If you're visiting the Country Club Plaza shopping district this is one of the best locations to stay. This is my first time back in several years and they have definitely made many renovations. It's always been a charming hotel but the room updates have been excellent. We stayed in a suite that had ample space in the living and bedroom areas. The bathroom had a great soaking tub. Part of the bathroom was still decorated in the original tile to the hotel which added to the charm. The restaurant is rated one of the best in Kansas City. We had breakfast two days and the eggs benedict with salmon was delicious. If you like to shop and experience all that is the Plaza, this is the place to stay.

We have been coming to the Raphael for about 15 years. It’s the boutique hotel standard against which I measure all other hotels. We were there on a weekend in January because we had a Marriott coupon we needed to use before it expired. Due to the cold weather, we hung out in Chaz quite a bit – jazz on both nights. When we did want to get out to eat or shop, we were steps away from Country Club Plaza. As usual the hotel service was excellent, the suite was quiet, and the beds were comfortable. I wish every hotel was like this.

Overall, this is an excellent hotel and had a great view of the Christmas lights in Country Club Plaza. Two negatives were that our room request (upper floors, away from elevator, and quiet) were not fulfilled at check-in and that the restaurant service for breakfast was lackadaisical. One room we were shown had a very fresh paint smell (it is good that they keep up maintance year-round.) In solving the problem of the room assignment, the staff was very courteous and helpful. As it turned out, noise was not really a problem as the building quality is good. The food at breakfast was excellent and we had come in at the very end of the serving period.
The "Plaza view" is worth extra dollars, and expecially so at the Christmas season.
"Jack Stack" Bar-b-que in Country Club Plaza is a short walk and a great place to experience some of Kansas City's most famous cuisine. The symphony hall at the new Performing Arts Center is comparable to Disney Hall in LA. The KC Fine Arts museum is also excellent.

The Raphael is our favorite place to stay in KC. What has started out to be one night stays turned into 2 and 3 day stays. The Chaz is a great place to eat, drink, and be intertained. First class old grand hotel charm, but totally up to date in technology and facility. The people are what truly makes it a great place, but the rest just is just frosting on the cake!