I very rarely go online to rate anything, but my experience at the Ambassador Hotel prompted me to warn other people about this hotel.
My husband was attending a conference in Kansas City, so my daughter and I decided we would surprise him by coming to Kansas City. The Marriott was the host hotel, but they were sold out, but the recommended the Ambassador Hotel for us to stay at. Thinking we could trust a recommendation from Marriott, we booked the hotel.
According to the website the hotel has complimentary bottled water, luxury transportation, a fitness center, and 24 hour room service. I realize that the hotel is brand new, and I understand that every business has growing pains, but this place was ridiculous. They did not have any of the items they listed on the website... at all. When we entered the property it was dark, very dark. The lobby was very cold in the way it looked. Very dim lighting. Narrow. Etc. At first we did not see the registration area. After looking around, someone at the desk noticed we looked lost and asked if they could help us. We told her we needed to check in. She rushed through the checkin, had me sign a piece of paper, and then told us the elevator was behind us. We did not see anyone around to help us with our luggage, and since she was the only person at the desk, we did not ask her to help us. We did not see a luggage cart so we took our luggage in two trips.
The room we were in was quite large, and was on the fifth floor. There was only one working elevator, and it was very slow to get anywhere. When we got to our room, we were very surprised. The room was very large, but again felt very cold. Black carpet bland grey walls, almost no artwork in the room at all. The bathroom was large, and very clean. When we went to put our clothes away, there was a layer of dust on everything, in every drawer, and on every surface. We just wanted to put our stuff away, and go meet my husband for dinner, so we took a washcloth from the bathroom and wiped everything down. In the closet they had two fantastic robes for us to use.
We returned to the desk, and inquired about transportation to the Marriott. We were told that there was no one there to drive the shuttle, but the Marriott was just a few block up the road. So much for the transportation! It was well over a hundred degrees outside, but we got directions and walked up to meet my husband at the Marriott. The Marriott suggested that we have dinner in the Power District, which we did. By the time was had dinner it was getting later in the night, and my daughter wanted to stay and go to a few of the bars. I handed her a hotel key that was in a paper envelope with the hotel phone number on it. I told her to call the hotel when she was ready to come home. My daughter came in around 11pm, and told me that she could not get a hold of the hotel, because of a wrong phone number on the key packet. She walked back to the Marriott, and got her dad to get her a ride back to the Ambassador. I am glad she did not walk back, as this hotel is not in a good part of town. There was a bum laying down on a bench outside the hotel. My daugher was hungry for a snack when she got back to the hotel, so we called down to the restaurant, and somehow we got the front desk. The person at the desk seemed clueless when we called down to order food. We were told that the kitchen was closed, and that room service was not yet available.
The next morning we came downstairs to inquire about going to either the country club or the market. The guy at the desk said that either was a great idea, and told us a lot about each one. We decided to head to the market, and wait for my husband to get off to go to the country club. We inquired about a ride to the market, and the guy at the desk said that he would find someone to take us down there. We finally got a ride in a very nice shuttle to the market, but this time I had the correct phone number to call to get a ride back. We appreciated the recommendation, as my daughter and I really enjoyed the market.
Upon our return to the hotel, we had a few hours to kill before my husbands meetings were over, and my daughter and I decided we would work out. When we called the front desk to inquire as to where the fitness center was, the young lady informed us that the fitness center was not yet ready. She apologized, and told us that there were some local fitness centers we could go to, but they all charged. When we called down to the desk, we got the guy that recommended the market, and he informed me that he could get us a free pass to the YMCA. He told us that it was about a half a mile away, and that the shuttle could take us. As much as I appreciated the suggestion, taking the shuttle to the gym just did not seem like something we wanted to do, so we passed.
The rooms were clean, there is no doubt about that. The only problem was that nothing was put back in the room. They give you one bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. You get a mini bar of soap that is a true joke. Each time we wanted to take a shower, we had to call down and ask for soap, body wash, shampoo... and towels. They took the towels both days and did not return them. They did not replace coffee, and we never did find creamer for the coffee.
All in all, this was a horrible experience at the Ambassador hotel. They did not deliver on any of what they claim to offer. The hotel is dark and dingy. The rooms very large and bland. The staff was hit and miss. I am writing this review in hopes that you will not choose this hotel if you are in Kansas City. All of these wonderful reviews are inaccurate.