At the HDBoutique show in Miami Beach, the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) announced the winners of the 2011 BLLA Awards.

The boutique hotel of the year award for 2011 went to The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, WI. The lifestyle hotel of the year award was taken by The W Hotel & Residences Hollywood.

Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee

The finalists in both categories are listed below:

Boutique Hotel finalists:

The Iron Horse Hotel, Milwaukee, WI

The Hotel Andaluz, Albuquerque, NM

The Jupiter Hotel, Portland, OR

Hotel Renew, Honolulu, HI

Lifestyle Hotel finalists:

W Hollywood Residences, Hollywood, CA

The Good Hotel, San Francisco, CA

The Surrey, New York, NY

The Westlake Village Inn, Westlake Village, CA

The Iron Horse Hotel has won this award for the second year running. The hotel’s owner Tim Dixon was also named BLLA 2011 Hotelier of the Year.

“I’m honored to have received these awards from BLLA and I accept on behalf of an amazing team,” said owner Tim Dixon. “This honor shows that exceptional, experiential and independent hotels can thrive in any market as long as there is a vision and commitment to customer service.”

The 102-room Iron Horse Hotel, located across the river from the Harley-Davidson Museum, is celebrating its 3rd anniversary after opening in what was formerly a historic 100 year old warehouse.

The hotel has made a name for itself not just as a luxury hotel that caters to business travelers and motorcycle enthusiasts alike, but also for the sweeping artwork by Charles J. Dwyer, and for its green practices and environmental sustainability.

Photo – Iron Horse Hotel

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One Fun-Filled Day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a beautiful state that offers both wide open spaces and interesting urban areas. If I ever travel to Wisconsin on a romantic getaway, I am definitely going to try out Sybaris Pool Suites; it looks amazing.

Sybaris is only about 15 miles northwest of Milwaukee, but it looks like one of those places that makes you feel like you’ve escaped to some far-off island retreat. Every “room” is actually a whirlpool or a swimming pool suite and you can book any of them for the afternoon or by the night. Talk about luxury – even the cheapest option, the Country Whirlpool Suite, comes with a courtyard, a fireplace and your very own whirlpool tub. This one can be booked for $69 for the afternoon or for $109-$179 for overnight stays, depending on what days of the week you go.

Ready for a major splurge? Check out the Chalet Swimming Pool Suite. It has a private garage, your own 22 foot heated swimming pool, a waterfall, a hot tub, a steam room, a fireplace, a massage chair, and a water slide which goes from the upstairs bedroom into the pool! Sign me up now, please. This suite will cost you though – be prepared to spend $200 for the afternoon and $400-$550 per night.

Wisconsin Point

Looking for a more reasonably priced romantic hotel? I don’t know about you, but when I think about Wisconsin, I think about the state’s beautiful wilderness, and all the cozy cabins and bed and breakfasts. Something along the lines of the Honeybee Inn, for example. This beautiful Victorian home is less than 1.5 hours from either Milwaukee or Madison, and it boasts four beautifully decorated rooms. Each room has a two-person whirlpool tub, four-poster canopy beds and fireplaces. You’ll be surrounded by nature and beautiful wildlife and there are abundant hiking and water activities nearby. This bed and breakfast ia all about romantic, quiet seclusion.

If you are interested in a luxurious and romantic urban retreat, Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel looks fabulous. This hotel is Victorian in style and it’s located in Milwaukee’s trendy East Side district. For couples interested in a getaway filled with entertainment and culture, Pfister is perfect – it’s only three blocks away from Lake Michigan and is very close to the Milwaukee Art Museumas well as many good restaurants and bars. There’s a great martini bar on the 23rd floor called Blu that affords spectacular views of the Milwaukee skyline. The rooms are outfitted with beautiful wood, large bathrooms and large, comfortable beds. The service is known to be second to none at the hotel.

Photo credit: chefranden