Potawatomi Hotel & Casino

New Construction, LEED® Gold, Hotel, Restaurant, Bar/Lounge, Conference Rooms

Cuningham Group designed an $80 million expansion to the original 19-story hotel tower at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. The additional 119 rooms and suites brings the total room count to 500, making it the second largest hotel in Milwaukee. The 189,000-square-foot expansion also features a spa and additional meeting space. It opened in August 2019.

Also designed by Cuningham Group, the existing 3½-star tower features 381 rooms, a casual-dining restaurant, a lobby bar/lounge and meeting space. The hotel tower opened to the public in 2014, giving residents and visitors to the area an iconic 19-story tower along the skyline that integrates both traditional Milwaukee architecture and modern design. The hotel also represents the area’s culture and geography and offers subtle nods to the storied history of the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe.

The materials and color of the hotel’s base reflect the character of the industrial buildings throughout Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, as well as the existing casino. To reflect the modern entertainment offered inside, the hotel tower rises from its masonry base adorned in a combination of green-tinted transparent and opaque glass to take on the look of Lake Michigan’s shimmery waves on a sunny day. The top floor features a “floating” prow-like roofline which houses several suites. Additionally, a modern glass enclosed “flame” at the top of the hotel’s tower references the Forest County Potawatomi’s role as “Keepers of the Fire.”