OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

[KansasCityCraka]

I went all the way up to the 13th floor where the suites are, but no rooms were open and no windows in thge halls to check out he view. 

[voltopt]

you can look out the windows on the 12th floor at the construction site, and then each floor from 11 on down has a window facing the east at the end of the hallway...

[Highlander]

went to the drum room for drinks last night. not impressed, but i have to cut them some slack since it's obviously still a work in progress. nevertheless, it was surprisingly busy (and, thus, short-staffed). i agree with the comments that the live music will make or break the place as a destination (as opposed to the bar in the Radisson... ugh). since we couldn't get appetizers promptly, we migrated to 12 Baltimore... very similar venue, but the feeling was more relaxed (dimmer lighting? more windows?). i must admit it's a little hard to access hotel baltimore right now, even though baltimore is somewhat complete. my friend that works at city hall drove there after work and i walked from 19th and baltimore and beat her there (and i was forced to cheat by walking through the barricades on truman and baltimore).

So, was your problem with it service related or was the decor/design equally unimpressive?  If it is service related, that is something they can fix but the atmosphere I guess they will have to live with.  In any event, how big is the Drum Room? my impression is that it is not too large. 

[KansasCityCraka]

So, was your problem with it service related or was the decor/design equally unimpressive?  If it is service related, that is something they can fix but the atmosphere I guess they will have to live with.  In any event, how big is the Drum Room? my impression is that it is not too large. 

It isn't extremely large but it is decent. Once the P&L District opens, I would bet that it would be at least an hour wait to get a drink.

[f4hondaphile]

Gootsku and I just went to the Drum Room. 

Thanks for including me in your post, you ho!

Drum Room is cool. The lobby of the President is spectacular and the ball room is very cool too.

[Long]

It isn't extremely large but it is decent. Once the P&L District opens, I would bet that it would be at least an hour wait to get a drink.

I was in there for a few minutes Friday evening, only the front room was open-- I was told that the lower section to the east is also part of the Drum Room, it just wasn't open.  The front room is pretty small, but that next room looked to be a pretty decent size.  Seemed to be a cool place though.

[FangKC]

The room off the cocktail lounge (down the stairs) was the part of the Drum Room were the performances were.

[CrossroadsKid]

The room off the cocktail lounge (down the stairs) was the part of the Drum Room were the performances were.

They plan on having a jazz band there once they completely finish it ... much like the old days!

[bahua]

I went last Thursday, and have been too lazy to pull the pics off the camera sooner:

[ralfonso]

Is that the drum room? 

Why is there a fucking television?

ARGH.

[KansasCityCraka]

Is that the drum room? 

Why is there a fucking television?

ARGH.

Why wouldn't there be a TV? There are 3 in their.

[staubio]

Why wouldn't there be a TV? There are 3 in their.

This is funny. 

Did you know that it is actually possible to have a bar without a TV?  No, seriously. 

Many of us feel as if bars are a place to commune, enjoy fine libations and socialize.  TVs create a bunch of half-drunk zombies staring at the moving pictures -- an excuse for bad atmosphere and a distraction from making the place great.

This is especially strange as this is both a historic club and a performance venue -- both places that shouldn't have TV.

If every bar in the world becomes a sports bar, we've lost it.

[kcdcchef]

the hotel president had bars in the drum room when it closed circa 1980, i know, i went for dinner with my dad. however, i agree with staubio ( did i just say that? )

to recreate what was lost at 13th and baltimore, they need to stick with the recreation of a retrofitted gem. they spared no expense on this place, it looks amazing. i mean, where they could not salvage, which, was most of the hotel, they recreated. even in the fact that to keep the hotel's interior historic look, there are doors all over the hotel which lead to nowhere. which is kinda cool, even though they redid the hotel rooms to make them the size of todays travelers, they did not eliminate the doors. so, the hallways look the same as they did. or the reinvinting of the signage on the roof, and the drum room sign on the side.

and the moldings and plaster everywhere, they really redid it right. but to have a tv, which, with the exception of the fledging years, you add something the hotel did not have then. and does not need now. keep the tv's in the other restaurant, the less historic room.

[Robafurd]

Those pictures look amazing.  That hotel is dripping in quality and sturdiness, and it just looks like none other in the city.  I hope the President makes other hotels in the area step up their game.  One question though; how big are the banquet facilities?  I know that some of the nicest places in town have trouble snagging the big profitable weddings because their facilities are too small. 

[DaveKCMO]

That hotel is dripping in quality and sturdiness, and it just looks like none other in the city.

For what it's worth, I think the Phillips comes pretty close. It has totally maintained the vintage feel and is nearly as luxurious.

[kcdcchef]

For what it's worth, I think the Phillips comes pretty close. It has totally maintained the vintage feel and is nearly as luxurious.

phillips is great. i have stayed there my last 4 times in kc. however, they leaned on what the radisson did to the building before they got there, the radisson redid first, and the phillips gets all the credit.

oh well, three treasures in this one block, is great. muehlbach, phillips, and prez. man, that is great.

[lock+load]

oh well, three treasures in this one block, is great. muehlbach, phillips, and prez. man, that is great.

Too bad it's not four.  The pedestrian experiance on the east side of Baltimore passing 1KCP is pretty sad.  I never saw the Dixon Hotel, but it looks better to me than 1KCP, at least at street level.  That's the way it goes I guess.

[kcdcchef]

Too bad it's not four.  The pedestrian experiance on the east side of Baltimore passing 1KCP is pretty sad.  I never saw the Dixon Hotel, but it looks better to me than 1KCP, at least at street level.  That's the way it goes I guess.

that is a great little 11 story building. i like 1KCP better. besides, how many historic hotels will thrive? some travelers are more the snob type that need a hyatt or a westin, they have to stay somewhere that reinvents itself every half hour.

but this was a nice hotel and all.

[lock+load]

It just sucks that so much of the street level space in the loop is devoted to parking garages, loading docks, blank walls, etc.  One KCP and City Center could do a much better job opening themselves up.  The Marriott is the same, at least the passing pedestrian can see into the President.

[Tosspot]

It just sucks that so much of the street level space in the loop is devoted to parking garages, loading docks, blank walls, etc.  One KCP and City Center could do a much better job opening themselves up.  The Marriott is the same, at least the passing pedestrian can see into the President.

Affirmative. You'd think that sometime in the past six decades there would have been a design plan for this god-forsaken city so that downtown wouldn't have turned into such a pedestrian hostile shithole.