Arbor Lodging Unveils $20M Restoration of Hotel Phillips in Kansas City

by Laura Calugar

Hotel Phillips Lobby

Kansas City, Mo.—Arbor Lodging Partners has revealed detailed restoration plans for the 217-suite Hotel Phillips in the heart of downtown Kansas City. The historic property is currently under a $20 million renovation process that includes every aspect of the building. Located at the corner of 12th Street and Baltimore Avenue, the hotel is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

The renovation team is restoring all art deco details such as the bronze and nickel metalwork, the walnut paneling, the light fixtures and black glass on the ceiling. In addition, the facelift plans include the replacement of every guest room element, from beds and linens to carpeting, bath fixtures and finishes. The building will feature upgraded air and heating systems and noise-reducing windows. The remodeling of the hotel’s façade will preserve historical elements intact. The reconfiguration of the lobby will keep the staircase, the marble walls and floors and the 11-foot statue of “Dawn” that has been there since the hotel’s opening in 1931.

Hotel Phillips Tavernonna

The remodeling will feature three entirely new food and beverage concepts. The current 12 Baltimore restaurant is being replaced by Tavernonna Italian Kitchen. Tavernonna is being developed in partnership with DMK Restaurants, a Chicago-based hospitality company. On the lower level of the hotel, a new hideaway called P.S., will resemble the classic underground bars of the 1920s and early 1930s. Barrel & Hatchet, a local Kansas City hospitality company is consulting on the development of P.S.’s concept and menu. On the first floor, a new coffee bar called Kilo Charlie will face the street.

“We bought this hotel because it reminded us of the grace and elegance of the 1930s, but we also wanted it to match the vibrant and modern sensibility of Kansas City today,” Sheenal Patel, co-founder & principal of Arbor Lodging Partners, said in a prepared statement.

Following the transformation, Hotel Phillips will join Curio by Hilton.

Images courtesy of  KKAD