12 Days of Getaways – Day 12

12 Days of Getaways – Winners

1. December 9th, Brookfield Suites Hotel – Linda M from Germantown, WI
2. December 10th, Sheraton Madison Hotel – Dotti P from Wisconsin Rapids, WI
3. December 11th, Hilton Milwaukee City Center – Leslie M from Franklin, WI
4. December 14th, Kress Inn – Kathy K from Millwaukee, WI
5. December 15th, Spur of the Moment Ranch – Kristin R from Waterford, WI
6. December 16th, The Pointe Hotel & Suites – Elizabeth S from Woodbury, MN
7. December 17th, InterContinental Milwaukee – Kate A from Milwaukee, WI
8. December 18th, Westwood Shores – Tim T from Mt. Prospect, IL
9. December 21st, Timber Ridge Lodge – Jane L from Oregon, WI
10. December 22nd, Holiday Acres Resort – Pam W from Doylestown, WI
11. December 23rd, Bella Vista Suites – Al W from Pleasant Prairie, WI

The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee

And our final winner in the 12 Days of Getaways is Denise J from Princeton, IL! Denise will receive the final getaway to The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee!

Congratulations to all of our winners! Don’t worry if you didn’t win… if you’re on the WisconsINN Getaways email list, you have a new chance to win a great Getaway every month.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday Season from WisconsINN Getaways and the Wisconsin Innkeepers Association!

Find Diamonds in Wisconsin

Earlier this month, AAA announced their 2010 Four & Five Diamond Award winning lodging properties.  AAA’s Diamond Ratings “represent a combination of the overall quality, range of facilities, and level of services offered by the property. The descriptive ratings are assigned exclusively to properties that meet and uphold AAA’s rigorous quality standards.” Only 3.4% of the nearly 60,000 hotels rated reach Four Diamond status and only .27% achieve Five Diamonds.

WIA is proud to announce that the following member properties were all award winners:

Four Diamonds:
The Osthoff Resort, Elkhart Lake – 12 consecutive years
Located on the shores of Elkhart Lake, The Osthoff Resort features 500 ft. of lakefront and offers spacious suites, Aspira Spa, a cooking school, two lakeside restaurants, a lounge, indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, whirlpools, fitness centers and a game room. Year-round recreation is available and many championship golf courses are located nearby.

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva – 12 consecutive years
No matter what season, you’ll be inspired by the beauty of Grand Geneva’s exquisite surroundings. Located one hour from Milwaukee and Chicago’s northwest suburbs, Grand Geneva is tucked away on 1,300 scenic acres. The resort features 355 newly renovated guest rooms including 51 suites and endless activities including golfing, skiing/snowboarding, horseback riding and hiking. The resort also offers more than 62,000 square feet of meeting space, three distinctive restaurants, newly redesigned WELL Spa + Salon and an FAA approved airport right on site. Grand Geneva has everything to help you unwind, relax or just get away! Travel Green Wisconsin-certified.

The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee – 1st year
Located in downtown Milwaukee, The Iron Horse Hotel is the industry’s first modern boutique hotel geared towards business and leisure travelers along with a growing segment of motorcycle enthusiasts. We feature 100 oversized loft-style guest rooms, restaurant Smyth (opening Spring 2009), fitness center and Branded, our lobby bar.

The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee – 34 consecutive years
The Pfister is known as the “Jewel of Milwaukee,” an elegant Victorian masterpiece enhanced by an ornate three-story lobby and a grand marble staircase. Spectacular views of the city and Lake Michigan in Blu, the 23rd floor gem in the sky. Mason Street Grill and WELL Spa make this Milwaukee’s urban destination resort.

Five Diamonds:
The American Club at Destination Kohler, Kohler – 25 consecutive years
Located in the quaint Village of Kohler, Wisconsin, Destination Kohler is home to championship golf courses at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run, the Mobil Four Star Kohler Waters Spa, nine restaurants of The Kitchens of Kohler, twenty-five unique stores at The Shops at Woodlake, River Wildlife, Sports Core health and racquet facility and additional resort properties. The Village of Kohler is located 55-miles north of Milwaukee and two-and-a-half hours north of Chicago.

Around the Web

Each week I write about places to stay and things to do in Wisconsin because I truly believe we have something to offer for everyone!  But don’t just take my word for it…  Check out what others around the web are saying about traveling in Wisconsin:

If you’re thinking Wisconsin Dells for your summer getaway with fishing, horseback riding, underground caves and, of course, waterparks, Wisconsin Dells – The Perfect Summer Getaway lists the Chula Vista Resort’s Lost Rios Indoor Waterpark among other don’t-miss Dells attractions.

Wisconsin’s Door County is the place to be in summer according to this article from the Bradenton Herald in Bradenton, FL.  If you’re looking for “one of those clean, quietly pristine places that seem almost like a throwback to the mellow 1950s, the old great resort towns of the Catskills, and television shows like ‘Ozzie and Harriett’ and ‘Leave it to Beaver’”, then you’ll definitely want to check out Door County.  Click here for more information on Wagon Trail Resort, described by the author as “surrounded by woods and water, [it’s] the ideal place for adding to that anti-stress mode. Its buffet breakfast, seriously one of the best I’ve ever had, and its brimming-with-goodies bakery are considered local institutions.”

If you’re contemplating more responsible travel for 2009, click on over and read this article on sustainable travel and green tourism.  Mentioned in the article is The Pfister Hotel, a TravelGreen Wisconsin certified hotel. To learn more about TravelGreen Wisconsin restaurants, golf courses, attractions and accommodations, check out their site at TravelGreenWisconsin.com