Best Western Plus KC Speedway Inn & Suites — Hotel in Kansas City

I will first say the outside of the Hotel looks impressive. The lobby is just as impressive. But it ends there! My family (all out of town) was all meeting at a central location (hasn’t seen each other since my moms funeral). This hotel was next to a favorable shopping area, a casino and the Interstate. Unfortunately none of us bother to read the reviews or call the hotel to see if what they are advertising was actually available (it wasn’t). My sister arrived first. When she tried to check in early (3:00 pm) she was told she couldn’t; not because the rooms were not ready, but it wasn’t 4:00 pm, check in time. Her rooms were never cleaned during their stay nor clean towels provided. She did not put out the Do Not Disturb sign because she did not have one. I seemed to have less luck than my sister. When I got into my room I first notice that I also did not have a Do Not Disturb sign. If that’s all the problems I would have during this stay I would be thankful. But it wasn’t to be. The lamp on the desk was missing the light bulb, no bulb in the socket, no iron was to be found in the room (had the ironing board) light was out in the bathroom. I notice the table in front of the sleeper sofa was broken. The worse, by far, was the bathroom floor was not mopped from previous guest(s). You could tell that the little urine spots around the toilet (if you are not sure what I mean then ask a man about it). One last thing, the floor that I was on had trash spewed all over. Empty boxes, black trash bags, etc..it appears there was some construction and or painting being done. What I don’t understand is why the trash wasn’t picked up and thrown away nightly? I would think if the hotel was reputable someone would be checking up on the contractors every evening after they finished for the day. Now onto the breakfast/bar area. Another big disappointment! First morning no biscuits for the gravy that was on the breakfast line. Was told they weren’t on the truck. Too bad someone could not go to Walmart or Target, which was less a mile away, and buy some. Also while there, they could have picked up a variety of sweet rolls (like other hotel breakfast buffets have on their lines). But no. Also this Best Western Premier hotel (of course after reading this review they should drop “Premier” from their name and while at it change hotel to motel….best western motel) offered bar service, well it was set up with a bar and stocked with spirits, but no bartenders were to be found. Was informed the bartender called in sick (heard he/she was in the hospital). Understandable, people get sick but really? It is too bad that Kansas City is not considered such a metropolitan area one can not hire a temporary bartender. That ain’t all folks. What would grandparents or parents want for their children when traveling. A pool with a water slide and adults want a hot tub also. One was advertised but again too bad so sad for you travelers. I saw a family in their swimwear go by the front desk on their way to the pool area only to see them a few seconds later heading back to their rooms. The front desk said the pool was closed. Yes it was closed, by the city. Again too bad Kansas City doesn’t have a pool service to take care of the local pools. Damn, Kansas City must be a hell to live in without all these services. All in all, I can not recommend Best Western Premier KC Speedway Inn and Suites in Kansas City. In fact this was the first time and last time I will ever stay at any Best Western motel. I am further surprised that corporate offices of Best Western would allow such things at any of their properties. Guess that tells you about the mind set of Best Western, profits, profits and more profits. I wonder if a complaint is filed with the city of Kansas City, KS, especially with health issues like mold in the rooms, bed bugs, etc., would it help clean up this motel? Or maybe a complaint with the corporate offices of Best Western in...

I booked this hotel for my graduation from KUMC for two main reasons. First, it has a pool and waterslide, which will give my child something fun to do later in the day when other activities are closed. Second, the location is convenient—about halfway between my graduation ceremonies in Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.

Upon arrival (5/16/25), we were informed by the front desk clerk that the pool area was closed for renovations. This was very disappointing, as the pool was one of the main reasons we chose this hotel. We asked to speak with the manager, but were told they were not available and would be in the following day (5/17/25) between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. This didn't work out as my family will already be at my graduation ceremony during this time frame.

