I have been staying in this hotel for 30 years - going back to before its renovation. They spent a fortune in a refurbishing that took several years as they would close only a floor at a time. The rooms are a bit small as they did not knock down any walls, but the surfaces are all very nice - marble in the baths, etc. The lobby/bar is vastly different and better. Originally the idea was to lease space to upscale restaurant. That never happened, space now used for evening bar and morning breakfast. The building had good bones and they made the best of it. Anyway, what you are buying, in addition to a nice hotel with opening windows, is a superior location. Walk to Kohl Center, campus, State Street (you are on it) Memorial Union and a doable walk to Camp Randall and Capitol Square. Free underground parking. Because there is not much competition, it is hard to get a bargain and they don't really cater to the low end anyway. Nice continental breakfast with upolstered chairs in a subdued uncrowded atmosphere - nice place to read the morning newspaper. My first choice in a Madison hotel.

This hotel was a great find. The location is perfect - right off State Street, a few minutes walk to downtown, campus, and Lake Mendota. The rooms are very cozy, the beds are very comfy, though the bathroom was tiny. They also offer complimentary happy hour snacks (cheese curds, sausage, pretzel platter) and breakfast, though we decided to go out to breakfast. Next time I'm in Madison, I will stay here again!

If you are traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, you need to think twice before you book at the Campus Inn on Langdon Street. This is a hotel badly in need of renovation. It is a bit of a bait-n-switch: the lobby is charming, dark woods, pretty sofas, a lovely bar area. Unfortunately, the rooms are nothing like the lobby. We had a room with two double beds. The mattresses were very old, which means unpleasantly soft with a deep well in the middle. The walls are paper-thin so one cannot help but hear the guests in the next room discussing which of them will shower first. (And having been in the shower I understood their trepidation.) Anyone speaking in a normal tone of voice could be heard room-to-room. We began whispering to each other.
The bathroom was really awful: two miniscule rooms – when I was standing at the sink both my elbows could hit the opposite walls; when I was in the shower/toilet area same situation. The tub was really half a tub, and the shower dripped water. Two people could not stand in either tiny room at the same time, or pass each other; and if either of you are over 120 pounds beware you could become a human cork. I don’t think anyone had redone our bathroom in forty years.
This hotel was 240 dollars a night? Really? They advertised free appetizers at 5:00 in the bar and free dessert at 9:00. Appetizers consisted of a small plate of pretzels, cheese curds, and a few slices of suspicious looking salami. When we went in for dessert at 9:30, there was one mini-muffin on a tray.
So searching for something positive to say… the wifi was free, they paid for the cab ride from the airport to the hotel, (rate 17 dollars) and the people working at the front desk were very nice.
It is a shame because the Campus Inn has a really terrific location close to State Street, the restaurants, the bars, and the campus of the University of Wisconsin. I’m hoping they will get their act together and put some money into this hotel – some insulation in the walls, and renovate the bathrooms. Only if that happens would I consider staying here again. The discomfort level was just too high!

After booking at the Holiday Inn, where I was quoted a rather outrageous price without even any breakfast included, we came across The Campus Inn through one of our colleagues. We cancelled our other reservation and are very pleased that we did. The Campus Inn has a cozy, intimate, and warm setting with lovely accents throughout, although the abundance of floral prints may be a little on the excessive side. Not only did they offer us a very competitive price, we also had our breakfast included, plus a free appetizer and desert as well, something one rarely comes across. The towels are incredibly soft, the beds comfortable, the cleanliness of the establishment top notch, and the shower pressure excellent. The staff were all extremely present and helpful. And there was even free printing facilities at the front desk. And to top it off, the location of the hotel could not be more convenient.
Overall, The Campus Inn has been a wonderful experience and we would certainly recommend this to others.