Wisconsin hotels, cities on ‘top travel’ lists see positive impact

RACINE, Wis. —  If you spend time on social media, you have probably seen a number of “top travel destination” lists on various travel pages. They are a popular way for travelers to learn about new destinations. 

Wisconsin is well represented in one recent list —  the annual Readers’ Choice Awards put out by Condé Nast Traveler. 

The list, released in October, ranked Milwaukee as the third best big city in the nation to visit. 

In addition, numerous Wisconsin hotels, including Kohler’s Inn on Woodlake, and Milwaukee’s Hyatt and Pfister hotels, were named top Midwest hotels. 

Racine’s Hotel Verdant was also on the top hotels list. Adam Fuller, who serves as director of sales for the hotel, considers it a big win for the 1-year-old property. 

Fuller said that as a newer hotel, any positive mention in a national publication or website can make a difference in getting its name out. Fuller said social media is an important component of marketing. 

“There are many different types of travelers. People get their recommendations and information on all facets of travel through social media. To have a strong social media presence, creative content and make it visually appealing to people, really goes a long way,” Fuller said. 

Having a mention on “top travel” lists means something for tourism on a city-wide level as well. Claire Koenig oversees communications for Visit Milwaukee. Koenig said getting national recognition helps encourage more new visitors to consider checking out the Cream City. 

“Wherever we can put Milwaukee in front of audiences that haven’t considered it before, we are going to try to do that. This helps us remind all of the readers of Condé Nast Traveler that they should consider Milwaukee for their vacation,” Koenig said. 

Koenig said that positive national publicity can also help boost the area’s convention business. 

“It gives us something additional to add to our marketing. Third-party validation where we can say it is not just the tourism bureau saying this is a great place, it is this very well respected travel publication that has been setting industry standards for decades,” Koenig said.