which you can host your wedding. Each of these timeless and beautiful rooms can be customized to meet your vision and needs. The outdoor event garden allows you to exchange your vows under the open sky. You and your guests may then proceed indoors to one of the several ballrooms. The largest of these spaces is the historic Crystal Ballroom. Gorgeous Art Deco detailing and soaring ceilings with giant chandeliers makes this storied ballroom a favorite in the city. It can accommodate celebrations for up to 400 guests. Another stunning option is the lavish Empire Ballroom, with the decor having roots in 19th-century France. The rich woods, adornments of gold leaf, and deep russets of the textured window treatments all enhance this outstanding tiered space.
The Hilton Milwaukee offers a range of packages to meet your wedding day needs. All room setups include the use of votive candles with tealights for dining tables, china, silverware, glassware, table numbers on stands, a piano, and a dance floor. You can make these surroundings the frame for a picture-perfect celebration.
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Pricing details
Starting prices
Reception:
Contact for price
Ceremony:
$1,500
Bar services:
$30 per person
Catering:
Contact for price
Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices. Peak season for this venue is May-Oct and Dec.
Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Guest Capacity
Up to 300
Settings
Backyard
Ballroom
Garden
Historic Venue
Hotel
Park
Restaurant
Trees
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Cakes & Desserts
Destination Weddings
Destination Wedding Packages
Food & Catering
Service Staff
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Availability
Reviews
4.6
out of 5.058 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
The Hilton City Center in Milwaukee is praised by multiple reviewers for its beautiful venue, attentive staff, and delicious food. Event manager Kristine receives high praise for her responsiveness and attention to detail, making wedding planning smooth and stress-free. Reviewers highlight the convenience of having all festivities in one place, including getting ready rooms and dog-friendly spaces, making it a cost-effective and all-inclusive choice for weddings. Guests rave about the gorgeous Crystal Ballroom and Empire Ballroom, delicious food, and seamless execution of events, highly recommending the Hilton for weddings and other special occasions.Review photos
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Megan K
5.0
4/09/2025
The Hilton was the absolute perfect place for our December, black tie Milwaukee wedding. Not only is the venue gorgeous, the areas that are available and included in the wedding package are SO helpful. A room for decoration storage, plus getting ready rooms for both the bride and grooms party made the day so much smoother. We had many out of town guests, so the proximity to the airport and having all of our festivities in one place made everything super convenient for our guests. Truly, for such a beautiful venue plus the convenience of an all inclusive package that they offer, there isn't a more cost effective venue like this in Milwaukee. Kristine was our event manager and she was very responsive and accommodating. Our guests raved about the event staff - servers, bartenders, etc. From start to finish, the Hilton was great and allowed us the wedding day of our dreams!
Bob G
5.0
11/19/2024
The Hilton was super easy to work with. Kristine was our event manager and she was super accommodating and really went out of her way to ensure our wedding day was perfect. The Hilton itself was great, we have gotten so many compliments of how easy it was to have everything in one place and also how beautiful the venue was. We were so thankful we chose this, and they had dogs around which was another plus!
Any questions?
Marissa M
5.0
10/21/2024
Kristine and the Hilton staff were awesome to work with! Our wedding day was flawless and beyond perfect. The attention to detail was spot on. We were taken care of beyond all expectations. The outdoor courtyard was beautiful and the Empire Ballroom was exactly what we looked for for a reception hall. The Hilton is truly the best all-inclusive wedding venue.
Ashley D
5.0
9/19/2024
Kristine and the entire staff at The Hilton City Center was amazing! Communication throughout the whole planning process made it less daunting to plan such a big wedding. Everything was so beautiful and turned out better than expected. All of the food was incredible and everyone loved it! All of the lighting and beautiful decor of the Hilton made the ballroom look stunning. I would recommend this as a wedding venue to anyone!
Vanessa R
5.0
9/03/2024
Hilton City Center and its staff were top notch! We had an amazing experience throughout planning and the wedding day went on with no issues. The Crystal Ballroom was gorgeous and the food was delicious. I would recommend everyone checks out this venue for their wedding/event.
Heather S
5.0
8/14/2024
The Hilton was super easy to work with. They are so accommodating to any of your wedding needs. Event Manager, Kristine, is a delight and she truly goes out of her way to make sure your wedding day is perfect. She was super accomplished to needing small detailed items all the way to the big details.
The Hilton provided us such an amazing day we will never forget. Even the concierge dogs made our day even better. They were beloved by our guests. Highly recommend this venue for your wedding. Food was phenomenal and truly paid attention to all of the guests allergies/dietary restrictions. Not one thing went array on our special day. Thank you!
Anooj K
5.0
8/12/2024
We hosted our wedding at the end of July 2024 at the Hilton City Center. The venue is beautiful and the staff was beyond incredible.
