The Raphael Hotel, Autograph Collection

There are not enough stars I can give this establishment. This hotel AND the area it is located is full of the nicest, kindest people I have come across in a log time. I travel ALOT AND IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAVE STAYED, EATEN, SHOPPED… done anything with such exceptional customer service. This hotel, namely its employees, deserves 10 stars. Thank you John, and everyone else at the hotel, for an exquisite stay. The beds are sublime as well. This place is worth every penny.

I cannot say enough great things about this place. The room (705, ask for it), the staff (John, front desk), room service, all of it amazing.

I have to say I am blown away by this place! I am a new member to Marriott and I am working on my elite status! I stay 150 nights a year in hotels. From the moment I pulled up to Valet, I was treated like royalty. It was like being at a neighborhood ritz Carlton! The mgr John checked me in. He was sweeter than pie. He gave me a fabulous room with a view. Champagne for my bday and anything else I asked for. He didn’t even hesitate. I have been in customer service my entire life. He is the best example I have ever seen. Marriott, please send your staff to train with this man! He was personable, polite and a total class act. I will definitely be back and I will be booking myself and staff here and at Marriott properties from now on. Thank you again to this amazing team for making me feel so welcome after my awful experience with Starwood.

This has been one of our classier stays.
Perfectly located in the Kansas City plaza.
I was thrilled to see a «real room»
The room is set apart by a hallway /​vanity area and closet with the bathroom at the end. There is a real tub, one that is deep and one you can relax in, real shower head and great water pressure for the 8^th floor. There was also bath salts!
Staff is friendly and check In was so easy.
Hubby was happy to see a mini bar, and room service wasted no time in bringing him his lines for his drink.
Real bedding and pillows. No short cuts on making it class and comfortable.
Loved it.

Last weekend was already going to be a special occasion since my Girlfriend’s Birthday falls the day after Valentines Day, but I also proposed before we left for our weekend so we were celebrating our Engagement as well. I had booked our stay at The Raphael several months ago based on several suggestions from my co-​workers. For the most part, their praise of the hotel was valid, but I had one experience with a staff member that really makes me want to give a much lower star rating.
The hotel was easy to find, sitting directly across the street from the Country Club Plaza. Parking was free which is great and rare to find in Kansas City hotels. The hotel has a great historic look to it and was decorated with a blend of classic and modern furniture.
Our room was nicely decorated, very clean, and actually had a large amount of space to spread out. The bed/​bedding was of high quality and extra comfortable.
So, my one issue… Upon checking in I had a very unpleasant experience with who I assume to be a manager. If it had been any other weekend, I would have asked for a refund of my money and looked elsewhere for lodging, but I knew that might be next to impossible at the last minute on the holiday weekend. When I booked the hotel room, in the notes section I explained the reason for our trip to be such a special occasion and requested a room on the highest floor possible and as far from an elevator or common area as possible. A woman helped us check in and I could tell as she was reading our notes her demeanor changed knowing she wasn’t going to provide us with a room like what we had asked for (I realized that after the fact because she didn’t say a word about it). She handed us keys and pointed us to the elevator. We realized that our room was on the third floor (out of like 12 I think) and the door of our room was the first thing you saw as you exit the elevator. We went back down to discuss this with the woman who sent over the manager in question (I should have got his name — Older guy working Saturday around 5:30). I have never in my life been spoken to by an employee in such a pompous and arrogant manner. He would not listen to a word I said, did not care that we had booked months in advance or were celebrating such a special occasion, and offered no apologies or solutions. Like I said, if I had thought other options were available, I would have left immediately.
After settling in (and my blood pressure returning to baseline) we had a fantastic weekend and every other detail about our stay was nothing short of 5 stars. Every other employee was exceptionally nice and made our weekend special. I just hate that my first interaction with the hotel staff was so negative. That manager needs some serious training in customer service.

