Milwaukee, WI

Downtown Milwaukee Hampton Inn now fully reopen ahead of busy summer

Published

2 years ago

April 15, 2024

Downtown Milwaukee Hampton Inn now fully reopen ahead of busy summer

The Hampton Inn & Suites hotel in downtown Milwaukee’s Westown neighborhood is back up and running, following its closure last year last year in the face of financial challenges.

In February, the 138-room hotel at 176 W. Wisconsin Ave. quietly began reopening in phases; as of last week, all of its rooms are available for booking, said Tiffany Avgoulas, the hotel’s new general manager.

The hotel shut down in May 2023 and was later acquired by its lender in a deed in lieu of foreclosure action. Then, in October, the property was purchased for $6 million by an affiliate of Lisle, Illinois-based E.M.A. Hospitality, the hotel’s new operator.

Over the past few months, all rooms have gotten a “full refresh,” including a deep cleaning and polishing as well as new TVs, linens and mattresses. New carpeting was recently installed in the hotel’s lobby area, said Avgoulas.

In addition, E.M.A. Hospitality hired an entirely new team for the hotel, now fully staffed at 24 employees. Avgoulas was brought on in December as director of fails — a position that oversees a property’s turnaround and reopening — and was promoted to GM just a couple weeks ago. She said the hiring effort has presented its challenges, but “we’re getting there slowly but surely.”

Capturing demand

With summer’s peak season right around the corner, the Hampton Inn is well-positioned to benefit from the influx of visitors expected from numerous large-scale events in coming months, including the 2024 Republican National Convention, which has the entire property booked during its July 15-18 run. Outside of that, the hotel is sold out from roughly mid-June through August, said Avgoulas.

“We have such a prime location, it’s great that we’re able to be this successful this early on (in the reopening),” she said.

Prior to its closure last year, the Hampton Inn’s sixth-floor ballroom was a popular spot for weddings and other events; it was previously operated by Clai Green, who owns two other event venues in the city. Currently, the space remains closed but the plan is to remodel and reopen it for event rentals sometime in the future, said Avgoulas, although the timeline is yet to be determined.

“We’re just focusing on our guests and the rooms and getting all of that fully squared away,” she added.

Troubling trend

The Hampton Inn & Suites is one of a few hotels in the city that have experienced financial difficulties in the past year — a sign of the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and following interest rate hikes on the hospitality industry.

Most recently, the Milwaukee Marriott Downtown at 625 N. Milwaukee St. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to restructure debt obligations.

In September, the 102-room Iron Horse Hotel in Walker’s Point was sent to auction to resolve its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In December, the hotel reached a deal with its lender to resolve its Chapter 11 bankruptcy and foreclosure.

In July, a foreclosure lawsuit was filed by Atlanta-based hospitality lender Access Point Financial LLC against the owner of the Cambria Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, an affiliate of Chicago-based Murphy Development Group. A $17.5 million foreclosure judgement was entered in November. In January, the hotel was acquired by its lender in a transaction valued at $11.1 million.

Hotel industry analysts like Greg Hanis have warned of this trend for months.

The Federal Reserve’s moves to raise interest rates to combat inflation have put pressure on hotel operators. Before the pandemic, many hoteliers signed five- to seven-year commercial loans with interest rates closer to 3%; those rates have risen to 8% or even 10%, Hanis told BizTimes last year.

“When you start adding on five, six, seven points of interest to a $10 million loan, it is a big hit,” Hanis said in August.

And even though summer 2024 is expected to bring visitors and tourism spending in numbers unlike anything this city has seen before, there could be more hotel foreclosures on the horizon.

“There are hotels right now that are operating, they’re doing fine, but they have this cloud in the background,” Hanis added.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee boy critically missing, last seen near Teutonia and Kiley

Published

4 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee boy critically missing, last seen near Teutonia and Kiley

article

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department requested the public’s help to find 11-year-old Sir’Charles Bason, a critically missing boy who was last seen near Teutonia and Kiley at around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.

Police described Bason as 4 feet, 5 inches tall with a slim build, brown eyes and black, low-cut hair. He was last seen wearing a gray jacket with green lines, dark-colored jeans, tan sandals and carrying gray Nike Jordan shoes.

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What you can do:

Anyone with information on Bason’s whereabouts is asked to call Milwaukee Police District 4 at 414-935-7242.

The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department released information.

Missing PersonsNewsMilwaukee

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Milwaukee, WI

Former ‘Most Wanted’ Milwaukee man sentenced for killing cousin in 2020

Published

16 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Former ‘Most Wanted’ Milwaukee man sentenced for killing cousin in 2020

article

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.

In court

What we know:

A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.

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Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.

Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.

Homicide investigation

The backstory:

The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.

“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”

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Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.

Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.

The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.

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Milwaukee, WI

Brewers beat Marlins in extras, Mitchell’s double the difference

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Brewers beat Marlins in extras, Mitchell’s double the difference

article

Brice Turang slides to home plate to score during a game between the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

MIAMI – Garrett Mitchell went 2 for 4 with three RBIs including a two-run double in the 10th inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 on Friday night.

By the numbers:

Miami’s Calvin Faucher (1-2) entered a 4-all game in the 10th and walked Gary Sánchez with Brice Turang on second. Jake Bauers hit a single to load the bases.

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Luis Rengifo reached first on a throwing error by second baseman Xavier Edwards, allowing Turang to score. Mitchell followed with his double.

The Marlins scored one run in the bottom of the 10th when Jakob Marsee came home on Trevor Megill’s wild pitch. Megill settled in for his fourth save.

Coleman Crow, who made his debut on the mound for the Brewers, threw 77 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. He threw four strikeouts, gave up two earned runs and a walk.

The right-hander was 2-0 with a 4.07 ERA in two starts with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. He missed part of the 2023 season and all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Brewers scored three runs in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Mitchell hit an RBI single, Bauers scored on a forceout at first and Rengifo scored on a throwing error by catcher Agustín Ramírez.

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Miami’s Otto Lopez hit a triple to center field in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Owen Caissie. Lopez hit a two-run homer in the sixth to pull Miami within 4-3 and Ramírez doubled in the eighth to tie the game at four.

Abner Uribe (1-0) earned his first win of the season, coming on in the ninth inning.

Marlins third baseman Graham Pauley left the game in the seventh inning with right oblique discomfort after spinning out of the way of a pitch.

What’s next:

The Brewers and Marlins continue their 3-game series on Saturday, with Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 4.36 ERA) taking the mound for Milwaukee and Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 2.67) for Miami.

The Source: The Associated Press provided this report.

Milwaukee BrewersSports

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