The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center — Hotel in Kansas City

There’s something oddly comforting about a hotel that remembers its roots. The Westin Crown Center opened in 1973, and you can feel it — in the un-air-conditioned guest corridors, the cavernous lobby with its brutalist bones softened by age, and the presence of features that have vanished from many modern Westins. There’s a club lounge (though the entry door was broken when I arrived), a bona fide gift shop (the only things missing were a barber chair and a spinning rack of brochures), and, tucked just up a short flight of stairs, a natural waterfall known as Signboard Hill. The whole space evokes a time when hotel lobbies were gathering places and when hotels themselves were civic showpieces, constructed as much for pride as for profit.||I’d written ahead to politely request a suite upgrade, a hopeful gesture that landed with the same effect as tossing a coin into the lobby waterfall. Still, I was assigned a high-floor room with a wide-angle view of the city — the kind that makes you rethink your opinion of Kansas City, which, it turns out, has a surprisingly muscular skyline. No bell staff were on duty, a subtle hint of the hotel’s lean staffing that would resurface throughout the stay. The room itself was spacious, tastefully refreshed, and furnished with restraint. The bathroom, however, could best be described as a very elegant phone booth. You can refresh the tile, but you can’t renovate the 1970s out of the floorplan.||The bed was classic Westin: plush, welcoming, exactly what you want at the end of a travel day. The art on the walls was surprisingly curated. Someone here clearly still cares — which turns out to be literally true, as the hotel (and the entire Crown Center complex) is owned by Hallmark. Yes, that Hallmark.||Things started to go sideways when the room safe revealed itself to be more decorative than functional. Engineering made three valiant attempts to revive it — something about a reset device that no longer resets — before I gave up and switched rooms. Later, when I returned to the front desk to collect my temporarily homeless valuables from the safe deposit box, I inquired about the dry cleaning I’d sent out the night before. After a few moments of mild confusion, it was discovered that the laundry had, in fact, never left the building.||And then: breakfast.||My first morning, running on jet lag and several hours of delay-induced sleep deprivation, I arrived just before the transition to lunch. The server greeted me with the warmth and enthusiasm of a prison guard. He warned me against ordering anything substantial (“we’re closing soon”), served my coffee in a paper cup, and when I gently requested a real mug, snapped: “WE’RE NOT USING THOSE NOW BECAUSE WE’RE CLOSED!!” Yikes.||At that point, I was ready to file the hotel under “once-grand properties now coasting on reputation.” And then I met Rita.||Rita is the kind of person who makes you believe in hospitality again. A former concierge — and clearly still one in spirit — she handled the cascade of issues not just with grace, but with actual generosity that went far beyond the usual. Hotels often promise to make things right. This one actually did.||By my final morning, even breakfast had transformed. The server, Dana, was warm, professional, and wonderfully unhurried. She explained that the hotel uses the main breakfast room only when there’s enough staff on duty; otherwise, service shifts to the bar. Suddenly, the makeshift setup and awkward energy from day one made perfect sense. Transparency goes a long way, especially when paired with kindness.||Everyone I interacted with, even in moments of friction, was genuinely warm. Ciera, a restaurant manager on loan from the Sheraton across the street, took time to listen to my concerns with real empathy — and without a trace of defensiveness, which is rarer than it should be. And Rita? She’s the kind of employee who quietly salvages brand loyalty, one human conversation at a time.||Crown Center is a time capsule with a touch of flair — connected to the Westin by a skywalk (which also leads to Union Station, a gem in its own right) and a discreet stairway near the restaurant that drops you into a prototype of the classic urban mall. Inside, you’ll find a handful of old-school gift shops, an unexpectedly excellent Japanese tea house, and Halls: Hallmark’s own department store, where the curated merchandise could hold its own in Tokyo or Milan, but the sales associates greet you with Midwestern warmth and the kind of unforced friendliness that reminds you you’re still in Kansas City.||All told, the Westin Crown Center is a bit of an enigma: part throwback, part work-in-progress, but deeply human and oddly lovable. Like any good Hallmark movie, it stumbles, it falters — but it pulls...