I have never stayed in a luxury hotel in Kansas City, so my boyfriend decided to take me here my birthday/​our anniversary weekend.
When we arrived, we valeted the car, and were greeted by valet with nothing short of homely, warm, Kansas City love. Valet was complimentary.
When we went inside the hotel, it had a very classic look to it. Wifi is complimentary, and the front desk staff is very quick, polite and welcoming.
Our first room, on the 5^th floor, was absolutely beautiful. It was a (non-​accessible) Presidential Suite, very roomy and comfortable looking. On the table was a bottle of champagne (on ice) and a bouquet of flowers waiting for me (the hotel ordered them from an outside source as part of a package that my boyfriend got with our room), that were fresh, and absolutely gorgeous. Just when I thought everything was perfect, it turned out not quite. Someone had been smoking cigarettes in their room, either above or below us, and the smell was traveling through the vents and into the room through the bathroom. I’m not a smoker, so it kind of took away from the experience for me. We called downstairs and within a minute, someone was upstairs to inspect the room and spray it with something to mask the smell. The spray was really heavy on the lungs, so the two smells together was a bummer. My boyfriend called the front desk, and asked if we could be switched to another room. Staff then moved us up to the 8^th floor.
The accessible Presidential Suite on the 8^th floor wasn’t AS roomy, but was still nice. You could see that it was a lot more worn than the one on the 5^th floor, but it was clean, nonetheless. A couple of pillows on the couch were fraying a little, and had feathers poking out of them. The baseboards/​paint was a little worn, but other than that, everything was fine.
The bed was extremely comfortable, I slept like a baby. I always like to give credit to hotels that can offer me something different (like different features or amenities that I haven’t seen anywhere else). The bathtub was a deep soaking tub, but offered multiple features (not just your typical bubbles-​in-​the-​jacuzzi). You could change the lighting in the water so that it was multiple colours (either solid or strobing) — awesome!
The staff was excellent from beginning to end — I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
I don’t usually get excited for my birthday, but I announced «It’s my birthday!!!: (new year, new me, huh?). It was funny because literally EVERYONE we ran into at the hotel wished me happy birthday, both staff and other hotel guests. After we settled into our room, we stayed up there a bit. A few hours later, we came downstairs so that we could leave for dinner, and more birthday wishes came (from the same or other staff), announcing that it was my special day.
When we arrived back to the hotel after dinner, more announcements and wishes from staff and guests. And guess what, when we left the hotel the next morning (after a long night of drinking, and looking a little bit like trash), guess what… I got MORE birthday wishes (from the same staff or newer hotel guests), haha. As I walked downstairs, the valet yelled in the lobby: «Hey everyone, it’s her birthday!!!». Hahaha. Innocent bystanders looked and wished me happy birthday in passing. I’m not usually one for the attention, but I definitely felt special.

NIGHTMARE!!!
I would love be able to give this establishment five stars but as we speak, they are currently charging my checking account repeatedly for our room. We checked out this morning, and they are still overcharging.
We have traveled all over the world and are accustomed to having holds placed on credit cards for incidentals but they are actually just charging us for the room repeatedly.
We stayed one night, booked and paid through Expedia and are being double charged by the hotel. As of 30 minutes ago, they had charged us another $ 209.00 for tonight even though we had only booked a room for one night. That, on top of two more $ 249.00 charges that came through this morning.
So, our $ 250 one night getaway, is now costing us close to $ 1200. When we call and talk to the manager she says «I’m sorry it’s just a mistake»
When you accidentally charge a customer’s credit card once it is a mistake, when you do it three more times it is fraud, and theft.

I got a good online deal on this hotel and I was very happy to find out it was a great find! My room had a large living room area as well as a separate bedroom; bathroom was off the living room area. I really enjoyed the jazz club downstairs. You can tell it’s a popular meeting spot in the area. The fitness center was larger than I expected and offered a modest amount of cardio equipment and weights. Free water bottles in the fitness center as well! Also there is free valet and self parking. There was one minor problem with the heat in the room (it was actually too hot!) Upon notifying the front desk, a technician was up to the room in just about five minutes and they were able to make the minor repair quickly. I really enjoyed the staff and service and would definitely stay here again!

My husband and I went here for our 22^nd wedding anniversary. We were greeted with a wonderful staff. The young man who took our bags to the room gave us some brief history about the building. The room was clean, classy and our view was of the plaza shopping. We were close to all the shopping and the hotel had Jaz playing in the Chaz restaurant later that night. We had a drink and enjoyed some live music.
I’m a girl who grew up in Paris, France and here in Kansas and I must say this hotel had all the charm of a French hotel with the space of an American hotel. If you are looking for a get-​a-​way without jumping on a plane and looking for something romantic this hotel won’t let you down! We purchased the romance package. Red wine was waiting, rose petals on the bed, a jet bathtub with a box of fancy body wash and breakfast in bed.
Treat yourself to this place you’ll leave refreshed and rejuvenated.

A group of us were walking around the Plaza and decided to stop by here for a drink. There was live music there, and it was quite pleasant! The service was friendly, but the drinks are a bit over-​priced. The bar/​lounge was dark and swanky, but I paid $ 14 for house wine, which was definitely not worth $ 14.

Its a little pricy to stay here but it’s worth the cost. The staff made our stay here a great experience! From recommending a great jazz club with live music to arranging transportation, they did it all with a smile.

