For the sixth year in a row, our readers’ favorite is The Lismore Hotel, home to The Informalist, Dive, and ECDC, and perfectly located to check out everything downtown Eau Claire has to offer. A few blocks away, The Oxbow Hotel provides boutique accommodations and an array of entertainment (jazz, trivia, BINGO, etc.) in The Lakely restaurant and bar downstairs. Rounding out the list is Staybridge Suites, right in Altoona’s bustling River Prairie development and a quick drive from anywhere else in the Valley on U.S. 53. —Tom Giffey