When we returned to the hotel on May 17, 2025, after my graduation ceremony, we were met with a putrid, rancid odor in the lobby that extended all the way up to the second floor, where our room was located. We spoke with the front desk clerk—the same person we had spoken to on May 16—and asked again when the manager would be available. She reiterated that the manager would be in the next day, May 18, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. After changing in our room, we left to explore the Kansas City Zoo and have both lunch and dinner in the city. We returned around 9 p.m. still being welcomed to the putrid, rancid odor.

On May 18, 2025, we returned to the hotel from my graduation ceremony in Lawrence, Kansas, around 2:00 p.m. We again asked the front desk clerk—the same person we had spoken to on previous days, to speak with the manager. She informed us that the manager had already left for the day, even though we had previously been told the manager would be available until 3:00 p.m. Since we had made multiple requests to speak with the manager, the clerk finally agreed to call her and allowed us to speak with her over the phone.

We expressed our disappointment to the manager about the pool area being closed and the persistent, putrid odor that continued to linger throughout our stay. The manager informed us that a notice about the pool closure had been posted on the hotel’s website since April 2025. However, this was not helpful, as I made my reservation back in the first week of March 2025—before that notice was posted. How was I supposed to know to check the website afterward? I didn’t even receive an email notification about the closure. We also told the manager that, due to the closed pool, we ended up visiting Great Wolf Lodge across the street twice during our stay. Considering the cost of our stay at Best Western and the additional expense of Great Wolf Lodge tickets, we might as well have just stayed at Great Wolf Lodge in the first place. All the managers said they could do is refund $25 from our stay.

In addition to our overall dissatisfaction with our stay, we encountered several other concerns that need to be addressed. Staff members were not wearing name tags, leaving us unsure of who we were speaking with or what their roles were. Housekeeping staff were not in uniform, and we observed that some had brought their children in on the weekends to help clean rooms and do laundry. Furthermore, during room cleanings, we saw dirty linens being thrown on the hallway floors, which is both unprofessional and unsanitary.

Most concerning of all was the condition of the elevator, which appeared to be unsafe. There were exposed vents without protective grates; if someone were to accidentally place their hand or foot inside, it could become caught in the elevator mechanism, potentially leading to serious or even fatal injuries.

Given these experiences, we are hesitant to stay at a Best Western property again...

DO NOT STAY HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SICK OR TRAPPED IN THE ELEVATOR!!! One of the worst hotel experiences ever! We have stayed here since this hotel first opened. For a long time it was a great hotel, always super clean, fantastic experience every time. No issues ever. Some time in the last few years, I think management has changed because each time we stayed, there was some type of issue. The rooms weren't as clean, stains and spots on the bed linens, broken furniture, fixtures and decor getting VERY tired, mold in the bathroom, loose fixtures. Today, we check in and go to our room. Key won't work. My husband goes to the front desk and comes back with new keys. Still won't work. My husband leaves and comes back with the manager, his key won't work. At this point we have spent 30 minutes running up and down from the third floor because the elevator takes forever. Manager checks and there are no other rooms available. They decide to send maintenence and then tell us that the batteries were bad and now the lock works. We go back up. Keys still don't work. I go to get the manager again, taking the elevator at this point, and the outer elevator door SLAMS closed on me as I am exiting the elevator. The manager comes back up, it still doesn't work. We decide to just give up. We were told at check in that their pool - one of the reasons we have kept coming back because they have a HUGE slide the kids love - wasn't working, so there is absolutely no point in trying to make this work. We load back into the elevator, the outer doors SLAM shut so hard the whole carriage shakes! It terrified my children, one is screaming, the elevator won't move, the doors won't open, we are pounding on the walls and finally my husband pries the doors open. We get out and go down the stairs. My husband tells the lady in the hospitality area and she just shrugs and says 'sorry that happened' and went on with what she was doing. I stopped at the desk and before I could say anything, the manager says, 'sorry we didn't have another room'. I told him that we wouldn't stay there anyway because we got stuck on the elevator! Didn't he hear the kid screaming and all the banging???' He just gave me a blank stare and didn't say or do anything. The kicker is, we passed the pool on the way out. A sign on the door read that it had been shut down by order of the city health department!!! DO...