Kansas City
Kansas City's largest convention hotel, the 984-room Kansas City Marriott Downtown, completed another phase of its multimillion-dollar renovation, which included improvements to the front drive and hotel entrance. The next phase will create a new lobby space with three distinct sections where guests can efficiently arrive and depart, meet, work, socialize, and partake in various dining and entertainment options. The hotel offers 91,570 square feet of meeting space.
The 731-room Hyatt Regency Crown Center will be renamed the Sheraton Crown Center beginning in 2012. Both the Sheraton and its sister property, the 729-room Westin Crown Center, will be managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Over the next three years, upgrades at the Sheraton will include a new lobby, while the Westin will see upgrades to the entrance and lobby areas, the 17,487-square-foot Century Ballroom and public restrooms.
The 217-room Hotel Phillips will undergo a restoration of its art deco interior during summer 2012. The work will be done on a floor-by-floor basis and will not affect guests. This downtown property offers 5,600 square feet of divisible meeting space.
Meeting Hotels
Major properties in Kansas City include the 984-room Kansas City Marriott Downtown, 731-room Hyatt Regency Crown Center, 729-room Westin Crown Center, 392-room Harrah's North Kansas City Casino & Hotel, 388-room Crowne Plaza Kansas City-Downtown, 382-room Marriott Kansas City Airport, 369-room Holiday Inn CoCo Key Water Resort, 347-room Hilton Kansas City Airport and 346-room InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza. For more hotels, search mcvenues.com.
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, 18 miles from downtown. Transfer by taxi, approximately $37; by SuperShuttle, $18 each way
Taxes
State tax, 4.225%; county tax, 1.125%; city tax, 2.375%; convention and tourism tax, 7.5%; downtown district tax, .5%; total tax on hotels, 15.725%
Group Venues
The Boulevard Brewing Co. offers a complete selection of Kansas City's locally brewed beers, served cold and fresh for up to 350 guests. For gatherings, the Muehlebach Suite accommodates 225 people and features breathtaking views of downtown; the Brewhouse Bar's event space for 75 showcases the state-of-the-art stainless-steel brewhouse; and for a more intimate setting, the Tasting Room can hold up to 35 guests. (816) 474-7095
The Arabia Steamboat Museum features unique collections depicting frontier life. Built in 1853, the steamboat Arabia was a side-wheeler steamer that sunk to the bottom of the Missouri River around 1856 with all 200 tons of cargo. Rediscovered after 132 years, large sections of the ship and its contents have been restored and put on display at the museum, including a full-size reproduction of the main deck, brightly colored and decorated buttons, glass bottles of still-edible sweet pickles and other items from daily life in 1856. The museum's total event space accommodates up to 800 guests, including a multipurpose space on the Museum Level for 125 guests and a large atrium that overlooks the City Market on weekends. (816) 471-1856
CVB Services
Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, (800) 767-7700
Branson
The 472-room Radisson Hotel began renovations on its meeting space, guest suites, restaurants, lobby and fitness center in August, set for completion in mid-January 2012. Prior to renovations, the property offered approximately 8,000 square feet of meeting space able to accommodate up to 800 guests.