We had the pleasure of working with Kristine H. She immediately wanted to get to know us and understand our vision by making herself available whenever we needed to talk or run something by her. We hosted a 2 day cultural wedding and she took the time to learn about it and make sure the staff understood all the complexities that came with it. She was present at the event which allowed us to fully enjoy our event and not have to worry about any coordination with our vendors. She was so much fun to work with and she made our event perfect. She was truly an extension of our family during the planning process and we could not be more thankful and grateful to have had someone so wonderful by a part of our day.
Ashley F
5.0
6/19/2024
The Hilton Milwaukee City Center was the best possible reception vendor we could have chosen! Everyone we met there was fantastic, and they helped my husband and I make all of the decisions needed to bring our special day together. Our event coordinator, Kristine, the best! She was on top of everything and never missed a beat. We couldn't have asked for anything more.
Vanessa E
5.0
6/06/2024
The Hilton is a beautiful space, we had about 225 guests and it accommodated everyone perfectly. We were able to have our dream wedding.
Kelli S
5.0
10/08/2023
We had the best experience with our wedding reception here! The Crystal Ballroom was beautiful and gave our wedding a feeling of timelessness and elegance. The staff couldn't have been kinder and the food was incredible! We still get comments from our guests saying they think about the appetizers often! We also had many guests stay over, and all had nothing but nice words to share. We highly recommend the Hilton!
Katrina S
5.0
9/29/2023
We could not be happier with how our wedding went at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. From the first time of touring the location to meeting our coordinator Joel, it was perfect. It was so easy working with Joel to have our dream wedding. We had our reception in the Crystal Ballroom and it was beautiful. The food was excellent, and we loved during the tasting that we got to meet the chef and work with him to ensure everything was what we wanted.
Vanessa G
5.0
9/13/2023
I cannot express on what an amazing experience we had with getting married at the Hilton. We got married in the Crystal Ballroom, which is already such a stunning venue. The service was great, food delicious and venue was beautiful and classy. I would highly recommend to anyone else.
Delanee K
5.0
11/07/2022
We could not have been happier with having our wedding reception in the empire ballroom at the Hilton. The room was stunning and the tiers were so nice to help us see everyone. We had to change coordinators during the planning process, but whoa, Joel is AMAZING. He was an incredible communicator, helped keep the day organized and made us (and our guests) feel special. Our guests raved about the atmosphere of the Hilton, including our cocktail hour in the monarch lounge and the food. Highly recommend!!
Hannah R
5.0
11/03/2022
The Hilton Milwaukee City Center was great to work with for our wedding. The Empire room was absolutely stunning and perfect for our wedding reception. The 5 tiers are great for reception attendees who didn't want to be on the dance floor but still wanted to feel included as they could see everything at a slightly elevated level. We had tons of compliments on the bartenders service and the convenience of being able to go straight upstairs to a hotel room after the reception. Jourdan K. at the Hilton was a great communicator and helped organized so much leading up to our wedding, including setting up decorations. She helped iron out some last minute details and made sure everything went exactly as planned. The day could not have happened without her!
Steph H
5.0
2/20/2022
We had our ceremony and reception at The Hilton and I can’t say enough good things. Our wedding was in the Empire Ballroom which is the smaller of the two but it was perfect for a wedding of our size, which was 100 people. The hotel is beautiful, everyone was super easy to work with and the food was absolutely amazing!! I would recommend this venue to everyone and if I ever have the need to rent a location for an extravagant party I will absolutely be using The Hilton again.
response 02/23/2022
Stephanie - congratulations on your marriage! Thank you so much for the great feedback fr...
om your experience with the Hilton; it was truly a pleasure to work with you and an honor to have been a part of your special occasion. We look forward to welcoming you back soon!
Taylor T
4.0
10/11/2021
We used the Hilton for our room block. While we had to move our wedding three times, Melissa Lukic, Director of Rooms, was instrumental in ensuring guests received the right rooms and goody bags. And it was even Summerfest weekend! Thank you, Melissa!
Nathalie O
5.0
5/18/2019
You need a ballroom wedding due to size but still want that elegant feel? The Hilton is beautifully designed that decorations can be minimum but they have the space to fill a small weddings of 100 to a large wedding of 600! And let me tell you about the staff.....they are so easy to work with! Any complaints?...they fix it ON THE SPOT! The wedding planners answer your questions before you even ask them! They’ve done tons of weddings and are so experienced...best part - your outside vendors (cake, sweet table, photo, DJ) have probably already done a wedding there and know the ins and outs! You don’t need to hire a wedding planner when working with the Hilton because they take care of everything! Food is top notch but can flex to fit your budget (same with bar package). Totally recommend for a wedding that has an average cost budget but still wants the beauty and elegance YOUR day deserves.
