Elms Hotel & Spa

Removed, states negative reviews
Removed, states negative reviews
Removed, states negative reviews
Removed, states negative reviews
Removed, states negative reviews
Removed, states negative reviews
Removed, states negative reviews

Took my fiancé there for Valentine’s weekend (Sunday through Monday morning) Got a rate of $ 139 for a Suite for one night on Sunday night. Made two spa appointments for herbal baths Sunday afternoon, and dinner reservations for Sunday night for a special Valentine’s buffet. For Monday morning I made a facial appointment for my fiancé.
Desk staff was very friendly checking in. Asked where we could get some food, since we hadn’t eaten since 8:00 am and it was pushing 2 pm. She pointed at a corner café type room in the front of the Elms. It was dark and unmanned, but she said whatever we chose, just bring it to the front desk and they would ring it up. Went into the café, and all they had were a couple of slices of cheesecake and a couple of «salads» that were barely two bites big and looked like they were put together three or four days ago for $ 6. I wound up having to go to a gas station nearby and get hot dogs and chips since there was nothing else available.
The herbal baths were nice and very hot! The only thing they need to do is advertise them more honestly. Website says 50 minutes; it’s more like 30 after they talk to you about how to use the bathtub, explain the mineral they used, then come and tell you when it’s time to get out so you can dry off. One would think that could be part of the ten minutes extra leftover before the next appointment on the hour. My suggestion would be to be a little more thorough in the description so people know exactly what is going on before they spend their money.
Dinner at this buffet was $ 39.95 a person. My fiancé had a bottle of Bud Light, which was $ 4.50, and I had an orange juice and Grey Goose, which was $ 9.50 (Not a double; just a single, and very light on the vodka) Our waitress was less than average; the only time she came with good frequency to the table is when she saw we were getting close to being done, then it was like she was wanting us to pay the check and leave quickly (even though the banquet room was never even close to full.) Must have dropped hints three different times she could take our money for the bill. Once we paid (and still eating) she never returned. I wanted a to go box so I could take a piece of cheesecake to the room like I saw so many others leaving with, but we never saw her again after we signed our bill.
The king size bed was so hard and lumpy, both my fiancé and me are having back issues today because we barely got any sleep because of the lack of comfort.
When I made the reservations for the room, the baths and the facial, I was told the Grotto room was free with booking any spa service (which I booked three for the Sunday afternoon and Monday morning we were there.) When I took my fiancé down for her facial, my intent was to use the steam room and the cold shower in the Grotto room while she got her facial. Alas, the girl working the desk told me I would have to pay $ 55 to use the Grotto room because I personally hadn’t booked a spa service THAT DAY. I asked her if she was really serious, since I had booked two the previous day, then the facial for my fiancé.
Here’s my issue with the Elms… I travel a great deal. I have stayed in two star hotels; I have stayed in five star hotels. The Elms must think it is a five star hotel, because their rates are ridiculous. $ 9.50 for a small mixed drink with Grey Goose? I’ve paid $ 9.50 for a mixed drink like that before in Washington D.C., Denver, Dallas in one of their upscale hotels. I’ve paid that numerous times in Vegas. You know why they can charge that much and no one thinks too much about it? Because there is glamour, glitz, amazing ambiance to go with it. Elms… you are a partially revamped hotel whose big thing hangs on the history of how big a deal it was decades ago. Now you are, in my opinion, a three star hotel on a good day. You’re located in a small town that is decaying away and has no real attraction other than your hotel. (No disrespect to the people of Excelsior Springs; I came from a small town who had the same issues a few years back.) Forty bucks PER PERSON for a buffet that featured two vegetables that were both overdone, pork loin that was dry, cornbread that was barely edible, and prime rib was served with a horseradish sauce that had absolutely no flavor at all (the sauce, I mean) How do you manage to take every hint of horseradish out of a prime rib sauce and make it that bland? Combine that with a below average waitress who obviously had other places she would rather be, and dinner was a huge disappointment.
The positives. most of the staff was friendly and courteous. I’m sure if I would have brought these things to someone’s attention there might have been something compensated or something done. But this was my fiancé’s first time getting to do something like this; she was enjoying herself and allowing herself to relax, and I wasn’t going to ruin the weekend making a scene.

The hotel service and spa service are wonderful. People are very friendly and the spa alone would bring us back. The room was very nice and comfortable. Unfortunately the restaurant is very understaffed and the food isn’t that great. If we come back we would eat somewhere else for sure. Room service the next morning was on-​time but again food wasn’t the greatest.

The staff at the spa were accommodating and friendly. Marissa went out of her way to watch the wait list for me and called me after hours when a massage appointment opened up. The European circular lap pool was really cool. A lot larger than I expected. The massage was amazing and the facial and scalp massage were very relaxing. My skin was glowing afterwards. My favorite part about the grotto experience was the exfoliation bar and steam shower. The shea butter scrub was both exfoliating and moisturizing. The ice cold peppermint scented washcloths were extremely refreshing. We’ll go back for sure.

