KCRag Forum

Someone on 909 Walnut's resident FB page mentioned there will be a small bar in the lobby (which is a bit unusual for a Hampton Inn); I couldn't find confirmation of that on Hilton's Web site. Also, the new starting date for accepting reservations is July 10.

I was told that they are opening June 14th, perhaps they are still not quite ready?

My wife walked down yesterday and did a tour of the new hotel. She said it was really modern and the rooms were nice. Views looking North from the top floor were really nice as well according to her.

They let her go in and take a tour? I am going to try that at lunch today!

ThorsteinVeblen wrote:My wife walked down yesterday and did a tour of the new hotel. She said it was really modern and the rooms were nice. Views looking North from the top floor were really nice as well according to her.

So I went in and got a tour on Saturday. The do indeed have a small bar and sitting area. It's only designed for some wine/beer and a couple mixed drinks. It's not going to be full service but wanted to provide a nice nightcap for guests. Rooms are really nice and I agree that its very modern. They did a great job with the renovation and stopped work on the Holiday Inn Express in order to focus on getting this open. They have a a really nice coffee bar/station, fitness room and a small meeting room. There is Kansas City art work and each room number has a photo piece of KC architecture.

swid wrote:Someone on 909 Walnut's resident FB page mentioned there will be a small bar in the lobby (which is a bit unusual for a Hampton Inn); I couldn't find confirmation of that on Hilton's Web site. Also, the new starting date for accepting reservations is July 10.

toured the now-open hotel today:

DaveKCMO wrote:you can tell they've installed uplights on the columns and under the cornice. should look great at night!

It does! Every once in a while I see something here that makes me think "Wow, I'm in a city," and tonight it was this. The columns are beautifully lit.

The 112-year-old Gumbel Building at 801 Walnut quietly opened its doors June 10 as a Hampton Inn after a 70-room renovation. It’s the first of 10 new hotels proposed for downtown and the Crossroads Arts District.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/business ... rylink=cpy

I am staying at the Hampton Hotel presently. Really nice place. A bit out of the thick of things but not a long walk to the P&L District. We took the streetcar to 18th and then over to the Jacobson for dinner. Then we walked back to the hotel. My first trip on the streetcar - it was absolutely packed at 6 PM and downtown/crossroads streets were packed with people. My wife looked at me while on the streetcar and said "what city are we in". Fantastic to see so much activity downtown.

I thought the streetcar moved at a pretty good pace. Anybody who disparingly says they can walk faster is crazy - it took us 5-6 x as long to walk back at a fairly brisk pace.

Welcome to the new KC Highlander!

swid wrote: If the Tiger Tail is (somehow) still open by the time the Hampton Inn opens, I'll be curious to see how(?) they'll market themselves to the hotel's guests.

And the answer is: apparently not well. Tiger Tail is closing for good this week. Rumor is it's been sold and the new-owner is going to re-work the place and open under a new format in a few weeks, but I haven't been able to find any details to back that up.

I'm not shedding too many tears over this news.

Given that the location itself can only be polished so much...even if the next incarnation of what goes in there is just an shift from "dive bar" to "neighborhood bar", it'd be a welcome upgrade.

Good riddance.

Tear down the garage and start over plz. K thx.

looks like the tiger tail is still open? or they left the neon lights on this week

wahoowa wrote:looks like the tiger tail is still open? or they left the neon lights on this week

They apparently resolved their trouble and re-opened on the 23rd. Poor Hampton Inn.

scooterj wrote:

wahoowa wrote:looks like the tiger tail is still open? or they left the neon lights on this week

They apparently resolved their trouble and re-opened on the 23rd. Poor Hampton Inn.

The hotel being renovated means their and nearby assessments are going to skyrocket around it. And parking rates can't increase as much as they did in the past being a block from a train stop. So rent is going to go up.

They'll either be very successful with a hotel next door or will have issues paying increased bills.

This past weekend, the Tiger Tail update their signage and is now "KC's Garage Kitchen & Bar"; the associated Facebook and Twitter pages' first posts were on October 19.

Anyone know if this incarnation is the same owner(s)? Other than the new name, it doesn't look like anything else changed.

I thought Tiger Tail was owned by some guy from L.A. who also owned the garage. Is that not the case?