Maria G
5.0
3/12/2019
Our venue was beautiful and the Hilton staff is beyond compare. We worked with Racheal as our coordinator, and she was so patient answering all our questions, and so supportive to make sure our day went perfectly. They really played a key role in making the wedding of my dreams happen. Even the support staff (wait staff/bartenders etc.) were just the kindest people. I am so happy with my choice in the Hilton.
Amy K
5.0
12/03/2018
The venue was wonderful, we were able to start with one of the many wedding packages and tweak it to customize the perfect services and menu for our big day. The full process was relatively easy, start to finish. We met with a sales associate for a few tours and questions while negotiating and organizing our desired package, then worked with a hotel coordinator for the rest of the planning process. Our coordinator was wonderful. She was very responsive over email and phone, and was at our event the night before and day of, and made sure it went off without a hitch. Even when there were unexpected events, she handled them without issue. We had the wedding we always wanted and it was as low stress as a wedding could be. We received so many comments on the beautiful venue and event. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!
response 12/03/2018
Amy, thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience! I know this will be ...
helpful to other brides as they search for a venue. We are so glad you found the experience to be easy and low stress...as it should be!! We are *always* here to help our couples along the way. Your ceremony and reception was absolutely stunning! Congratulations and thank you so much for choosing the Hilton Milwaukee City Center for your special day. We hope to see you again soon!
Sarah S
5.0
11/01/2018
We had our wedding in the Empire Ballroom, and it was a wonderful event! I didn’t initially plan to have our wedding at a hotel because I didn’t want to have it in a conference room. The Empire Ballroom quickly won us over. It is a beautiful 1920s room with high ceilings, different levels, and many large windows. We were able to get all the conveniences of a hotel wedding without a conference room feel.
As far as wedding prices are concerned, it
was reasonable for all that is included, and they didn’t have a bunch of hidden fees nor did they push us to spend beyond the minimum. Our coordinator seemed very conscientious of pricing/budget concerns!
The staff was extremely helpful both the day of and before the event. We were able to have three different in person meetings with our coordinator before the wedding for preparation as well as a phone meeting and numerous emails. Andrea, the event coordinator, was so wonderful! I asked so many questions, and she was very helpful and quick to respond .
The day of the wedding, things went beautifully. I had very little stress. The room was beautiful, the food was good, and all of our outside vendors were able to deliver/setup without any issues to our knowledge. We were also able to spend hours before the wedding taking pictures at the hotel without additional cost. One disappointment was that some of our table numbers were put on the wrong tables. It seemed someone did not follow the floor plan correctly. This wouldn’t have hardly been an issue, but there were two different table sizes due to some variation in the number of people at each table. This caused at least one issue with guests not fitting at their assigned table. Andrea did step up and mitigate the situation which was helpful and appreciated.
Overall, we were extremely happy with our choice of the Hilton! It was a truly beautiful day!
response 11/01/2018
Sarah,
Congratulations again on your marriage! It was such a pleasure working with you, t...
hank you so much for choosing the beautiful Empire Ballroom at the Hilton Milwaukee. We are so lucky to have our historic ballrooms, they are definitely not a conference room as you mentioned :) There are so many perks for having your wedding at a hotel, and we were so honored to have served your friends and family not only at your reception, but all weekend long!
Please do visit us again soon, you are now a part of our family, and our story and we would love to have you back!
Sarah S
5.0
8/31/2018
We had our wedding in the Crystal Ballroom on Aug 18th, 2018. Our event coordinator, Racheal, was amazing to work with! The wedding went off without a hitch. Also, let me comment on the food because I couldn't find many reviews on the food for the venue! The food is GREAT! The food, in my opinion, is one of the most important aspects of the wedding, and the Hilton did not disappoint my high expectations! Not to mention we got a ton of compliments on the food from our guests.
Right off the bat the Hilton was by far the most transparent with their costs. I straight up new exactly how much my event would cost including service charge and tax, which many other venues I looked at in the Milwaukee area did not provide. In fact, as I read through contracts for other venues I noticed many hidden fees that they did not mention in my meetings with them. I had piece of mind with the Hilton knowing there were NO hidden fees and I had an estimated event total for my estimated amount of guests before I even signed the contract. Everything comes along in the package you pick so you know exactly what you are getting, how much it will cost, and makes for really easy planning! I am so happy I chose the Hilton for my 300 guest wedding, and I hope I get to come for an event here again because the food really was that good!
response 11/01/2018
Sarah-
Thank you so much for the incredible review! We are very lucky to have such a tale...
nted culinary team who strive to make every event unique and delicious. Our Chef Bill and Chef Dan love their jobs and take pride in their work -- and it shows!
A lot of couples find a lot of value in our packages, and love the fact that we don't have any hidden fees - a wedding can be a very expensive day to plan, and we don't want to be the reason to break your budget. Congratulations, and please do visit us again soon!