I stayed here a week ago last night and they asked me for a card for incidentals. The front desk then went on to book the whole room again on that card. This isn’t a big issue to me but when I asked for help the workers instantly acted like it was me in the wrong. After some time they realized my issue and awarded my card the money owed. I am here over a week later and the money is still stuck with them. For an organization to claim they are as refined as they claim to be to have a system that ties up money for ten days seems more like a scam than a service. Don’t think they will ever get my business again. I am done talking to the desk help that has talked back to me every time I have called. It would be great to hear from upper management about this issue

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing
I am very particular about where I stay when I travel and it doesn’t get any better than this.
First class service in every aspect! I can honestly say that I have never had better accommodations.
It is expensive but it is worth the price.
I don’t know how we will ever be able to stay anywhere else when we visit Kansas City!

This boutique hotel is located in the heart of Kansas City. Walking distance to the historic part of town, all the major shops, restaurants, bars and the riverfront walk, which is really splendid.
The hotel is located in the beautiful traditional European style building, totally renovated, nice, intimate and cozy inside.
They offer different packages. Ours included breakfast. And we enjoyed it in the restaurant downstairs. It’s a la cart and includes so much exquisite delicacies, like lobster Benedict, smoked salmon Benedict, buttermilk pancakes, and more.
The room service menu is a little bit short and laconic, especially if you want to order dinner. But still, there are few options to choose from even for a late night service.
The staff is friendly and helpful.
We didn’t have the chance to check out their gym, cause the airline lost our luggage and we didn’t have the sportswear and time to go there, but I’m sure it’s on the great level.
They have small charming patio outside where you can enjoy a drink late in the evening or your morning coffee. Excellent place for both: a romantic escape or business trip.

Seriously the best hotel experience I’ve ever had. The rooms are modern, clean, bright, and full of attention to detail. I stayed at a Jr king suite and it was more than spacious for me since I was here for work. The staff are courteous and polite, and they accommodated all of my requests. Room service was prompt, and the food from Chaz (the attached restaurant) was very good. I really appreciated the complimentary valet, makeup mirror in the bathroom, and the super deep tub for a nice bath at the end of the day. It’s also totally convenient that the hotel is located next to the Plaza, where there are great shopping and dining. I would come back here in a heart beat.

Simply stunning! Following a four day, three night stay, I am hooked on this location on the Plaza.
First impressions are key and although the location is unimpressive, the front entrance is truly whimsical! Guests are welcomed by glittering lighted arches over the driveway and two outdoor seating areas on either side of the lobby entrance. The fireplaces provide warmth and a place for gathering that feels tucked in amongst the foliage and landscaping. The front overlooks the beautiful architecture of the Country Club Plaza.
The lobby is a work of art with glittering chandeliers and gallery furniture. Complimentary treats await the weary traveler. The reception staff were service elite and super efficient.
My room was a junior suite on the northeast corner of the 5^th floor. The room was surprisingly spacious given the overall size of the hotel. The suite included a conference table which seated six, a desk, a sleeper sofa and two chairs. The bedroom was the picture of calm with down pillows and fluffy bedding.
My favorite «specials» in the room included a two foot deep soaking tub with arm rests and bath salts, a keurig coffee maker with real creamer cups, and chocolates on the pillows.
I took advantage of room service of course! I indulged in bananas foster french toast, bacon, maple oatmeal, and fresh orange juice for breakfast. I also enjoyed crème brûlée nightly as it is my most favorite dessert. One late evening I ordered pita chips with crab and brie dip. As you might imagine, everything was wonderful. The vanilla bean butter added the perfect touch to the French toast. The room service attendant was engaging, warm, and eager to ensure every detail was perfect.
I highly recommend this location for a romantic getaway… take advantage of one of their many room package options.

One of the best hotel experiences I’ve had. I have stayed in some nice places Ritz Carlton, W, Bulgari, and the Raphael is in that class. Beautiful historic building with a lot of character. Feels similar to European hotels in that the lobby is small, but very beautiful. From the minute we pulled up the staff was first rate. They did a great job of welcoming us, taking our bags, and parking the car. At check in the staff greeted us and after I gave them my name they called me Mr. B the rest of the time. The elevators in particular feel European because they are very ornate, yet can only hold 4 people who know each other well.

Had a very large, beautiful room that overlooked the Plaza. Perfect Christmas location! The room had 2 Queens, desk area, and a living room off to the side. Bathroom was oversized and very well appointed. Everything was organized and first class. I cannot say enough good things about the Raphael and look forward to visiting again next Christmas.

