Aiden by Best Western Kansas City Downtown converted the century-old Kessler Building — once the first art studio of Ubbe Iwwerks and Walt Disney — into an 84-room boutique hotel, the first Aiden-branded property in the region.
The essentials
Group Best Western (Aiden)
Opening 2025
Rooms & suites 84 rooms
Segment Boutique
Designer NC
Entry rate From $100 Learn more → The place The hotel occupies the historic Kessler Building at 1301 Oak Street in downtown Kansas City, a short walk from T-Mobile Center and the Power & Light District.
The concept Aiden by Best Western Kansas City Downtown opened as the region's first Aiden-branded hotel, converting the Kessler Building — part of the city's skyline since 1919, once home to the Merry Optical Company and later to Ubbe Iwwerks and Walt Disney's first art studio — into an 84-room boutique property. It is one of just eleven U.S. locations of Aiden, Best Western's design-focused boutique soft brand.
The conversion kept the building's early-20th-century downtown footprint while adding contemporary rooms, a fitness center, business center and meeting space, aimed at travelers who want boutique styling downtown without a luxury price tag.
Dining & wellness The onsite restaurant, Bistro on Oak, serves American fare alongside a bar, with a fitness center, business center and meeting space rounding out the amenities.
Our take A rare case of a genuinely small, characterful building surviving a national franchise conversion intact — the Disney-studio backstory is a real hook, even if the finished interiors read closer to a well-appointed business hotel than a design statement.
Google guest reviews 4.9/5 · 20 reviews
Due to some discrepancies with our previous hotel, we had to find somewhere else to stay last minute that could also accommodate an early check-in. We had never heard of this branch of Best Western before, so we decided to take the risk after the employee we spoke with on the phone was super friendly and helpful—and I’m SO glad we did!
When we arrived, Imani was at the front desk and was actually the same person we had spoken with over the phone. She was extremely pleasant, welcoming, and helpful from the second we walked in. She was able to get us checked into our room early and also helped us figure out the parking situation. The parking lot is $30/night and has a gated entry, which was nice for the added security.
The ambiance of this hotel is GREAT! It is super aesthetic, modern, and clean. Imani mentioned that they’ve only been open for about a month or so, and you can definitely tell everything is fresh and well maintained. The bar manager (I believe that was his position) was equally as friendly and helpful, which really added to the overall experience.
For having to find a hotel so last minute, this ended up being such a pleasant surprise. The customer service alone made a huge difference, especially after the issues we had experienced beforehand. I would 110% stay here again and definitely recommend it!
Brand new hotel! The perfect location!! Everything was clean and perfectly decorated. Loved having an outdoor space as well as a lobby bar. Employees were helpful and friendly. Would highly recommend to anyone traveling for business, fun or family trip!
Can’t wait to go back.
Today we were lucky enough to stay at this hotel, and I have to admit I was a little surprised to see that there were no reviews yet. Now I’m actually proud that mine will be the first!
This is a brand-new hotel from our favorite Best Western family, located right in downtown Kansas City, and it is absolutely fantastic.
If you love fresh, modern, stylish design, luxurious Drybar toiletries, silky-soft towels, spotless rooms, and that wonderful feeling of being somewhere completely new and well cared for, you will love this place.
What impressed us even more was the staff. Everyone was genuinely kind, welcoming, and treated us like valued guests rather than just another reservation. At check-in, we were even given complimentary bottles of water — something we rarely see, despite traveling very frequently and staying in many hotels every year.
The team was always ready to help with anything we needed, and their hospitality truly made our stay special.
The hotel also offers guest parking for $30, which is significantly less expensive than many other parking options in the area and very convenient.
One more thing I have to mention: the water! I don’t know if it’s the city’s water or if the hotel has an exceptional filtration system, but the water was incredibly soft. As someone who notices these things, I would honestly rate it 10/10.
My advice: take advantage of this hidden gem while it’s still new and priced more competitively than many nearby hotels. I highly recommend staying here.
Wishing the owners and the entire team great success and prosperity. Thank you for such a wonderful experience. We will absolutely return whenever we have the opportunity.
The hotel is newly remodeled and the rooms are spacious, the beds are comfortable and the location was walking distance to power and light and street car. The hotel staff is very friendly, especially Joe from front desk, he was helpful and made our stay better. Would highly recommend.
This is my new goto hotel in Kansas City, the location is absolutely perfect, all the best spots downtown are within walking distance. Parking is perfect and the cheapest in the entire area with easy access in and out of the lot, they also offer event parking which I will be using in the future. The rooms were unbelievable they’re brand new and allow for fantastic natural lighting, bathrooms are spectacular tons space, beds were immaculate some of the best sleep I’ve gotten while away from home. Staff was incredible had some great conversations while enjoying cocktails at the bar in the lobby which I have to say were also incredible (try them!) I’d recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a fantastic time in downtown Kansas City!
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