I stayed at the KC MO Embassy Suites hotel for an evening last week. Half the battle is just finding this hotel. It is located near a section of town that has street laid out on a different angle than the predominant N/S - E/W pattern. So if you arrive after dark, like I did, make sure to get a low level street map from MapQuest or other provider. The city map in the trusty Rand McNalley atlas was of little use. The hotel is too far south of downtown to be on the detail map of the KC area; and the KC area map didn't have enough detail to be helpful.

This is the Embassy Suites in mid-town Kansas City. The hotel features a 12 story open atrium with a Kansas City twist, the interior is decorated to complement the famed local plaza. Suites have french doors opening to wrought iron balconies. The hotel site is located 3 blocks from the Country Club Plaza and 1/2 block from historic Westport.

Each two room suite is equipped with full size ironing board and iron, hair dryer, two remote control televisions, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker and full sized sofa sleeper. New at the Embassy Suites is high speed wireless internet access. The hotel had a unique indoor bi level pool, hot and dry sauna and a jacuzzi. Next to the pool areas is a limited exercise suite. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service within a 2 miles radius of the hotel.

The hotel has free parking underneath the building, with an elevator that goes direct from the garage up to the top floor of the hotel. Check-in was smooth, and took less than two minutes. I arrived in time for the nightly manager's reception. You are given four tickets to exchange for drinks at the bar. I decided to test the system and tried to use a ticket for a Bombay Saphire martini. I got a slight sneer from the bartender and was directed to the well drink selection. I ended up with some sort of generic Captain Morgan that wasn't too awful bad when mixed with Coke.

The Plaza Grill is the on-site restaurant, and serves typical American & Italian dishes. I ordered a rib-eye, baked potato and salad for dinner and ate it at the bar so I could watch TV while I ate. The food was average, nothing special, but nothing to complain about either.

The suite was standard "ES" - two rooms, kitchenette area (no stove, but a small microwave), and bathroom. This setup had the bathroom in the bedroom. The last ES I used had the bathroom placed in between the two main rooms.

This is the first ES I've stayed at that is beginning to show its age. The room temperature controls were mounted on the wall and if there were ever any markings to indicate the temperature setting, they were worn off long ago. Thus, I had no idea what temperature my a/c was set at, I just knew it was hot in my room. I gave the
. dial a healthy turn toward "cold", but it never did cool down. I ended up opening my balcony door to let it the cold outside air.

When I went to bed, I closed the balcony door, but I should have left it open. At 2 am I was awakened but group of funseekers returning to the hotel from a night of bar hopping. It sounded like they were right on my balcony. I also heard several sirens throughout the night loud and clear through the poorly insulated doorway. I should have just left with door cracked open, at least then it would have been more comfortable.

The pool area was impressive. They had a large bi-level pool that incorporated a waterfall. Each section was large enough for at least a dozen people to splash around and still have plenty of empty space. There was also wet and dry saunas and a medium sized hot tub. All were well maintained.

The small exercise room had three stationary bikes, a stepper, and two treadmills. All were in good working order. There was one tv and a water cooler that had cold bottled water. Towels were plentiful in both the exercise room and the pool area. No need to bring one from the room.

One of the best parts of the ES experience is the made to order hot breakfast. This ES was not exception, they had a generous buffet of fruits, cereals, breads, juices, milk and coffee. Hot items included pancakes, hash browns, ham, and eggs with several fresh toppings.

All in all, this was the weakest ES I've ever stayed at, but the weakest ES is still better than most hotels to be found across the land. Due to the large pool, this would be a good hotel for families, but it does equally well for business or romantic getaway travel.

Great Hotel Write-Off

Recommended: Yes