Element by Marriott Overland Park

I was hesitant to book because of some of the reviews, but this turned out to be such a nice hotel. The staff are really, really nice, and the room was spotless and smelled great. I asked for a crib for my baby, and it was already in the room, so I didn't have to ask again or carry it up. I liked that everything was eco friendly, and the chef did an amazing job with breakfast. It was so good and healthy.

The rooms were amazingly spacious and very clean, with a stocked kitchen, full size fridge, and stovetop, so this would be great for a long stay. The hotel was quiet and the location was perfect. The breakfast was the best I've ever seen at a hotel, with bakery options for my kid and me since we have celiac, plus a superb Greek yogurt bar. There's an espresso machine in the lobby too. This was my first time at an Element, and it's the best hotel stay I've ever had. The staff were welcoming and friendly, the gym was awesome, and the small pool was nice. The water wasn't warm, but it wasn't ice cold like at most hotels. I'll be back, this is definitely my new favorite hotel chain!

At checkout, Joseph was super nice and got everything squared away, the one decent front desk person we encountered. The rest of the stay was not great: four of the eight rooms had issues, and the staff were really rude. I had booked rooms for a team of nine employees, each under that person's individual name, but on arrival they were short one room and had put most reservations under the same person's name, someone who hadn't even booked them. I went downstairs to clear up the confusion since I had made all the reservations. The two people at the desk, Robert and mary, looked me in the eyes and rudely asked, "ummm who are you?" I explained that I was the one who made the reservations for these gentlemen. They blamed me for the booking problem, not the Pakistani man who had been hired through outsourcing to make the reservation. The reviews had looked decent, so I decided to book the rooms for the week, but this experience was awful.

The hot water issue was intermittent in rooms on the East end of the building, and management said they were bringing plumbing in, so maybe it will be fixed for your stay. It's a difficult thing to troubleshoot when it comes and goes. We were on the second floor. That night, we couldn't get hot water in the shower, even though both the kitchenette sink and bathroom sink had hot water. By morning it was lukewarm to tepid, enough for one person to shower. We alerted management that night and again in the morning. We really enjoyed the modern decor, spaciousness, brightness, and cleanliness. The beds were great and the place was comfortable. We love the location, ambience, and breakfast, and the outdoor patio looks great for warmer weather. We'd definitely stay again.