Emily G
5.0
6/19/2018
Honestly this is the most beautiful hotel you could choose for your event. Millie the canine concierge adds such a special touch too!
response 11/01/2018
We love our little Millie! Millie (short for Milwaukee) is our K9 Concierge! She is a ...
hypoallergenic mini goldendoodle who loves greeting our guests! You can find her lounging around the lobby, riding bell carts, or playing with our fur-guests in our spacious outdoor courtyard (which is available for outdoor ceremonies or receptions!). Meet her here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MpmRRAHxmU
Bridget S
5.0
1/10/2018
Our wedding in December was in the Empire ballroom and went off without a hitch! Planning was super easy, Racheal made sure everything ran smoothly and did a fabulous job! The room was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the staff was super nice and helpful! I highly recommend this venue for your wedding!
response 11/01/2018
Bridget, thank you for the kind words. Racheal is an incredibly talented Event Manager, w...
e know ALL of our brides are in the best hands with her! Congratulations and please visit us again soon!
Abby E
4.0
6/27/2017
We knew we had to have our reception at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center the moment we saw the Empire Ballroom. Just stunning. While we are still happy we had it here, it didn't come without some cons. Starting with the cons: our engagement was about 2 years and we booked the Hilton the moment it was available to book for the date we wanted thinking that since we have so much time we shouldn't have many problems with planning. However, over those two years we were passed from coordinator to coordinator (two separate times), and a couple months before the wedding they wanted to switch us to another coordinator before we said that that can't happen so close to our wedding. We kept meeting with the various coordinators, but notes weren't passed along so we just kept having to repeat ourselves (and 4 months out you don't want to have to keep telling people the same thing). Once we voiced our concerns, we were able to stay with the 3rd coordinator through our wedding. The months leading up to the wedding, emails were not responded to quickly and not all questions were being answered. Very poor communication on their end. Luckily we were able to set-up meetings while we were in town because that seemed to be the only way to get things done.
Pros!! I don't want it to seem like it was all negative because it definitely wasn't. They were very flexible as far as creating our own wedding menu from their banquet menu (vs the expensive wedding menu) which helped with keeping within our budget. They have a lot of options and it was nice to create something that we would enjoy and not break the bank. They let us bring in our own dessert (Insomnia Cookies!) without any extra fees. We brought in a lot of decorations/favors the Friday before and it was all set-up exactly like we wanted it! Very thankful they were able to help with that. Some other pluses included complimentary hotel room night of wedding, two complimentary banquet rooms to get ready in the morning of our wedding, discounted rates for guests the weekend of the wedding, they were very accommodating to our guests with special dietary needs, and they were transparent throughout the entire process for what we would be charged for. And the biggest pro is how amazing the empire ballroom is! Our guests also really loved our cocktail hour in their Honors Lounge.
All in all, we had an amazing wedding reception at the Hilton and our guests had a lot of fun. We just wish the planning process went smoother as that caused a lot of extra stress and wasn't the best for planning from out-of-state.
Melissa G
5.0
6/15/2017
We had our wedding and reception at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center this past weekend and it was a completely wonderful experience. The hotel and the grounds are beautiful and well-kept. Our coordinator, Racheal, was beyond helpful. We planned our wedding from another state without even seeing the Hilton spaces until the day before our wedding. Racheal was so patient and helpful throughout the whole process. She walked us through every detail and made us feel 100% comfortable with our decision and the events of the day. The rest of the staff was amazing and extremely accommodating. Our guests had nothing but great things to say about the hotel, the service and the food! We considered this to be a success on every level. We would highly recommend this venue to any couple.
Alyssa A
5.0
9/22/2016
Having our wedding at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center was a dream come true. We worked with Stephanie, and I could not have enough kind words to say about her. She helped us with EVERYTHING!! We would recommend this beautiful venue to everyone!
Sarah S
5.0
9/14/2016
We did our reception in the Crystal Ballroom. This is a fantastic venue! The Hilton coordinator, Jennifer Pretschold, was an absolute joy to work with. The venue itself is gorgeous and has restrooms on the same level as the reception area. You an also use the beautiful foyer for cocktail hour. It's all really convenient for guest, and they gave us a great rate on rooms, even more convenient if you have lots of guests from out of town. Finally, the food was THE BEST we've ever had at a wedding. We had the beef tenderloin and it was served hot and perfectly done. Not over cooked. The appetizers were all fantastic and the Hilton staff made us feel so special!
