The induction
The Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Association has inducted Daniel Schetter into the Wisconsin Lodging Hall of Fame. The association announced the induction on 30 September 2026.
Its citation credits Schetter with guiding two flagship properties through major transformations: the CopperLeaf Boutique Hotel & Spa in Appleton and the Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center in Oshkosh.
“Daniel’s multi-decade career as a hotelier and executive has set a benchmark for operational excellence across Wisconsin,” the association wrote.
Service to the association and the city
Schetter holds the Certified Hotel Administrator credential. The citation records his service as chairman of the WHLA board and as board chair for the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau.
WHLA draws its membership from lodging operators, lodging executives, associate vendors, convention and visitor bureaus, educational institutions and students. It runs three chapters: the Greater Milwaukee Area Hotel & Lodging Association, the Madison Area Hotel Lodging Association and Wisconsin Women in Lodging.
Recognition on the record
WHLA named Schetter its Innkeeper of the Year in 2013. The citation also records the Best Western North American General Manager of the Year title in 2018, and states that he was one of seven managers selected from 2,700 peers.
The anti-human trafficking meeting carries a state record. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families record for 14 September 2017 shows the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force met at the Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel in Oshkosh, in conference room Athearn AB. The attorney general noted in the same record that it was the first meeting of the task force held outside Madison.
The class of 2026
WHLA honours up to three people each year. Schetter enters with Ron McCord and Gerda Safer.
McCord spent more than 50 years in hotel brokerage and property ownership. He owned and operated the Sleepy Hollow Motel in Elm Grove for nearly three decades, alongside five other lodging properties in Wisconsin and Texas. He chaired the Wisconsin Innkeepers Association, served nearly a decade on the board of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, co-founded the AHLA Council of Inns & Suites and served two terms as president of Hotel Brokers International. His daughter, Jennifer Church, accepted the honour on his behalf.
Safer and her husband built the A1 Gypsy Villa Resort in Eagle River from 1957, cabin by cabin, and she turned 100 acres on Cranberry Lake into a 20-cabin property. She chaired the Wisconsin Innkeepers Association in 1997 and worked on its 1991 merger with the Wisconsin Hospitality, Recreation and Travel Association. Her family will accept the honour at the association’s annual conference.
The 2026 Wisconsin Lodging Conference & Trade Show runs 1 to 3 November 2026.