Wow! Weird experience this time! I’ve stayed at the Raphael before and had a good time. We were in a Junior Suite that time which had a beautiful view of the Plaza and a nice long bathtub. We decided this time to try one of the Presidential Suites. It wasn’t cheap (about $ 400 after taxes). Our first surprise was when we were given our key to the second floor. Seemed odd to be on such a low level for the most expensive room option. We got up there and found a hideous view of a side street outside of the windows. Not good… The bathroom had a weird smell to it, though the tub in there was a large round jacuzzi. The bed was huge and comfy and the décor was nice. You have to request a key to the mini-​bar if you want to use it (just so you know). Wifi is free, but I also found it to be pretty slow. I was able to use iTunes radio okay, but Netflix was a bit low in quality.
We went out and drove back to the hotel after dinner. When we got back we found the parking garage (tiny) was full and the guy on the intercom told us we could pull around for «free valet». With two full parking lots, I’m going to make a fair assumption that the valet guys were just going to circle the streets to find parking. No thanks. We can do that ourselves and not have to double tip anyone for leaving the car and then for getting it back. Once we lucked out on parking on our own, we went to the room and tried to find the pay-​per-​view channel. We had no luck and called the front desk. They told us they don’t have pay-​per-​view, but they did have a list of dvds and a dvd player they could bring us. Umm. What? A guy brought up a list that claimed to have been updated in November of 2013 and had a really odd mix of movies on it. When my husband went to the front desk to get a movie and the dvd player, he inquired as to why they don’t have pay-​per-​view. Apparently the older lady working the desk was quite snide with him and told him that they don’t want «adult movies» in their hotel and you can’t have pay-​per-​view channels without them. It’s weird to be annoyed at us for that. We just wanted to watch a normal film like Captain America 2, not porn but whatever lady. As my husband walked away the two behind the desk said «Why does everything go wrong at once?». All he did was request the dvd player that was offered and inquire as to the setup they have. It’s not like he was yelling at them or being a jerk.
We ordered a room service burger to be done medium. It was bloody. Also, the tomato was literally black from being soaked so heavily in vinegar (at least I hope that’s why it was black.).
All in all, the décor of the hotel is nice and so is the small lobby. I would never recommend the Presidential Suites, but the Junior ones are nice (request a view I guess). Also, don’t expect pay-​per-​view or friendly desk staff after 8pm. Parking is a complete mess. They need a bigger garage.

I’m pretty fussy and I must say this old school hotel was spectacular. We splurged on a «Presidential Suite», that’s the ambitious title given to a series of rooms that this hotel offers with a large Jacuzzi bath tub and flat screen tv on the wall, big shower, marble tiles, indirect lighting, etc… Lots of fancy little products including a mending kit… haven’t seen one of those in years!
Lots of attention to detail, black out curtains, fancy pens, soft neutral colors, the couch is comfortable, the clean plentiful linens are plush, lots of pillows! Immaculate service at every turn, posh coffee service in the lobby, then cookies in the evening with hot cocoa.
This is a great hotel with a highly professional amiable staff., but I do have a few quibbles:
1. As an Autograph Collection, they are affiliated with Marriott in a marketing sense, but it’s not run by Marriott. So while the bed was firm but comfortable, don’t expect a Marriott dream bed (Jamison Mattress).
2. The room service menu is truly ridiculous! Page after page with rules upon rules. For instance, you can’t get a burger anytime but after 10pm on a Friday and Saturday only. Really? I think they are trying to force you into a $ 35 steak during dinner hours. It’s too confusing .
3. This is more about local government but get this: room rate is $ 303, then a city tax of $ 22.73, then a state tax of $ 25.30, then a development tax of $ 1.50, then another fee tax of $.011, food tax of $.92, city food tax $.22. These onerous taxes will prevent me from returning on leisure. Obviously they are trying to take advantage of visitors rather than add taxes to their local citizens. Your fiscal indiscretion should not be my burden if I choose to visit your city.

I had just gotten off the most turbulent flight ever on a tiny regional jet which had no air ventilation working. Apparently I looked as sick as I felt.
And then the car arrived at this fairy-​tale like charming hotel. With the 11 foot tall (okay, that is an exaggeration, but boy he was quite a sight for my very sore eyes!!) bellman who opened the door to my car and said, ‘Welcome to the Raphael. How was your flight?” «You don’t want to know», I replied and he laughed and led me over to the treat filled lobby. Greeted with chocolate truffles, cookies and THE best hot chocolate I have ever had in my life and entering the 2 room suite with the most comfortable bed ever — I quickly forgot all the troubles from my flight and slept like a baby.
Couldn’t have asked for a better stay. Thanks all at Raphael.