Yes, you read right. The new Iron Horse Hotel, opened in Milwaukee summer of 2008, is promoted as “the industry’s first modern luxury boutique hotel geared toward motorcycle enthusiasts and sophisticated business and leisure travelers.” A definite plus in that direction is its location just steps from Milwaukee’s new Harley-Davidson Museum.

Owner Tim Dixon, a native Milwaukeean, points to motorcycle enthusiasts who portray the opposite of that more prevalent biker image. He wants to create a place where the likes of Brad Pitt and Jay Leno can feel comfortable while enjoying their favorite hobby. The Iron Horse Hotel features secured covered motorcycle parking, rag bins, an on-site bike wash, packed saddle bag lunches, road trip maps and in-room storage areas for boots, helmets and heavy riding leathers.

'Road Runners' or not, business and leisure guests in the hotel's 102 rooms are offered complimentary wireless Internet, iPod docking stations, flat-screen televisions and luxury linens. Facilities include a lobby lounge, a full-service restaurant with indoor/outdoor dining, 24-hour room service, a spa and fitness center, meeting and catering outlets, 24-hour business center, valet parking and complimentary car service to the airport and other downtown locations.

Prior to this renovation of the 100-year-old redeveloped warehouse, the city’s native son and noted artist Charles Dwyer decorated the walls of the Boiler Room with his signature unique drawings of Milwaukee’s women, depicting their many transformations through that era...formidable to frivolous. Twenty of these have been reproduced in large format to adorn guestroom walls. Meanwhile, the Boiler Room will be turned into a dramatic sub-level recreation room, featuring a massive indoor hot tub/chilling pool to be unveiled in 2009.

It appears that The Iron Horse Hotel is destined to be a trend setter in several directions.   www.theironhorsehotel.com