About Hotel Kansas City

The Kansas City Club, established in 1882, was one of the Midwest’s premier social clubs. The club was originally organized for the “purpose of cultivating social and business associations among the leading business professionals in Kansas City.” Initially, members of the Kansas City Club met at a hotel in Quality Hill before moving into its first clubhouse on the corner of 12th and Wyandotte Street. After growing its membership past limitations of their first building, the Club built a clubhouse at the corner of 13th and Baltimore Avenue in 1922. This building, known as the Kansas City Club Building, stood in the heart of Kansas City’s downtown business district for the next 80 years.

Throughout its 15 floors, the establishment housed meeting rooms, handball courts, a gym, restaurants, bowling alley, and 160 private hotel rooms. The 13th floor featured a five-lane swimming pool, while the top floor welcomed members to an open terrace restaurant. Some of the more notable individuals associated with the club include Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Omar Bradley, and Ewing Kauffman. Early members helped shape the social and economic landscape of Kansas City.

After the Kansas City Club moved to a new location in 2002, the building was transitioned into an events space on the first six floors and the rooftop, and condos in-between. The building was then sold and began a year and a half of renovations, starting in May 2019, for Hotel Kansas City’s grand opening in October 2020.

Original Photo Of Hotel Kansas City Building.

As the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, many of the original qualities of the Kansas City Club are still seen today in the hotel, such as the Club’s champagne bar (now used as our Lobby Café) in the hotel lobby, and tiling from the pool still on the walls of guestrooms on the 13th floor. The 15th floor, which held an outdoor garden, was transitioned into downtown Kansas City’s only indoor/outdoor events-specific venue.

The hotel hosts 144 guest rooms and 15 suites, many with a separate living area and loft space. There is also more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including the Starlight Ballroom and Terrace, and the two-story Tudor Ballroom with stained-glass murals by renowned designer Ronald Neill Dixon. Multiple dining establishments (The Town Company, Lobby Café, and Lobby Bar) are located on the main floor of the hotel, while our nightclub, Nighthawk, is located in the cellar.

Warm and bespoke, the hotel and service bridge the gap between neighbor and traveler, through a common love of the city’s spirit. Built on a culture of community, Hotel Kansas City is a platform that celebrates local musicians, distillers, entrepreneurs, and performers alike. Uncover a Kansas City adventure of your own within the walls of the hotel, and find a sense of extraordinary freedom.