Kansas City
A $20 million multiyear renovation was completed at the 983-room Kansas City Marriott Downtown in August. Over the course of the project, all the guest rooms were redone, as were the fitness center, pool, lobby, restaurant and concierge lounge.
The Hyatt Regency Crown Center has been reflagged as the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center. Starwood is investing a total of $18 million in the public spaces of both the 730-room Sheraton and the 724-room Westin Kansas City at Crown Center over the next three years.
The $11 million, 43-room Ambassador Hotel Kansas City opened this summer in the restored Gate City National Bank building. The upscale hotel features two-story penthouse suites, a boardroom and a 1,300-square-foot ballroom for groups of up to 100.
The Mediterranean-inspired Hotel Sorella Country Club Plaza is slated for a fall 2013 debut. The 143-room hotel will offer approximately 5,700 square feet of meeting space, a pool and a restaurant.
Meeting Hotels
The largest properties in town include the 983-room Kansas City Marriott Downtown, 733-room Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, 724-room Westin Kansas City at Crown Center, 392-room Harrah's North Kansas City, 385-room Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downtown, 384-room Kansas City Airport Marriott, 369-room Holiday Inn Kansas City SE Waterpark, 347-room Hilton Kansas City Airport, 346-room InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza, 266-room Embassy Suites Kansas City--Plaza and 217-room Hotel Phillips.
Other hotels in the immediate area include the 237-room Embassy Suites Hotel Airport, 168-room Clarion Hotel and 123-room Courtyard Kansas City at Briarcliff.
Convention Center
Kansas City Convention Center; exhibit space, 388,800 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 48; (800) 821-7060
Airport Transit
Kansas City International Airport; about 20 miles from midtown; transfer by taxi, about $50; by SuperShuttle, $18
Taxes
State tax, 4.225%; county tax, 1.125%; city tax, 2.375% (increasing .5% to 2.825% in January 2013); convention and tourism tax, 7.5%; downtown district tax, .5%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15.725% (increasing .5% to 16.225% in January 2013)
Group Venues
The new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, boldly designed by avant-garde architect Moshe Safdie, is a 285,000-square-foot marvel encased in steel and glass. Inside are two concert halls that seat up to 1,800 and 1,600 attendees, respectively, as well as a 15,000-square-foot event space and numerous smaller rooms suitable for gatherings. Outside, a five-acre lawn also can be used for functions. (816) 994-7200
Even if you don't plan to spend an evening at the Kansas City Power & Light District, attendees probably will find it on their own. The revitalized nine-block, 500,000-square-foot area, adjacent to the city's convention center, is packed with a wide variety of restaurants, bars and shops. Event spaces include KC Live!, a 25,000-square-foot covered outdoor plaza, and The Gallery, a brand-new 9,000-square-foot indoor space with built-in audiovisual equipment, floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony. The Gallery can accommodate private groups of up to 400 people seated or 600 for cocktails. Also notable: Within the district, drinking alcohol on the street is permitted. (816) 842-1045
Contact
Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, (800) 767-7700
Branson
The 294-room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel
celebrated its reopening last month after a powerful tornado ripped
through the area this past February. All of the hotel's furniture and
carpeting, and 3,800 panes of glass, were replaced. The convention
center itself reopened in April, following a $3 million renovation.
The Radisson Hotel Branson wrapped
up a multi-year renovation this spring. All 472 guest rooms and public
spaces were revamped, along with the property's approximately 15,000
square feet of meeting space.
Following Southwest Airlines' recent purchase of AirTran Airways, Southwest planes will be flying directly into Branson Airport beginning in 2013. Routes and schedules have not yet been announced.
Meeting Hotels Properties
in this bustling entertainment mecca include the 626-room Westgate
Branson Woods Resort, 472-room Radisson Hotel Branson, 345-room Howard
Johnson Hotel, 301-room Chateau on the Lake Resort Spa & Convention
Center, 294-room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, 269-room
Thousand Hills Golf & Conference Resort, 246-room Big Cedar Lodge,
242-room Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing, 210-room Honeysuckle Inn
& Conference Center, 200-room Grand Plaza Hotel and 190-room Lodge
of the Ozarks.
Convention Center Branson Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 50,000 square feet;
number of meeting rooms, 19; (417) 336-5401
Airport Transit Springfield-Branson National Airport, 50 miles north of Branson. Transfer cost by private shuttle, $80
Branson Airport, 10 miles south of Branson. Transfer cost by taxi, $25; by shuttle, $14
Taxes Room tax, 11.6%; sales tax, 8.6%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11.6%. Room and sales taxes at Branson Landing are 1% higher.
Group Venues 
The new Dewey Short Visitors Center
(for visitors of all heights) overlooks Table Rock Lake and presents
colorful exhibits about the history of the White River Valley and Table
Rock Dam. The 15,000-square-foot, LEED-certified building can host up to
100 people for a meeting, 150 for a banquet and 300 for a reception.
(417) 334-6394
This year marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, a date that did not go unnoticed at the Titanic Branson,
a landlocked replica that doubles as an event space and museum. The
venue proves an elegant setting for standing progressive dinners and
receptions for up to 250 guests or formal seated dinners for up to 50.
The museum recently devised a Titanic murder mystery that works well for
team building. (800) 381-7670
The Copper Run Distillery & Lounge,
which opened in 2009, claims to be the first legal distillery in the
Ozarks (accent on the word legal). The rustic tasting room can
accommodate parties of up to 50 people inside and 25 more on the porch;
guests will be served cocktails made from housemade whiskey, rum and
old-fashioned moonshine, as well as light Mediterranean snacks. (417)
587-3456
Contact Branson/Lakes Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 315-8601