MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's historic Pfister Hotel is gearing up for a summer like never before.
The people who live and breathe hospitality inside the iconic walls say they are ready. They have hosted celebrities and world leaders for more than a century, so what is that like?
Our Susan Kim got behind-the-scenes access and shares stories that you have likely never heard before.
Harold Lewis is part of the Pfister's 131-year history in Milwaukee.
He's greeted Packers greats, like Bart and Cherry Starr, NBA superstars like Dwyane Wade, and legendary singers like Milwaukee native, Al Jarreau and Aretha Franklin, who told Lewis to call her "Auntie."
Lewis is the hotel's "Lead Guest Services Ambassador" and is often the first person guests will meet at the hotel.
He has 18 years of experiences that also includes Presidents, like the time George W. Bush was headed to the hotel gym. Lewis says "I said, Mr. President, make sure and get an extra set in for me because I won't have time. He was very cordial."
The Pfister has hosted 22 presidents, every president since William McKinley has stayed here.
General Manager Brandon Drusch says in 1899, President McKinley actually hosted the Western White House in the hotel's Imperial Ballroom on the 7th floor.
The Pfister has hosted many household names, and many spend the night in the Presidential Suite, including both Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
One of Drusch's favorite memories though was in 2016, when Sir. Paul McCartney spent two nights here.
Drusch says McCartney asked for a piano in his room and that "While we were waiting outside for him and his team, we could hear him playing. He kept going and going, singing songs. He had the door open; he was engaging with the staff. It was an absolutely incredible moment."
An incredible moment for Briana Greer was meeting the request of a certain A-lister, traveling with her twins.
Greer says "We were very honored to have Miss Mariah Cary and my team went out to get bunkbeds, and engineering and team together to put these bunk beds together. She was beyond herself; she couldn't believe we did that for her."
Greer is the 'Chef Concierge' for Pfister.
Chef is the international title for a hotel's head concierge. She understands the excellence her job requires, saying "Elvis did stay here, so I know the Pfister has had the experience extreme of everyone and anyone staying here. So, we've always just handled it with our professionalism."
Any day inside the hotel can mean juggling the needs of celebrities or actually juggling political opponents
Drusch explains a moment when the Republican presidential candidates were in town for a debate in 2016, "We were working through the logistics of making sure that they didn't necessarily cross paths. It was actually an incredible time for us."
Whether working with Presidents, celebrities, or regular guests, the Pfister Hotel says they want everyone who walks through these doors to experience the same warmth and welcome, the kind that comes with the mega-watt smile Harold Lewis shares, every day, saying "We like to take someone's ordinary day and make it extraordinary."
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