Lauren F
5.0
4/29/2016
Two words – Maggie Fehring
The Hilton Milwaukee City Center hotel speaks for itself. It’s beautiful, rich with a historical past and welcoming to guests of every walk of life (that includes pups!). What you don’t immediately see when you walk into the grand venue is the person responsible for making your event go on without a hitch – that’s Maggie Fehring. The Hilton was our base camp for the wedding. It was the hotel where friends and family stayed, where we had the bridal suite, where we grabbed cocktails after our reception in the Chandelier Ballroom and where you held the Sunday brunch the day after the big shindig. Kim was wonderful and extremely helpful with helping us book our event, even notifying us at the last minute when our date became available. Then, Maggie was there for us every additional step of the way. She was responsive, positive, juggled all of our vendors and always available when we needed her. She was able to get the answers to our questions in a timely manner and always with a smile. The food was spectacular for the wedding celebration and day after brunch, and food service during the reception was exactly what we wanted. We highly recommend the Hilton to anyone looking to holding their wedding in the Milwaukee market. Ask for Maggie!
Lauren & Regan (September 2015)
Rebekah K
2.0
9/22/2015
We stayed at the iconic downtown Hilton on our wedding night, as it was the only nice downtown hotel not requiring a 2 night minimum over the holiday weekend.
We were supposed to get free overnight parking and also breakfast included with our stay. In morning we learned we needed a voucher for breakfast and the front desk would only provide one. And surprise! Even though we were told at check-in that parking was covered, it was not. When we went to check out the same person asked if we enjoyed breakfast, to which we reminded him he would not provide 2 vouchers. He apologized and gave us Starbucks vouchers for a free drink that must be used the same day and only in the Starbucks located in the Hilton.
The room was must less exciting that what I expected. We were told we got a room upgrade, but we did not.
The only positive part of the experience is that two weeks after contacting Hilton we ended up getting the parking and non-existent up grade refunded.
I should note, this is not my first negative experience at the Hilton downtown. A few years ago at a friends wedding, the desk person gave my room to the best man.
5.0
9/12/2015
We fell in love with the Hilton the moment we saw the Crystal Ballroom. It is beautiful. We worked with Maggie throughout our planning. She is hand down the best wedding around. She made sure that our day was exactly how we dreamed. Everything from the initial visit, food tasting, meetings with Maggie, and working with the hotel was easy and made us feel at ease. Our guests were so impressed with the Hilton. Many comments were made about it being the coolest or best venue that they had ever been to. The food, drinks, and rooms are great! I only hope I can attend a wedding a guest at the Hilton some day!
Mary H
4.0
9/04/2015
My husband and I had our reception here, and we loved it!! The Empire Ballroom was gorgeous, the servers were very responsive, and the coordinator we worked with, Maggie, was absolutely amazing. Our only problem with it was the late night staff were not quite as helpful, and it was a little more expensive than we thought it should be. Overall, we would highly recommend this venue!!
Ray A
5.0
8/06/2015
My wife and I had our wedding reception last weekend at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center in the Empire Ballroom. From the moment we began to look for venues, the Hilton quickly became our first choice. The staff is excellent to work with, the venue is just beautiful with a feeling of class, and the food is amazing.
From the start, Kim and Maggie were wonderful to work with. My wife and I both travel frequently for work, so finding a location that was very hands-on and involved with the planning was very important for us. Maggie went above and beyond to ensure that we kept planning on track even with our crazy schedules and were able to pull off "the perfect wedding." We could not be happier with the service we received from Hilton and I could not think of a better place for us to have our wedding.
Thank you Kim, Maggie, and the entire Hilton team for all your hard work, handling a few last-minute changes, and just being there to help ensure our day was magical.
Hannah Z
4.0
7/07/2015
We got 3 very large suites for our wedding party. The suites are two regular-sized hotel rooms connected by a VERY large living room/entertainment space. We had two huge sitting areas, a bar, and an extra bathroom. The suite setup was perfect for getting ready on the day of the wedding and the view of Milwaukee looked great in my 'getting ready' photos. However, the cleaning staff was terrible. They showed up at 8:00am on the day of the wedding; we asked them to come back any time between 2:00pm - 10:00pm. When I got back to my hotel room on my wedding night, the room still hadn't been cleaned (bed unmade, used cups and glasses not switched out, used towels not switched out). This was really disappointing but when I let the front desk know they didn't seem to care. Besides the cleaning staff, everything else was really nice.
