New hotels in Kansas City

Kansas City has spent the past five years rebuilding its hotel map almost from scratch. A convention hotel bridged straight into Bartle Hall, a private social club turned Hyatt boutique, twin new-builds on the Country Club Plaza, a former bank tower and a Walt Disney-era art studio both reborn as hotels, and the city's first hotel on the Berkley Riverfront — all of it opened between 2020 and 2025. This guide covers only the seven properties that meet that bar: genuinely new hotels, not renovations of ones that already existed.

What to do

A weekend in Kansas City

Base yourself downtown and start at the National WWI Museum and Memorial before walking the Power & Light District and Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Spend an evening at a T-Mobile Center concert or a Current match at CPKC Stadium on the Berkley Riverfront, then shift to the Country Club Plaza on day two for its Spanish-revival architecture, shopping and restaurant density — easily a half-day on its own before heading back downtown for barbecue, the city's signature export.

A full week

Add the Crossroads Arts District for its first-Friday gallery walks and coffee roasters, the West Bottoms for antique warehouses and haunted-house season, and the 18th & Vine Jazz District for the American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. A day trip to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and its sculpture park rounds out a slower week, along with time along the Riverfront's new trail and park system near the stadium.

Neighborhoods

Downtown & Power and Light District

The civic and entertainment core, home to T-Mobile Center, the Kauffman Center and the Power & Light District's bars and restaurants. Loews Kansas City Hotel anchors this area with its direct skybridge into the Kansas City Convention Center, and Aiden by Best Western Kansas City Downtown sits a short walk away inside the converted, century-old Kessler Building.

Financial District

The historic office and banking core just east of Power & Light, dense with early-20th-century towers. AC Hotel Kansas City Downtown occupies the former Rialto Building, once a bank and insurance headquarters, while Hotel Kansas City fills the old Kansas City Club Building, a private social club until its 2020 conversion.

Country Club Plaza

Kansas City's Spanish-revival shopping and dining district, about five miles south of downtown. It gained its first two purpose-built hotels in this cycle: Aloft Kansas City Country Club Plaza, which opened first in January 2023, and its larger sister Cascade Hotel a few months later, connected by walkway and sharing a food hall and spa.

River Market & Berkley Riverfront

The redeveloped riverbank north of downtown, now home to CPKC Stadium and a growing trail and park system. Origin Hotel Kansas City opened here in September 2024 as the very first hotel on the Berkley Riverfront, putting stadium and streetcar within easy walking distance.

Crossroads Arts District

A former warehouse district turned gallery and studio hub, known for its first-Friday art walks and coffee roasters. No tracked new hotel has opened here yet — travelers wanting to be based in the Crossroads are currently better served by walking over from downtown.

West Bottoms

An industrial, warehouse-heavy district known for antique markets and haunted attractions each fall. None of the hotels in this guide are located here; it remains primarily a daytime and evening destination rather than a lodging base.

18th & Vine Jazz District

The historic heart of Kansas City jazz and Negro Leagues baseball, anchored by the American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. No new hotel covered here has opened in this district; it's best visited as a day or evening trip from a downtown or Plaza base.

Which hotel for your trip

Convention and business travelers

Loews Kansas City Hotel is the obvious choice for anyone attending an event at the Kansas City Convention Center, thanks to its direct skybridge connection and the city's largest block of meeting space. AC Hotel Kansas City Downtown, a few blocks away in the Financial District, is a strong alternative for weekday business trips that don't need convention-scale meeting rooms.

Design and history seekers

Hotel Kansas City, inside the former Kansas City Club, and Aiden by Best Western, inside the old Kessler Building, both trade on genuinely distinctive, converted buildings rather than ground-up construction — worth choosing specifically for the architecture and backstory.

Plaza shoppers and leisure travelers

Aloft Kansas City Country Club Plaza and Cascade Hotel sit steps from the Plaza's shopping and restaurants, with Cascade's food hall and spa (accessible to Aloft guests via a connecting walkway) giving this pairing the most resort-like amenities of any new Kansas City property.

Soccer and stadium visitors

Origin Hotel Kansas City is the only tracked property within easy walking distance of CPKC Stadium, making it the default pick for Kansas City Current matches or any Berkley Riverfront event.

Value-minded boutique travelers

Aiden by Best Western Kansas City Downtown offers boutique styling and a historic building at a lower price point than its downtown peers, making it the pick for travelers who want character without a luxury rate.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest hotel in Kansas City, Missouri?

Among verified openings, Aiden by Best Western Kansas City Downtown, inside the historic Kessler Building, is the most recent, with AC Hotel Kansas City Downtown (October 2024) close behind.

Which Kansas City hotels are inside historic buildings rather than new construction?

Three: Hotel Kansas City (the former Kansas City Club Building), AC Hotel Kansas City Downtown (the former Rialto Building, once a bank and insurance headquarters) and Aiden by Best Western Kansas City Downtown (the former Kessler Building, once Walt Disney's first art studio).

Where should I stay for the Kansas City Convention Center?

Loews Kansas City Hotel connects directly to the convention center via an indoor skybridge and offers the most meeting space of any hotel in this guide.

Is there a hotel near CPKC Stadium and the Berkley Riverfront?

Yes — Origin Hotel Kansas City, which opened in September 2024, is the first and only hotel built directly on the Berkley Riverfront, within walking distance of the stadium.

Which hotels are on the Country Club Plaza?

Aloft Kansas City Country Club Plaza and Cascade Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio property, opened as a connected pair in 2023, sharing a walkway, food hall and spa access.

What room counts do these new Kansas City hotels have?

They range widely, from the 84-room Aiden by Best Western up to the 800-room Loews Kansas City Hotel, with most of the newer boutique and lifestyle properties sitting between 118 and 239 rooms.