Hotel owner and management company Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of Marcus Corp., is planning to reopen the west wing of the Hilton Milwaukee in early 2026 as The Marc Hotel, an independent, limited-service 175-room property.
Located in downtown Milwaukee with direct connectivity to the Baird Center, The Marc Hotel will serve both convention attendees and travelers seeking a convenient limited-service hotel option. Featuring Marcus Hotels & Resorts’ reliable commitment to excellence, The Marc Hotel will offer guests an efficient and comfortable stay with easy access to the city’s convention center and other local landmarks.
“Since announcing our extensive renovation plans for the Hilton Milwaukee, we have continued to evaluate the next plan for the west wing of the hotel,” Gregory S. Marcus, chief executive officer of Marcus Corp., said in a statement. “With The Marc Hotel we achieve two objectives: supporting the city and the ability for the Baird Center to attract larger conventions by maintaining the current levels of hotel room supply, and avoiding the additional investment of renovating the west wing guestrooms while facing the risk of more taxpayer-subsidized rooms being added to this market, as has been proposed. By keeping them as hotel rooms we preserve the ability to one day turn the property into a 1,000-room headquarters hotel should the future growth of the convention center and the strategic needs of the city dictate this course of action. Alternatively, should a new substantially subsidized competitor be added to the city’s inventory, this allows us to keep this part of the asset productive while we wait to transition it to a new use.”
The Marc Hotel is a nod to the Hilton Milwaukee’s history: Originally opened in 1928 as the Schroeder Hotel, Marcus Corporation purchased the hotel in 1972 and renamed it the Marc Plaza Hotel. The hotel was renamed in 1995 after adopting the Hilton Hotels flag.
Limited modifications to the hotel’s ground floor common space will be made to create a main entrance for The Marc Hotel on North 6th Street, with an anticipated opening in January 2026.