Candlewood Suites Kansas City Speedway by IHG — Hotel in Kansas City

My wife and I have been IHG Members for over 25 years and have stayed at some nice properties around the country as well as some of the bad ones. Not sure exactly where to place this one but we do not plan on ever staying here again. At least until they get their staffing problem sorted out.

One of the more frustrating things is that we were traveling up from Tulsa to Kansas City to attend a friend's wedding and wanted to redeem our points for a free night. The ONLY hotel that we were able to do this at in the entire city was this one! Even though it was very much out of the way of our final destination, we decided to book it anyway in order to save money on an additional hotel night. This is more of a complaint about IHG overall I suppose and not this location. Our options were way too limited and have been before in the past. When we finally redeem points, we are only able to do so at one of the less desirable hotels.

We were very limited on time as we had to be at the wedding in about an hour when we arrived. There was NO ONE AT THE FRONT DESK TO CHECK US IN. TV in lobby was very loud, and we tried to get attention of some staff but no one was around. We even called the phone number of the lobby phone to see if someone would come running to pick it up, but no one did. All in all we waited about 10 minutes before someone came to check us in.

While they were polite and apologetic, the reason they were absent is because they were busy with the cleaning staff solving some problem in one of the rooms.

The entire hotel staff seemed to consist of ONE front desk clerk and ONE cleaning person; and this was not late at night. We were checking in around 4 PM. These two people evidently had more work than they could handle.

When we got to the room, it was hot and muggy and smelled horrible because the AC had not been turned on. The carpet in the room was also sticky, and even damp when you walked near the window heating/AC unit. Not surprising as those things are known to leak moisture at times. Either way it was gross and frustrated me greatly on a number of levels, one of the being that my "reward" for being a long-time member and staying faithful to them is to get a room in one of their shoddy locations like this one.

We didn't have time to mess with anything so we changed into our "go to wedding" clothes and went to our event.

The beds were very comfortable and the staff very kind and very apologetic and we really appreciated that. I know that this sort of thing isn't really the fault of the people at the site, but rather the upper management of such hotels.

This isn't the first time we've experienced such disappointment with IHG. Because of this and other experiences over the years, we are going to focus our efforts on staying at other hotel chains...

This place is not your typical IHG experience. I stayed just under three weeks on business and would not want to do it again.

This is the first IHG hotel I've encountered with really uncomfortable beds. Mine was very hard and made noise every time I moved. There is a Walmart behind and another shopping center in front so there is considerable traffic noise, especially from heavy trucks. I really never got a decent rest in the place. I found the HVAC incomprehensible. No matter the settings, you either roasted or froze. The room itself was crammed full of furniture and had no real work space, just a tiny little desk. On a business trip, I had no place to put anything that I didn't want to eat dinner on top of. I didn't do much food prep, but a lot of the pans and utensils were missing. The desk could probably have replaced them if I asked. The recliner took up all kinds of space and was not at all comfortable to sit in. Like a lot of the place, worn out. Wi-Fi was in and out, irritating, but not the worst I've seen. The carpets needed cleaning.

The place is "pet friendly" which to me means guest unfriendly. During my stay, I was kept awake by dogs barking or whimpering to be let out in the middle of the night. There were several "accidents" that stunk the place up. The animals were just too much for me.

Most of the washers were out of service, which made it difficult for me to do my laundry at a convenient time. I was disappointed there was no place for me to meet with coworkers for evening work sessions except a dirty gazebo our front full of flies and cigarette butts. During short trips, I don't usually get to use the pool, but on a long stay with free time, I found the lack of one very disappointing. The building itself seemed worn out with creaky stairs and no sound damping. Any movement in halls or rooms around mine came right through the walls and by the third day, I was very familiar with my neighbor's TV preferences. Thumping from the room above me, probably a dog running around, woke me up quite a few times.

The location is pretty convenient, with easy access to shopping and restaurants. Its near the highway so easy to get into KC or Overland Park. Staff at least feigned concern with my complaints which was polite if not especially helpful. I liked the free coffee 24-7. The room was centrally booked by my employer (you can bet I won't let that happen again).

Its a place you can't wait to leave in the morning and dread coming back to in the afternoon. And for a long stay,...

For years, Candlewood Suites has been my first choice when choosing a hotel. But my last stay has me shopping for other options in the future. Here's why: The entire property needs a thorough deep clean. The outdoor gazebo had dirty tables and trash falling from the can. Trash dotted the perimeter fence and peppered the parking lot. Inside the suite, it smelled stale. The a/c filter was full and needed cleaning (pic) There was an accumulation of dust, hair and crumbs in the corners of the rooms that could have easily been removed by vacuuming. When I pulled out the convertible couch to make it into a bed, a pair of purple socks fell onto the floor that were not ours and the sheets were disheveled and appeared as though they had not been changed after a previous guest. The TV remote felt greasy and was visibly dirty. There was only one remote to operate two TV's. Moving on to the bathroom. There was no toilet paper, the sink had a plumbing issue which caused it to drain (not drip) into its cabinet below, ruining the majority of make up I had stored there. I checked a crock pot out of their "borrowing cabinet" and it was dirty and had a crack through it's entire body, leaking the contents of my recipe into the metal heating body.. During my two day stay, I encountered only two staff members who were friendly and helpful. A maintenance person and a gentleman who occasionally worked the front desk. I booked online through a 3rd party and paid nearly $200 each night for a room they refer to as a king bedroom suite. I asked for a late check out and was told they do not allow for one. When I booked I requested a 1 pm check in and they replied " if available" We waited outside until the standard 3pm check in. This stay was for myself and my adult daughter. No kids or pets, no loud music, no partying or late night door slamming. I made an attempt to do a few loads of laundry late at night and had to wait hours for others to remove their clothes from machines. Yet when I left a load fifteen minutes after it was finished, my clothes were put into the dryer by someone who clearly was unaware I do not dry every item (this is not the hotels issue as they recommend staying with your laundry. I'm just writing as a caveat to others)⁷ The location is excellent. Lots of food, great shopping and entertainment all within walking distance. Busses run week days and limited routes on weekends. Hollywood casino is a quick cab or...