The Insider

Across the country – nay, the world – hotels looking to lure us with luxury increasingly detail the thread count of their sheets. That would be the number of fibers per square inch of fabric. Isn’t a high thread count something you’ve always sought?

Nowadays, says Dawn Arnoldussen of Bed Bath & Beyond, 200 threads per square inch is the bare minimum customers will tolerate. Others set the fiber bar higher: Stephen Cardino, a vice president and fashion director for Macy’s East, says thread counts of 300 to 400 were once regarded as luxury, but the standard has now risen to 600 or 800. And if it’s Egyptian cotton – even better.

Which means, frankly, Milwaukee hotels may be a few threads short.

500, cotton: Hotel Metro (411 E. Mason St.)

400-600, cotton: Schuster Mansion Bed & Breakfast (3209 W. Wells St.)

350, cotton: Hilton Milwaukee River (4700 N. Port Washington Rd.)

300, Egyptian cotton: Hyatt Regency Milwaukee (333 W. Kilbourn Ave.)

300, cotton: Iron Horse Hotel (500 W. Florida St.)
The Pfister Hotel (424 E. Wisconsin Ave.)
Brumder Mansion Bed & Breakfast (3046 W. Wisconsin Ave.)

250, cotton: Doubletree Hotel Milw. City Center (611 W. Wisconsin Ave.)
Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Milw. Hotel (176 W. Wisconsin Ave.)
Best Western Woods View Inn (5501 W. National Ave.)
Knickerbocker on the Lake (1028 E. Juneau Ave.)
Hospitality Inn & Suites (4400 S. 27th St.)

200, cotton: The Plaza Hotel (1007 N. Cass St.)
Hyatt Place Milwaukee West Hotel (11777 W. Silver Spring Dr.)

200, cotton 60/40 polyblend: Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Milwaukee (300 W. Michigan St.)
Comfort Suites Park Place (10831 W. Park Pl.)