Kari C.
Yelp
I lodged with the Hilton President, during a recent business trip for a total of seven days and six nights. The best thing about this hotel for me was its proximity to the KC convention center. The center was located only one block from the hotel. I really appreciated this because I was in attendance of a national conference being held at the convention center and I was able to quickly make it to the room and back as needed.
As for the hotel itself, upon entering you will walk into a grand lobby with high ceilings and marble floors. From the outside, the hotel is a bit underwhelming and your not exactly sure what to expect when you arrive, but it is truly classical and elegant. If you have stayed at Hilton's before, you'll notice that this property is a little different from the rest and we were informed that it was only recently acquired by the company after a short transition period.
The staff were all very pleasant and helpful throughout the entire stay. My employer booked the room and faxed over corresponding documentation prior to my stay. This made check-in simple, easy and (best of all) hassle free. Front desk staff happily answered all of our questions and made suggestions for dinner each night. Internet is free if you log on as a guest each day ( it was a little tricky at first because it appears to expire, but it let us log on each day for free).
We parked Valet which is recommended and you can come and go as much as you leave for twenty dollars a day. The Valet staff were probably my favorite (all but the exception of one guy who had not been on schedule until midweek and candidly asked, "do you need help?" upon reentering the hotel - after which I explained to him that I was headed to my room, he was more than hospitable for the remainder of the stay).
The hotel is an older building and the rooms are very small compared to standard size rooms in most hotels. As mentioned in several other reviews, I witnessed the loud knocking from the pipes. It went on for quite some time and we called the front desk who informed maintenance and they came to our room to fix the problem. Although it resolved the knocking one night, the next few days it resumed temporarily on and off. I could not really tell what caused the sound, but found it pointless to call the front desk for a second time. The room was spotless and each day the cleaning staff did a wonderful job keeping it tidy.
Room service was delish, had a speedy delivery and was actually reasonably priced. The serving sizes were huge. We passed the Drum Room each night, but for some reason, I never felt compelled to stop in for a drink. The breakfast buffet is open during the mornings and the hotel will sell you a $10.00 voucher as opposed to the standard $15.00 at the front desk. The food there was also good.
If you're superstitious beware! The hotel has 13 floors and the center elevator actually stops at the 13th floor. I found this a little strange (because I have never seen it in a hotel, most usually skip from 12th floor to 14th floor), but there must be some reasonable/historical explanation, right?
Overall, I would say its a great hotel to stay in if you need to be in The Power & Light District for an event.