The Edgewater

We visited Madison for nostalgic reasons. While the city has changed tremendously, The Edgewater was a wonderful "home base" to wander around. We stayed in a Lakeside room (not sure of the exact name). It was wonderful hear the water lapping outside our window. The I was delighted that there was a dresser so I could unpack my suitcase. The bathroom had ample counter space, a lighted make-up mirror and a lovely shower. The restaurant (Statehouse) served a delicious breakfast with excellent service.

Very nice hotel, great services, very clean and I will return again. Also check out their store located in the Edgewater Spa bldg. I found some cute items.

Unfortunately, our experience at The Edgewater was disappointing from the start. When I called to make our reservation, I was told we needed to pay extra for a room that could accommodate three people—even though the third person was our 1-year-old—and that a crib would be an additional $50 per night. We actually tried to cancel after that interaction, but our reservation was non-refundable, so we went ahead with the stay.

When we checked in late Thursday night, another guest called the front desk because the AC in her room was broken. After putting her on hold, the front desk staff and security openly complained about how annoying she was. Shortly afterward, they were also making fun of a DoorDash delivery driver. Neither situation was a huge deal on its own, but hearing staff talk that way about guests and others while we were standing there felt unprofessional and made for an especially poor first impression.

From there, we found ourselves noticing all of the little things. We were part of a wedding group, and the general consensus among several people was that the entire experience felt very nickel-and-dimey. For a hotel at this price point, we expected a much higher level of hospitality and service.

The Edgewater has a beautiful location, but unfortunately the overall experience did not live up to our expectations, and I would not recommend it to family or friends.

Memorable view! Memorable meals! Nothing but quality, friendly, helpful experiences with everyone at the Edgewater! Made our son and new daughter in law’s wedding an incredible experience!

Take full advantage of the Spa. Very relaxing environment and laid well. Patio area overlooking the water is spacious, clean and welcoming!

Beautiful lake view and everything needed (restaurants, bars, spa, plaza, etc) on site.

I travel to Madison twice a year. The Edgewater is where I always stay. 5 stars! I’ve never been disappointed.

Edgewater an uber service place-from valet to head waiter who had nice amentities for our anniversary.A must go to in Madison

Would not recommend or return to this hotel. Services and rooms quality do not fall in line with the cost of the reservation. Management is inappropriate with guests and displayed gestures that were offensive.

This place is truely amazing. Gorgeous property right on the lake and the service is impeccable. We were just passing through for the night on our way to Colorado. I would come back and visit Madison just to stay at this property.

Everything about this hotel is easy and elegant. Very comfortable beds, linens,, rooms, common areas.

Comfortable hotel on Lake Mendota near the University. I rarely sleep well my first night in any hotel and I slept like a baby here! The conference facilities were great and the food was awesome!

There wasn't an option for zero stars, so I was forced to pick 1 star. I will NEVER stay at this hotel and here's why: we were meeting friends who were guests there, and having dinner at The Statehouse restaurant inside (which is wonderful, separate review). We parked in their self-parking lot building and the lot was very full with open spaces only available on their level #3 and underneath their adjacent building that houses the Boathouse on lake level. (Hotel lobby and street level is actually on level #6; building is on a cliff on the lakefront). The public parking elevators ONLY go down to level #4 (2 levels below street) which means one has to walk across a long tunnel and down the extra 2 level ramps along the way a car drives to actually get to level #6. CRAZY! Even worse, there were NO SIGNS at all directing us how to get to street/lobby level. Unless you are a hotel guest you cannot enter stairs to exit parking since a key card is necessary to open doors. obviously no-one from the hotel staff has ever tried parking in their lot to understand what someone must go through if their lot is crowded to get to street level and the lobby! This should be a no-brainer if this hotel was the least bit interested in customer service. I caution anyone who has the slightest trouble walking up/down many levels of stairs and/or long distances. Even the able-bodied in our group found it nonsensical that there were no signs directing us. We spoke with a front office manager Mr. Ajeel Aziz who was not helpful or understanding at all -- in fact it seemed he was completely unaware one needed hotel key card to enter stairwell in parking lot. His response to us was "we offer valet parking." I understand building being on a cliff presents additional issues but SIGNS are necessary at a minimum! And why not have additional elevators on the Boathouse side that go from lake front level all the way up to street level? I would imagine this absence violates ADA laws at its worst and common sense at a minimum. In addition, there is a $4 per hour charge for parking with NO SIGNS anywhere informing you of this charge amount (should be upon entry to parking!). We found out the amount of charge by asking at front desk. THAT is definitely against consumer protection laws. Extremely poor customer service here on issues that only require common sense.

Excellent location. Rooms had a fantastic view of both lake and capitol building.

Booked a last minute weekend in Madison. Room and view were great. Concierge gave us list of experiences in Madison. We left the room to walk and they had live music in the outside courtyard overlooking the lake, we stayed the entire time and enjoyed the music, food and sunset.
Walked to the farmers market at the capitol in the morning and grabbed coffee to go at the cafe. Perfect location and hospitality.

If you are in Madison there is old world charm and the power of the Lake to welcome you at Edgewater.