Courtesy of the Pfister Hotel
The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly rough on the restaurant and hospitality industry. Since March, a number of Milwaukee restaurants and hotels were forced to close or scale back operations for several months, leading to staff being laid off and a decrease in profits.
However, the industry is beginning to bounce back in the city. Milwaukee restaurants were permitted to open for dine-in customers in early June. Last week, Governor Tony Evers announced a statewide mask mandate for all indoor spaces, which began August 1 and will last through September 28.
The historic Pfister Hotel, which closed in April and reopened June 8, is bustling once again. “We’ve continued to see occupancy rise and have welcomed guests,” says Erin Levzow, vice president of marketing for Marcus Hotels and Resorts, the hotel’s parent company. “It’s been wonderful.”
Built in 1893 and with more than 20 floors, the elegant Pfister is committed to guest and staff health and safety. In response to the pandemic, the hotel has implemented the Pfister Hotel CleanCare Pledge, a stringent health and safety plan which, according to Levzow, “focuses on giving guests peace of mind.” “I think, at the Pfister, we are doing an absolutely wonderful job focusing on guest health and wellness,” she added.
Sanitation, Social Distancing
According to the Pfister, the plan consists of four pillars focusing on increased sanitation, social distancing, and “low-to-no contact interactions.”
The Clean Care initiatives include the installation of touchless hand sanitizer stations and ultraviolet cleaning devices, which automatically clean small personal belongings such as cell phones and keys. Only two guests who are not related are allowed in hotel elevators at a time, and trash receptacles and tissue dispensers are now located inside and outside each elevator.
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Hotel staff is required to wear personal protective equipment (face masks and gloves) and must undergo a temperature check before each work shift. Pfister rooms are thoroughly cleaned after each guest stay, and disinfectant spray guns “completely clean the hotel when guests are there,” Levzow said.
Digital ordering is available at the Pfister Café and Proof Pizza in St. Kate Arts Hotel (also owned by Marcus), which reopened July 31 after several months of closure. Reservations are required at Blu, the hotel’s cocktail lounge, and its 23rd-floor pool, now limited to 10 guests at a time.
“We want to provide [areas] which people see as healthy, safe, and clean,” says Levzow.
The hotel is also in the midst of launching a mobile check-in and key app, which would allow guests access to their rooms via cell phone. With this app, “you can completely bypass the front desk, and order room service straight from your phone,” Levzow explains.
Guests at the Pfister Hotel can also enjoy visiting Milwaukee’s lakefront and downtown attractions that are now open, such as the Milwaukee Art and Public museums and neighboring St. Kate, which just opened its latest gallery exhibit, “Wisconsin Funnies,” dedicated to the history of comics in the state.
“There’s a lot going on,” Levzow concluded.
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