This hotel is beautiful! We went here for my sister’s bachelorette party and had a spa day and it was a wonderful experience. You can spend all day in the spa if you get a service done, they have wet and dry saunas, steam rooms with body scrubs, lounges with hot tubs. It was great. The hotel itself is great as well. We have stayed here twice and the second time our room smelt a little mildewey — but the beds are comfortable and the ambiance made up for it. The restaurant that is attached to the hotel is wonderful as well. We didn’t get to do a ghost tour because there was a group of extremely drunk, obnoxious people doing it during our scheduled time — but we would have really enjoyed getting to hear the history of the hotel. Next time we stay there I think we will do an earlier ghost tour, to try and avoid the drunks!

Alawys GREAT !!! Christmas Dinner was just right. Staff was great. We have been comming for the Holidays for 15 years. Thank You and Merry Christmas.

For an older hotel this is a very nice place.
We didn’t use the pool or spa [maybe next time] but there were lots of other guest who did. Next time I’ve going to walk around the hotel, looked like an interesting setting.

Treated my mom to a massage here today and it was wonderful. We spent the full day in the grotto, pre and post massage. I loved the exfoliation bar and accompanying steam shower. The hot tub was perfect, the peppermint towels were refreshing to cool off.
My masseuse was Tim, great job! Just enough pressure and relaxation.
The quiet room has a few snacks, but otherwise plan to eat before you arrive if it’s around mealtime. The café was nothing great.
The only ding was that the pool was closed, so we’ll have to go back and try it when it reopens.

Looks
Haunted.
Gym, pool, and
Wifi. And ghosts.
Walking distance to downtown. And to ghosts.

It is as beautiful and clean as the other reviews stated. I am so glad we stayed here. Its been remodeled in the nostalgic theme of the late 50’s. There have been presidents, mafia members and other characters that have visited over the years. They offer a ghost tour that would be better presented as a hotel tour because there really is better history within than ghost stories. The beds and pillows in our room were deep, soft and clean. The restaurant was fantastic.

Although it was a beautiful, old hotel, sleeping through the night was near impossible (and the ghosts weren’t to blame). The walls were paper thin so you could hear everything going on on in the halls. Each morning we could hear the maids and other staff getting their mop buckets out of the janitor’s closets; it sounded like they were in our room. We could also hear the staff service elevator dinging constantly. We definitely did not have a quiet room. Our rooms were remodeled but weren’t quite as nice as the ones on their website. I think those were pics from their presidential suites. We’d stay there again if we had to but would consider driving out of the way to stay somewhere else if possible.

My boyfriend and I stayed one night at The Elms and our only regret was not staying longer. Everything was perfect:
— The room was updated, cozy and clean.
— We were constantly greeted and acknowledged by staff.
— The grounds were absolutely beautiful – we loved walking around and exploring.
— We had great experiences eating lunch and dinner at the restaurant. There’s really no need to leave the property during your stay.
— Do yourself a favor and take the ghost tour! Our tour guide, Jay, did a great job mixing the paranormal into the hotel’s rich history.
— Treat yourself at the spa. It gives you access to The Grotto. I could have spent the entire day there.
We live in Kansas City so we want to come back at least once a year. I would also consider the Elms for a girls trip or a mother-​daughter weekend.

This hotel was GREAT! The Ghost Tour with Jay was spooky, got goosebumps a few times listning to all the stories! It was very cool, really enjoyed Jay! The rooms were decent in size and very clean. The pool was nice and refreshing and I was glad to see it went up to 10ft deep, where as most hotel pools only go to 5ft. Overall this was a very nice getaway and the Ghost Tour is definitely worth doing!

We planned our wedding at The Elms this year and could not have made a better a decision. While the unique character and beauty of the hotel is what initially drew us there, the staff and in particular the events coordinator Lacee, were what made the final decision so easy for us.
Working with The Elms was a breeze. It is obvious Lacee not only cares about the location and its history, but also about her clients and their events. She is a great listener, is great with a budget, and really seems to love the weddings and her brides more than making the sale. I would recommend The Elms to any of my friends. I know my mom is already considering a vow renewal just so she can have a party here.

Easy, awesome getaway from KC! I feel like we were the last ones to venture that way, but so glad we did and that we did it after a huge renovation just a couple years back. The drive was extremely easy and mighty quick.
The hotel is gorgeously creepy and very beautiful. The front desk staff was very friendly and full of information. The room was nice. Basic. Not a lot of updates and amenities but just fine. It smelled musky, but with the age and history of this place it seemed somewhat appropriate.
The grotto in the spa area is top notch and quite amazing. We spent three hours in there and loved every minute. Detoxed and refreshed. So well done and worth every penny. The massage was mediocre and just «meh». Overall, the spa amenities were impressive and left little to desire (other than good massages)!
The restaurant was good, not great. The indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs were all great. The grounds are nicely maintained. It’s very dog friendly which I love. The two areas that were truly exceptional was the Grotto experience and the front desk staff, everything else was 3 to 4 stars. Overall, great experience and time at The Elms Hotel and Spa.