Maria G
5.0
6/16/2015
I got married here in April 2015 and I do not have enough fabulous things to say about this hotel. The entire staff was extremely kind, helpful, and assertive. My coordinator in particular, Maggie Fehring, deserves the utmost praise for managing all of the details and ensuring everything ran smoothly day of as well. I also had another coordinator outside of the Hilton, Janelle Meyer-Brown, from Evenement, and they both worked so well together! They helped my vision come alive. To give you an idea of how accommodating the Hilton was: picture a dress with a HUGE train in need of steaming.... it could not be sent to a dry cleaner because of its extremely delicate nature (an heirloom piece from the 1940's) so it needed to be propped and rigged somehow... 6 ironing boards later... we were able to accomplish this great feat! I wish I could attach a photo of how ridiculous but funny this looked in my parents room... but the Hilton was SO kind and accommodating, with no questions asked as to why I needed 6 ironing boards! LOL I am sure they thought I was crazy. Regardless, the staff was attentive to every request and need, and we could not be more grateful. This was a destination wedding, so it could have been quite chaotic, but thanks to Maggie, Janelle, and the Hilton staff, everything ran so smoothly, and my guests had the time of their lives! xx The Meier's
Alie L
5.0
10/28/2014
Our experience with the Hilton was a great one. We had Maggie as our coordinator, and she couldn't have been better or sweeter. The staff was incredibly helpful. My grandfather became ill at the reception, and the staff brought his dinner up to his room for him. Our only complaint was that there was some "loud noises" coming from the room next to our bridal suite… which was quite un-romantic… The walls are quite thin. Other than that, we would highly recommend this venue!
Meghan H
5.0
10/28/2014
Our experience with the Hilton Milwaukee City Center was beyond what I could have ever expected. The staff was outstanding from the very beginning, and really worked with us to create a completed package we were happy with. The day of was so easy, we didn't have any set up to take care of which was great. Food was outstanding, as was the service. We got so many complements from our guests how wonderful everyone was to them. I'd recommend Maggie and her team to anyone!
Kate S
3.0
10/09/2014
Our family has been loyal Hilton customers for many years now so choosing the Hilton City Center in Milwaukee was an obvious choice for our wedding guests. However, we were disappointed in the service we received from our booking representative, Louis. He was non-responsive (I had many emails and calls go un-answered) or took days/weeks to return an email. Another issue we encountered was for the guest gift boxes. We had arranged for gift boxes to be delivered to each of the guest rooms and we were returned multiple boxes after the wedding that were not delivered. This was problematic because the shuttle schedule and wedding details were included in them. I will say when we brought our concerns to the attention of his manager, she was very attentive and quickly worked to make the situation better.
Outside of these issues, I would recommend the Hilton City Center. It provides affordable rates for guests and is in a prime location in downtown Milwaukee.
Sarah B
5.0
7/14/2014
Booking at the Milwaukee Hilton City Center was the best decision we made for our wedding. We were given a wedding consultant (Maggie) and she was seriously amazing. She would respond to emails with questions right away, and always had a solution to the problem. The entire staff the night of the wedding was very professional, and we could not be happier with how everything turned out. Definitely worth the price!!
CJ m
5.0
6/19/2014
The event manager was excellent. Got back to me quick, worked with me, set everything up the day of. Staff was friendly and helpful as well. Great Military Discount!
Amber D
5.0
4/13/2014
Our experience planning our wedding was easy and our day turned out to be everything we could hope for! Maggie was our event coordinator at the wedding, and she was WONDERFUL! :) Thank you to all of the staff who made our day turn out to be exactly what we planned for.
Kate M
5.0
1/22/2014
Without a doubt, choosing this vendor for our wedding reception was the perfect decision. The Hilton's event coordinator, Maggie Fehring, was OUTSTANDING and really made the planning process incredibly easy and stress-free. Maggie was always available to answer my (many!) questions, and did an amazing job at tailoring our reception to fit our unique requests/vision. More importantly, the day-of, everything was set up even better than I had imagined, the food was incredible, and the ambiance was seriously epic for our New Year's Eve wedding. In addition, the value for the food/drink package (we chose the "Ultimate" package) was very reasonable, and was the primary reason we initially chose this venue. I cannot say enough about our experience, and would HIGHLY recommend the Hilton Milwaukee City Center for any wedding reception.
Elizabeth G
5.0
5/14/2013
I can't say enough about how wonderful the Hilton was to deal with for our wedding reception.
The hotel itself is gorgeous, especially for a winter wedding like ours. It was decorated to the nines for Christmas, with velvet ribbon and gold ornaments everywhere. There are so many different environments within the hotel that our photographer had a field day -- ornate ballroom doorways to frame a shot; a marble spiral staircase; this incredible gilded ironwork door/wall that can makes such a rich background for your shot.
Many of our guests commented on how good the food was. We did a tasting a few months before the big day, and some of the food was very salty; they actually listened to our feedback and adjusted the salt levels for the event. The chef also worked with us to come up with custom menu options (we wanted a local fish and a vegetarian option that wasn't an afterthought). At no point did I ever feel like I was annoying them with requests to personalize our day. Everyone we dealt with were consummate professionals with a great attitude. They thought of every detail and made sure things ran smoothly for us.
I appreciate that the Hilton gives you 14 days to look over your contract while still holding your date, before the deposit is due. This takes the pressure off and lets your really look things over thoroughly.
