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Business phone system for hotels and motels in Wisconsin

1,168 hotels and motels operated in Wisconsin in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.

Establishments
1,168CBP 2023
Employees
27,500mid-March 2023
Per 100k residents
19.6U.S. 16.4
State rank
15th of 51by count

The hotel industry in Wisconsin

County Business Patterns counts 1,168 establishments in Wisconsin classified as Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (NAICS 721110) for 2023. They employed 27,500 people in mid-March and reported $742.7 million in annual payroll. That is the 15th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Hotels and motels make up 0.81% of the 144,774 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Wisconsin has 19.6 hotels and motels, 19.2% above the national rate of 16.4. The average establishment has 23.5 employees against 26.8 nationally. Payroll per employee is $27,008, 31.4% below the U.S. figure of $39,374.

Hotels and motels: Wisconsin compared with the U.S., 2023
MeasureWisconsinUnited States
Establishments1,16855,895
Mid-March employees27,5001,497,840
Annual payroll$742,726,000$58,976,358,000
Employees per establishment23.526.8
Payroll per employee$27,008$39,374
Establishments per 100,000 residents19.616.4

Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Wisconsin's largest markets for hotels and motels

Census published hotel counts for 29 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Wisconsin. The largest is Minneapolis, MN-WI, with 403 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 69% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Hotels and motels by metro or micropolitan area, Wisconsin, 2023
AreaEstablishmentsEmployeesPer 100k residents
Minneapolis, MN-WI40312,98110.7
Milwaukee, WI1724,92710.9
Madison, WI1405,20619.8
Duluth, MN-WI852,07030.2
Baraboo, WI522,37678.2
Green Bay, WI511,13415.2
La Crosse, WI-MN4474025.8
Eau Claire, WI3959722.1
Appleton, WI3566514.1
Wausau, WI3449924.4
Whitewater, WI313,18729.2
Janesville, WI2945817.5
Sheboygan, WI261,21722.0
Oshkosh, WI2354113.3
Sparta, WI2120145.3
Racine, WI2025110.1
Kenosha, WI1923711.3
Watertown, WI1919322.0
Fond du Lac, WI1730816.3
Stevens Point, WI1415419.4
Rice Lake, WI1311027.8
Wisconsin Rapids, WI1225516.2
Marinette, WI-MI1219918.4
Manitowoc, WI1117613.5
Iron Mountain, MI-WI11—35.9

Top 25 of 29 areas by establishments. Source: Census CBP 2023.

Team sizes at hotels and motels in Wisconsin

32.5% of Wisconsin's hotels and motels with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 30.9% nationally. 48.4% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Hotels and motels in Wisconsin by employment size, 2023
Employment sizeEstablishmentsShareU.S. share
1–4 employees37832.5%30.9%
5–9 employees18515.9%14.9%
10–19 employees25021.5%21.7%
20–49 employees27423.5%23.1%
50 or more employees776.6%9.4%

Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.

Calls a hotel in Wisconsin has to catch

Independent hotels take reservations, guest requests and group inquiries by phone, and the front desk is staffed around the clock. Calls that go unanswered may become bookings elsewhere. That holds for hotels and motels in Wisconsin as much as anywhere.

Calls a hotel in Wisconsin might handle in a typical week include:

Calls after closing time

Hotels operate 24 hours, so calls must ring the front desk at any time.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

What a phone system costs a hotel in Wisconsin

Hotels and motels in Wisconsin average 23.5 employees, so the comparison uses a 24-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 24 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $720.00 a month and 24 on Ooma Office Pro cost $598.80. On Callata the same 24 people cost $479.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $2,892. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Monthly list price for a 24-person hotel
Provider (plan)Pricing basisPer monthPer year
Callata (Callata Office)$99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user$479.00$5,748.00
Quo (Starter)$19.00 per user$456.00$5,472.00
Nextiva (Core)$23.00 per user$552.00$6,624.00
Ooma (Office Pro)$24.95 per user$598.80$7,185.60
Dialpad (Standard)$27.00 per user$648.00$7,776.00
RingCentral (RingEX Core)$30.00 per user$720.00$8,640.00

Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.

Area codes in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has 8 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your guests know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

Area codes in Wisconsin by assigned exchanges
Area codeExchangesTime zoneIn service sinceOverlay with
608785Central1955353
715785Central1947534
920785Central1997274
262634Central1999none
414552Central1947none
53498Central2010715
27429Central2023920
35313Central2023608

Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.

How Callata works for hotels and motels in Wisconsin

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

If you already have a number in Wisconsin, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.

Frequently asked questions

How many hotels and motels are in Wisconsin?

1,168 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 27,500 people in mid-March.

Which Wisconsin metro area has the most hotels and motels?

Minneapolis, MN-WI, with 403 establishments in 2023.

What does a phone system cost a 24-person hotel?

$720.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $598.80 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $479.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).

Do I need to register to text customers from a Wisconsin number?

Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.