There’s a Milwaukee connection to ABC’s "The Bachelor" this season but it’s not a contestant.
The connection is Dwight Hopfauf, the general manager of Hotel Julien Dubuque, the hotel that’s been featured on the show. Hopfauf is a former Milwaukee resident and the former assistant general manger at Milwaukee’s Hilton City Center in Downtown.
So, needless to say, Hopfauf and his team are head over heels with the current bachelor Iowan Chris Soules, aka "Prince Farming."
"We are thrilled to be featured in such a popular series. The opportunity to showcase our elegant, historic property, which underwent a $34 million renovation to restore its 1915 grandeur and is now celebrating its 100th anniversary, is truly exciting," Hopfauf, also a former board member at the Westown Association in Milwaukee, told me via email.
"Our ownership, management, and staff are delighted that viewers will get to see the beautiful setting that we are all so very proud to be a part of at Hotel Julien Dubuque."
Hotel Julien was featured in a February episode already, but will star in the season finale of the 19th edition of The Bachelor that will air on Monday, March 9
Soules elects to hold the final rose ceremony in his home state of Iowa, marking the first-ever domestic location for the show’s closing episode.
Will he propose? Will she accept his rose or ring? I don’t know, and don't watch the show. I do know enough to know that rings and roses work and matter. I also loved Dwight's passion when he was in Milwaukee and am truly happy that his hotel is in the spotlight.
And, since my wife’s a fan of the show something tells me that we’ll take a trip to Dubuque this summer to check it out. Hopfauf assures me that I’ll love the city and the hotel’s Riverboat Lounge, a local hot spot for live music and craft cocktails. So, I’m in and will report back to you once we take our mini Iowa vacation.
Over the years, Hotel Julien Dubuque has welcomed its share of dignitaries, too, including Abraham Lincoln, "Buffalo Bill" Cody and Mark Twain, and the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone.
Hotel Julien Dubuque is managed, by the way, by IDM Group that's based in Madison.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
