816 Hotel, KC-themed lodging, now open in Westport
The hotel at 801 Westport Road (next door to Westport Flea Market) operated until last year as a faceless, forgettable Holiday Inn Express. That changes today, when 816 Hotel officially opens for business.
Hotelier Doug Gamble (formerly of the Q Hotel + Spa, across the street) has partnered with Larry Gates (Rockgate Hospitality) to renovate the 108-room space and convert it into a locally themed hotel. Large murals of Kansas City history dot the hallways, and 20 corner rooms “celebrate some of our city’s most colorful people, places and products, past and present, famous and infamous,” Gamble says.
Theme rooms include the Kansas City Zoo, The National World War I Museum, Trans World Airlines (TWA), the Negro Leagues Museum, Boulevard Brewing Co., the Mutual Musicians Foundation, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City’s Irish Heritage, the Mob, UMKC Athletics, The Pitch, KC Barbecue Society, Kelly’s Westport Inn, Uptown Theater, the City of Fountains, and more. Here’s a peek at our favorite:
And another:
“The response already is amazing,” Gamble says. “We are booking rooms left and right. Our marketing message is simple, and it’s working: ‘Come experience the hotel born and raised in Kansas City.'”
More here.
