Downtown Destinations
1 W. Dayton St.
257-6000, concoursehotel.com
Vibe: Upscale escape with Capitol views
Digs: Plush renovated and green-friendly rooms with gold accents and granite-top furniture grace the sixth to tenth floors of the long-running downtown hotel while the swanky Governor’s Club fills the top three floors with the largest rooms, Jacuzzi suites and private guest lounge.
View: Due to the upcropping of buildings around the hotel, be sure to request a room overlooking either the Capitol and Lake Monona, or Lake Mendota.
Eat: San Francisco chef Charles Lazzareschi brings his culinary skill to both the hotel’s fine dining Dayton Street Grille and more casual The Bar. Guests can dine on seasonal, organic and local fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner or stop in to relax with a craft cocktail or glass of wine.
Meet: With sixty weddings and hundreds of meetings and conventions a year, many guests stay at the hotel for an event, but the proximity to Overture and MMoCA draws travelers from around the state and country as well.
Good to know: The Concourse offers add-ons such as champagne and strawberries for a romantic night away from home.
1501 Monroe St.
819-8228, hotelred.com
Vibe: Contemporary spin on hometown pride
Digs: From the modern red, white and black motif to the minibars stocked with local brews and treats in each of the forty-eight suites, this hotel offers a trendy new take on quintessential Madison experiences.
View: Guests enjoy views of the university’s historic Camp Randall Stadium, the hustle and bustle of Monroe and Regent streets or the tree-lined Vilas neighborhood.
Eat: Located on the lobby floor, The Wise offers hip bites and sips for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The locally sourced menu changes seasonally, but artful twists on area meats and cheeses are always on hand, as is a crafted cocktail list with everything from old fashioneds to Monroe Street Manhattans.
Meet: While the hotel mainly hosts business travelers from Sunday through Thursday, on weekends visitors from as close as Minneapolis and Chicago mingle with guests from as far away as Asia.
Good to know: HotelRED welcomes you and Fido, too, as a pet-friendly hotel.
333 W. Washington Ave.
257-2700, hyattplace.com
Vibe: Friendly downtown home away from home
Digs: The Hyatt Place boasts the largest guest rooms in downtown Madison, with either one king or two queen beds, a sofa sleeper and a separate work area. Staffers are available 24/7 to assist both guests who are staying for work and those who’ve come downtown to play.
View: While the Capitol West condos have obstructed the view of the Capitol, guests can opt for rooms with a sweeping view of the UW–Madison campus.
Eat: The hotel is one of the few to offer a complimentary breakfast you’d actually want to eat, and its Starbucks coffee, Grab ‘n Go case and twenty-four-hour kitchen provide easy options for guests on the go. The Foodie Package provides one $50 voucher per night for any Food Fight restaurant.
Meet: The hotel hosts about half of its guests for business and the other half for leisure, with parents, business executives and Overture performers filling rooms. Joe Biden once took a nap there.
Good to know: The Hyatt Place offers a complimentary shuttle service for destinations?within two miles anytime between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Allegra Dimperio is a former editorial intern for Madison Magazine.