Meeting Hotels
Properties include the 626-room Branson Woods Resort, 472-room Radisson Hotel Branson, 350-room Thousand Hills Golf & Conference Resort, 345-room Howard Johnson Hotel, 301-room Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa, 300-room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, 300-room Stonecastle Hotel & Conference Center, 243-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, 43 miles north of Branson. Transfer cost by private shuttle, $20 to $80
Branson Airport, 10 miles south of Branson. Transfer cost by taxi, $30
Taxes
Room tax, 11.6%; sales tax, 8.6%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11.6%
Group Venues
Silver Dollar City's ship, the Showboat Branson Belle, launched its 2011 season with two new productions, Encore! and Funny Fiddle. With the new shows came new performers, costumes, sets, staging, lighting, décor and a brand new menu marking the biggest changes in the showboat's 15 years. The venue offers two spaces geared for meetings: the 700-seat dining room and 40-seat Paddle Wheel Club Room. The vessel cruises on Table Rock Lake in Branson from the end of March through the end of December. Plans for next year's shows are in the works and will be released prior to the start of the 2012 season. (800) 417-7770
Experience the Ozark Mountains through a series of ziplines, sky bridges and platforms at Wolfe Creek Preserve. The eco-adventure includes guided Branson Zipline Canopy Tours, a free-fall experience and a guided Photo Safari walking tour. A variety of unique meeting places are along the trails, such as the Prospector Pavilion, with a large outdoor seating area and a balcony. (800) 712-4654
Dining Out
Since 1982, Sadie's Sideboard has been serving up its famous Branson barbecue. Groups can enjoy the buffet, featuring ribs, fried chicken, pulled pork and more, or choose from "smokehouse platters" that feature single entrées and side dishes. A private dining area can host up to 75. (417) 334-3619
CVB Services
Branson/Lakes Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 315-8601
Other Cities, Other Sites
In Springfield, the 173-room Ramada Oasis Hotel &
Convention Center began expanding its convention facility by 13,000
square feet this month. The project will add three meeting/banquet rooms
that will each accommodate 150 to 250 attendees. The renovation also
includes a new convention center lobby with an enclosed walkway to the
Ramada Oasis Hotel and Fire & Ice Restaurant & Bar. The work
should be completed by May 2012.
In South st. louis County, the River City Casino is embarking on
an extensive $82 million expansion. The property will add a 200-room
hotel, a 10,000-square-foot multipurpose event center and a 1,700-space
covered parking structure. The expansion project is expected to begin in
the first quarter of 2012 and be completed in the second half of 2013.
Currently, the property features a 90,000-square-foot casino with more
than 2,100 slot machines and 55 tables.
In Columbia, groups can revisit the romance of days gone by
aboard the Columbia Star Dinner Train, which opened in July. The
restored vintage 1930s and '40s passenger cars take passengers for a
three-hour journey across the Missouri countryside. Dinners include a
choice of chicken breast, salmon, or prime rib in addition to artisan
bread and seasonable vegetables. The train can be rented out for private
events of up to 224 passengers.
A Taste of St. Louis
This vibrant, historic Midwest city offers much gustatory pleasure for attendees, as evidenced by the following choice restaurants.
Classic French dishes with modern twists and an extensive wine list exemplify the philosophy at Franco: eat, drink, enjoy. An ornate Old World décor complements a fine-dining experience featuring the likes of braised lamb shank, seared barramundi, mussels and pommes frites. Franco has multiple spaces for events, including the main dining room, private dining room, bar and new private event space, which in total can host groups of up to 150 people. (314) 436-2500
For Southern French cuisine with an American twist, the Vin de Set features menu items such as savory crêpes, lobster pot pie and fried eggplant napoleon. The restaurant features a rooftop bar and bistro with views of downtown St. Louis. Food is served in the main dining room, bar, wine loft or four-season outdoor patio. An event space, the Centennial Malt House, shared with the sister venue Moulin Events, accommodates groups as intimate as 10 or as grand as 750. (314) 241-8989
Copia Urban Winery brings the vineyard atmosphere into the big city with its exposed brick walls, natural wood-beam ceilings, and glass waterfall separator between the main dining area and the bar. The eatery's traditional American dishes come with a progressive twist, such as black sesame seared ahi, house-smoked spare ribs and salmon paupiette, and can be enjoyed in four different event spaces of varying sizes. Groups can book the Banquet Room, which seats 60, as well as the Upper Wine Cellar and Lower Cellar, each seating 18. The outdoor Wine Garden, with a retractable roof allowing the space to be used year-round, seats 120 for dinner and holds 200 for a cocktail party. (314) 241-9463