From start to finish, the people we worked with (primarily Maggie - thank you!!) went above and beyond. When the church we had initially booked fell through, she sent us suggestions for others, including the one we ended up using for our ceremony. Not being from Milwaukee, we needed some advice on locations for pictures, and she provided that, too. When I arrived at the hotel 3 days before the wedding, with a bunch of last-minute tasks to do, the staff was extremely helpful -- for instance, letting me use the paper cutter from the front office to trim some table tent signs.
There were a number of small billing mistakes (as there inevitably would be with any event of this size), but the accounting office resolved them quickly and cheerfully.
One tip for people staying here: the hotel is shaped like an H, and the rooms on the center part of the H were overheated when we were there. The weather was unseasonably warm and I guess the hotel and turned off the A/C for the season already (not unreasonable in December). But just the heat generated by concentrated people and machinery made those rooms very hot, and some of our guests had to move to the sides of the H in the middle of the night -- just something to keep in mind when checking in.
3.0
10/30/2012
We chose the Hilton Milwaukee City Center because it was close to our wedding and reception venues. Katie was really helpful setting up the block. Unfortunately, the reservations desk staff was not helpful and on more than one occasion I needed to contact them and Katie because guests were told they could not make the reservation they desired. Katie said she will address this issue so it is not a problem in the future.
Ashley H
5.0
10/04/2012
EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT. I do not have one complaint about the Hilton. They were so easy to work with. They gave us an unbelievable military discount as well. Would recommend to anyone! Food was outstanding. Received so many compliments.
Grace S
5.0
9/28/2012
My husband and I had our wedding reception at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and could not have been happier!! Compared to many other venues in downtown Milwaukee, this was by FAR the best value! Service was impeccable and the coordinator was great to work with!!! We highly recommend the Hilton for any wedding reception!
Juana M
4.0
8/19/2012
The Hilton Milwaukee City Center (Even Manager Maggie) was amazing. She was always willing to answer my questions or assist me with finding other vendors. She truly was wonderful and helped me make my reception what I always wanted. The staff that assisted that day knew what they were doing. They were on top of it. They provided excellent service to all my guests. The only thing I had an issue and of course I found this out towards the end of the night was with the parking. Some of my guests were told that they would not recieve discount parking and actually had to pay the full price. I think this is something that they Hilton can improve on. They need to figure out a better way to provide the discount parking to the guests. Over all I love the empire ballroom and I would not have traded in having my reception there.
Brooke M
5.0
6/07/2012
I fell in love with the Crystal Ballroom the first time I walked in and fell more in love with it the day of our wedding! It's absolutely beautiful. Be sure to include some uplighting when planning your decorations.
The food and service was fabulous as well! We received a lot of compliments on the food. We had a sea bass option, vegetarian and a short ribs/chicken combo.
Maggie is also wonderful to work with during the planning months!
Sara C
4.0
2/02/2012
My husband and I chose the Hilton Milwaukee City Center for our wedding in large part because we wanted a hotel venue so that our guests (and us!) would have a place to stay after the festivities without having to drive anywhere and where we could hold the whole wedding, including the ceremony. We also thought the very ornate decor and rich colors were great for our vintage 1940's/Old Hollywood inspired wedding. Our salesperson was late to the meeting but showed us a gorgeous venue, the minimums were decent and they had a lot to offer. Some of what she promised was not in the contract (Note**Always be very sure anything you heard is in WRITING!) but the Hilton was wonderful in giving us anything that was promised verbally. Once we contracted, we were given a Catering Manager (ours was Jennifer and she was awesome) who helped coordinate and make things go as planned. We were offered a food tasting which was amazing. On the day of the wedding, there were some service issues including cold/dry food, slow service, confusion over set up, confusion at the bar regarding included drinks per our package and some other minor issues. The Hilton seemed very interested in making sure they knew about these issues and also seemed committed to improving on their service which, in my opinion, would raise their events to the level of their luxurious venue. Even with those issues, I'd still recommend the Hilton and would simply suggest making sure the catering staff is well informed and contracts are solid. Maybe a wedding planner would have helped in my situation as well but overall we were very happy with our wedding in the Empire Ballroom and it turned out to be a very enjoyable day.
Lauren R
5.0
1/01/2012
Our Christmas wedding was in the Empire Ballroom at the Hilton. It was perfectly decorated with Christmas trees and lights. The golds and deep reds in the room only added to the beauty of the season. Our catering manager was incredibly helpful and everything went so smoothly. The food was the best wedding food I have ever eaten--they even cooked my husband's steak to his liking! Looking back, there is not a thing I would change about this venue. It was class all the way at the Hilton!
Madeline L
5.0
10/16/2011
The hilton staff was wonderful. Our wedding was Friday October 14, 2011. Everyone at the site catered to anything we needed. The food was wonderful and the service was perfect. This was a great experience!!
