Wauwatosa's Radisson Hotel closed in March, but will still host around 150 guests for RNC
A Wauwatosa hotel that closed three months ago will reopen to host around 150 guests for the Republican National Convention before shutting down permanently, multiple sources have told the Journal Sentinel.
The Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West, 2303 N. Mayfair Road, is listed on Google as "permanently closed." In March, it split with Choice Hotels International, the hospitality company which owns the Radisson Hotels brand in the United States.
But the hotel will still host 100 to 150 guests during the Republican National Convention week, which takes place in Milwaukee July 15 to 18, according to RNC spokesperson Kush Desai.
The RNC is aware of the hotel's closure, Desai said. He declined to comment further.
The general manager and other key staff have remained at the hotel and continue to prep for the RNC group, according to Beth Gleesing, tourism specialist for Discover Wauwatosa.
“We were told they were closing, but because they did have a group scheduled for the RNC they were going to honor that RNC contract" and close after the convention, Gleesing said.
The hotel left the Choice Hotels' system on March 13, according to Moe Rama, Choice Hotels public relations manager, who directed further questions to the owner of the hotel.
A representative of Decade Properties, Inc., which owns the Radisson Hotel property, did not respond to an email and call from a Journal Sentinel reporter requesting comment on the closure.
Gleesing said staff of the Radisson Hotel had initially notified the city they were no longer with Choice Hotels and that they would rebrand with the new name "Hotel 2303." But Gleesing said the hotel later notified the city of its plans to close permanently after the RNC.
Hotel general manager Rose Murack did not respond to an email and phone call requesting an interview.
Claire Koenig, vice president of communications and advocacy at Visit Milwaukee, said Visit Milwaukee is aware of the hotel's plans to close. Visit Milwaukee helped the RNC group secure lodging at the Radisson Hotel in the initial contracting phase, and "then their housing team took it from there," she said.
Wauwatosa Deputy City Administrator Melissa Cantarero Weiss confirmed the city was alerted of the hotel closure.
At least seven hotels in Wauwatosa, including the Radisson, plan to host RNC visitors, Gleesing said.
The Radisson Hotel in Wauwatosa has more than 7,500 square feet of meeting space, a business center, a pool and fitness center, according to the Decade Properties, Inc. website. Its restaurant, Jimmy's Island Grill and Iguana Bar closed May 2, according to a post on Facebook.
But the restaurant was approved for a liquor license for the 2024 to 2025 license period at a Wauwatosa Common Council meeting on June 4, according to the meeting minutes.
Jimmy's Island Grill and Iguana Bar did not respond to requests for comment.
Ald. Amanda Fuerst, who represents District 7 where the hotel property is, said she didn't know more about the hotel's status. "I'd love to see new management or owner invest in the property to bring it back to its prominence in the hotel and tourism market," she said in a text message to a Journal Sentinel reporter.
Contact the reporter Bridget Fogarty at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wauwatosa's closed Radisson Hotel to reopen for RNC guests in July