I stayed at the Westin for 5 days/4 nights last week for a conference. The hotel is beautiful. We did have an issue with my personal credit card having a nearly $1,300 hold placed on it when I checked in despite already having a business credit card on file. The staff was very apologetic and did everything they could once I alerted them to the issue and the hold was eventually removed by my bank after 3 business days (to be clear this was no fault of the hotel - the length of time was determined by my bank.) The hotel did eventually offer to comp our food and drinks however it was not offered until the last full day of our stay. Overall this ended up being a non-issue as I had additional options to cover my expenses however think people need to be aware if they are checking in and asked to provide a personal credit card when a business credit card has been authorized for use and is already in the system - especially if they have to rely on that card for food etc. during their stay. The person who checked me in confirmed the business card on file would be used for all charges and assured me that my card would not be charged at all so I was incredibly surprised to see such a large hold first thing the morning after I checked in.

The restaurant has amazing breakfast and they bring a full pot of coffee to your table - which I appreciated very much! For people who need coffee to live like I do the Starbucks on site does not open until 6:30 however they did have complimentary coffee available as early as 4:30 am CST where they keep cold water available all the time in the bar area - I suspect it's probably there for all of the airline staff heading back to work super early that stay at the hotel but they were nice enough to share 😀 There is an additional full Starbucks in Crown Center as well. There is coffee in the room but it's never quite as good as I imagine it is going to be.

I didn't try lunch or dinner however saw several people eating various things and they all looked great. The bar has a nice happy hour atmosphere. The restaurant/bar closes at 10 so there's no on site late dining options unfortunately though they do offer room service when they are open. The rooftop restaurant is no longer open. The pool area is beautiful as well. I had a corner room that was huge and lovely- a coworker had a non-corner room and it was definitely not as appealing as mine was. They also provide bottled water in the room each day when they clean. My one complaint about the room was the pillows. They are all incredibly soft and I had to double up three to get comfortable. If you like firm pillows probably best to bring yours from home. There isn't a microwave in the room but there is one in the lobby.

Access to Crown Center for additional dining options was nice however everything closes super early no matter what day of the week it is. I arrived late Monday night and was surprised I couldn't grab something quick to eat nearby. The Westin is in walking distance of some other great food options though and it's a short walk (via the Link with AC!) to Union Station and it's a fairly quick walk to an area with restaurants and breweries. The WWI memorial is across the street as well. I flew in and relied on Uber to go longer distances and had no issues getting picked up quickly.

TL;DR If I ever find myself back in Kansas City I would definitely consider staying at the...

Had a recent local one night staycation in this hotel for the old days' traditional sake of staying here like my family used to do in the past. I was beyond impressed with a number of different things. Seeing old negative reviews of the hotel on trip advisor about the self parking situation and the comparison of taking advantage of the parking myself, I did not see what the complaints were about. Maybe those people parked farther away than I did, but I thought that it was easy to get to the lobby level from the parking area myself. Not to knock a good fellow Starwood hotel, but I thought getting to the hotel from self parking was easier than that at the Sheraton KC. The new lobby renovation was fantastic. Much brighter, updated, and easier to walk across on one level. No awkward walking around the lobby lounge or down into it and back on the main floor to get to the check-out desk. Checking in was easy and Lori the attendant was very helpful and accommodating throughout the process. She also provided me with a great room arrangement that I was really happy with and really comfortable in. Even if it wasn't a high floor or a downtown view, I had a good view of the pool area and I was satisfied enough with it. The room was really clean, spacious, and comfortable. I felt really at ease in being in there. The only negatives I noticed weren't that big of a deal, but they consisted of a small black mark on the carpet, small piece of paint peeled from the ceiling, and the question why the bathroom vanity was suspended in the center by a continuing series of L brackets. The only perplexing problem I had was trying to get the door open to go out onto the julietted balcony. There was some kind of metal clip attached to the upper track that I couldn't get off so I just didn't mess with all of it. Aside from that, everything was great. Even the night's sleep in the Heavenly Bed. Most of all, I was surprised about the service and everyone among the staff who was very helpful, courteous, and accommodating. When I arrived on the 11th floor looking for my room, the housekeeping director helped point the way to where it was located down the hall. On the morning when I left, on the elevator, a bellman with a cart of luggage/ items let some other guests from my floor and I get on regardless, around that, and he let us exit the elevator before he did. He was very polite , friendly, and courteous. I also has personal fun and interest in exploring all of the surrounding facilities in the hotel again. The ballroom and fountain levels, the walkways above, the games deck, fitness center, pool area, and adjoining yard or garden, and the shopping mall. The only complaint I had with any of those facilities was that the fourth floor walkway didn't really go anywhere. It ended at a wall with a locked gate from allowing anyone to explore and go up and down the stairways (staff access only?). Aside from that, a lot to see and do, and a lot of places to go and wander around. Also link access to the Sheraton and Union Station. It couldn't get any better than that. Hope to stay again in the future and continue...