Hilary P
2.0
8/12/2011
This hotel is lovely, the staff are friendly and the Empire ballroom is beautiful, but service level was not where it should have been. The staff and room were not ready to open when it should have, the anti-pasta display did not look like it did at the tasting, and they lost my rented linens. As the bride I should not have been responsible for staying after the event to supervise the linens being put away but apparently that's what I should have done. The linens were lost and the linen company was charging me over $4000 for them because the Hilton Banquet team misplaced them. It took over two months of emailing and calling the Hilton for them to finally take responsibility for the lost linens and the charge. I expected better service from a place where I gave them over $20,000 in business that weekend.
Valerie L
5.0
6/29/2011
The Hilton was great. The halls are beautiful and the people were great to work with and very professional.
Eleanor C
2.0
2/15/2011
We chose the Hilton Milwaukee City Center because it was the perfect location for our guests to be between out ceremony and reception. The tour they gave to us beforehand was also a very positive experience. The service during the weekend of the wedding was not so positive. We had several of our guests not get discounts we had been promised, and not get room upgrades that they had specified when making their reservation. This as well as several difficult situations with customer service people during our guests stay, made us regret choosing this hotel. However, the rooms were very nice, and it is a great location.
Jeni K
1.0
10/19/2010
I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed, unimpressed, and disgusted I am with the Hilton! It's a pretty place, but beauty isn't everything...
1- When I reserved my block 9 months before my wedding, the staff didn't process the paper work, so none of my guests were able to book in the block until 3 months later when I found out.
2- After the block was finally set up, my guests were unable to make reservations in the block because the Hilton-appointed representative (Theresa) never answered or returned their calls, even with multiple attempts. When I tried to contact her to see what was going on, she never got back to me either.
3- Most importantly, they really, REALLY don't have their act together when it comes to charging people. They kept putting multiple holds for exorbitant amounts on our guests’ credit cards and even accidentally maxed out a few of their cards for one night's stay! My mom got $2,000 put on her card for one night's stay (actual cost: $142) and it took her 2.5 weeks of being tossed from one person to the next to get it straightened out.
When my husband and I arrived to our Honeymoon, we couldn't check in because the Hilton had maxed out the card our stay was reserved on.
4- For the price paid, the rooms aren't equipped well. There is no in-room hair-dryer, bathroom fan, or refrigerator/cooler, even in the “higher quality” rooms. Many of our outlets didn't work, either, which was just annoying.
5- The heat was not working in one of our guest’s rooms. The first time they called down, someone from maintenance appeared an hour later, tinkered with the heater and said it was fixed. When the room remained 63 degrees, they called again and this time no one showed up. They called a third time, but still no one showed. They ended up borrowing extra blankets instead. (They couldn’t transfer rooms because the hotel was full).
6- A minor detail, but still disappointing: my mom had arranged the honeymoon special of strawberries and champagne for our wedding night, and the Hilton forgot about it. This was even after she and I both confirmed it separately on two different occasions (including the day of). We confirmed it 4 times, and they still didn't get it. Husband and I had Sprite from the over-priced vending machine instead.
I cannot give you any stories of the Hilton's redeeming qualities, other than "the lobby is pretty." Seriously, save yourself a headache, loads of stress, and unnecessary credit card charges. STAY AWAY FROM HERE!
Kristin W
5.0
9/19/2010
We held our wedding reception at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, and we were very pleased. The ballroom was very elegant and didn't require additional decorations, the linens provided by the Hilton were beautiful, and the Hilton staff set out our centerpieces and wedding favors just like we had explained. Throughout the evening, they were very accommodating to meet our needs and we don't have any complaints. We would highly recommend a Hilton Milwaukee wedding reception to any of our friends!
Katie C
4.0
9/15/2010
I thought the Hilton did a great job.
Katie R
4.0
9/08/2010
The Hilton Milwaukee was great to work with most of the time. Theresa was super helpful, especially with my constant email chain of questions since we were planning long distance. The food was great, service was great, and everyone thought the room looked awesome. The location couldn't have been better for us, and the room rate they gave us was awesome, especially considering it was the first weekend of Summerfest. One major issue happened the night of our wedding when they didn't have the honeymoon suite that was supposedly provided in the package we bought. We went to check in after the wedding, but the room was not available and they had no room for us. After two hours of arguing a room was found, but we didn't get the champagne and cake a family member bought for us as a wedding night suprise. Other than that MAJOR issue, the venue was great and looked awesome and the food was FANTASTIC!!!!
Rachel D
5.0
8/09/2010
WOW is the best descriptor I can give. Such a large and beautiful building full of character and in the heart of the city. Service was excellent and I was comforted knowing my guests not only got a room for the evening(s), but they also had the entertainment of the city within footsteps. The decor of the Hilton matched perfectly with the decor of the Wisconsin Club (our reception venue). I could not have asked for a more lovely and perfect setting for our guests.
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