The Elms Resort and Spa Reviews

The elms is a very nice place great atmosphere I will be married my son and daughter-in-law on October 3rd looking forward to spending the weekend at the elms and spa

Understaffed. Cool historic building that is in need of some updating. Spa and grotta was tremendous!

Beautiful setting, amazing spa, great outdoor pool and hot tub. 5th floor is definitely worth the extra money!

Last year for my anniversary I booked over the phone a weekend at The Elms for my wife and I. I made the reservations for the couples spa weekend package and was very excited to enjoy to enjoy a romantic weekend with my wife since i had just returned from a deployment overseas. We drove 3 hours to get here. When we checked into our FIRST room we quickly discovered 3 huge dead cockroaches on the floor at the foot of our bed. Being understanding of the situation we called the front desk and they were very happy to change rooms for us. Once we lugged all our luggae to our SECOND room ( with no offers of assistance from hotel staff) we entered a room that was literally one third of the size of our origional room that we origionally paid for. Once again we were understanding of the situation, and decided to take a walk around and check out the spa and see when we could check in the following day for the spa service we had bought with our package. Upon entering the spa we were greeted by a nice lady and we talked for awhile. When asked about the spa services she looked at us with confusion. She said that the spa was completely BOOKED out for the weekend and that our names where not on any of the lists. At this point we had become frustrated and made our way to the front desk to explain our situation. The younger people at the front desk apologized and were very sorry to hear of our situation. They had us re assigned to a THIRD room and gave us a complementary drink voucher for the following evening. She said she would be telling the morning manager of the situation. Upon entering our THIRD room we discovered empty whiskey and vodka bottles under the bed and all over the headboard of the bed. We decided to go to sleep and see if things would be different in the morning. When we awoke we ordered room service for breakfast. The food was mediocre. We were then notified by phone that the morning manager would like to speak with us. When we made our way to the main desk we were greeted by a middle aged blonde female who said she was the manager. We explained to her our situation. When we were done explaining things so instantly made excuses for the problems and was very rude about it, as if we were in the wrong and that we were trying to get free stuff out of the hotel. At this point we had enough and decided to cancel the rest of our stay. We were very dissapointed. We had paid almost 1000 dollars for a romantic weekend and it was ruined in less than a day. We were refunded the night that we did not stay. As we were signing out of the hotel. The manager said she apologized for everything that happened and said that they would be mailing us gift certificates to the spa for any time of our choosing. This was over 6 months ago and have not heard or seen a thing. I feel we were treated wrong because my wife and I are younger and did not fit into the scene that The Elms was portraying. Very dissapointed with our experiance here. Completely ruined our anniversary and were treated wrong. I am a very understanding person but I feel we were completely miss treated for the money we were spending and how polite we remained during the whole thing. Would not recommend The Elms to any of my friends or family.

Girls night out! Such a beautiful place. Certainly will come back!

My wife and I just had our 5th anniversary there and we have been to the spa a couple of times and loved it. The hotel is not the same quality. You don't get the quality for the price tag here. I would put it the category of a motel. Here's why: the bed was uncomfortable, the sheets were undersized and pretty worn out. In addition to the uncomfortable bed, the HVAC was extremely loud and woke us up several times throughout the night (my wife sleeps like a rock). The overall maintenance of the rooms was poor: caulking in the shower was nasty, wallpaper was stained, etc. The room did have several bugs around. We felt as if we were being nickel and dime'd - they wanted to charge us a $15 to uncork our own bottle of our favorite wine (an uncorking fee). To top it all off, the cleaning staff forgot to give us a bar of soap, something even most motels don't overlook...

I travel a lot for work and normally most of these things don't bother me - primarily for the price tag. My one biggest complaint is the hotel is not worth the price. Expect to pay $100 more a night for the "nostalgic" feeling you get when you walk in the doors.

We won't be coming back...

Love the historic feel! Their order spaces are beautiful. Rooms have been updated.

Was impressed by the hospitality. The hotel was amazing to explore with duch great history...and the pool blew my mind. Can't wait to until my fiance and I go back.

Perfect location for the area, beautiful rooms and friendly staff. I was only disappointed that the parlor suites didn't come with any amenities for the kitchenette area such as cutlery, dishware, kitchen towels etc...and the crib for the baby didn't come with any extra blankets. Other than that, would consider staying here again.

So disappointed. Embarrassed by the bartender in the library lounge for bringing my well behaved grandson, as we did last year. Making holiday memories at a beautiful, historic hotel sounds wonderful, and should be. The bartender called us out for our grandson in front of approximately 10 other people in a loud voice. We came downstairs to the 88 and were received warmly. Not sure what the difference in the bars are. The drinks were so watered down, we sent 2 back and the next was just as flat. So terribly disappointed in this place, lots of possibilities, but needs the correct people to operate it.

Good was average and service was not organized. Disappointing Thanksgiving buffet.

Rooms were ok. Restaurant was much better for breakfast than dinner. We were very disappointed that we could not get access to the grotto despite numerous inquiries prior to our arrival. Town is sad and run down...

What an amazing place to celebrate your anniversary . Best service ever , charming , romantic and delightful . Me and my wife plan on making this place our home away from home . Kudos to the entire staff on a perfect weekend getaway.

We attended a wedding there and it was perfect! The grounds are perfect for a large gathering and the hall was very well attended.

Great Spa! Massages, Grotto with natural warm spring water, outdoor hot tub, basement lap pool, outstanding restaurant. Great for weekend retreat.

What a joyful experience! There is so much more here than meets the eye. Lots of American history. Plus you can go swimming.

Really neat place to visit and stay. Awesome indoor and outdoor pools. The rooms a very nice and cozy (unless you get a haunted one ). The restaurant is also very good. I've had numerous friends that have worked at The Elms tell me some pretty crazy paranormal activity stories!

Everything was great!! No issues whatsoever!! Very nice place and clean. All employees were very friendly!! I would definitely recommend Savannah in the Spa for a massage!!!! She only works weekends!!

The rooms were OK but the service was excellent!! Especially the service at the 88 Bar!! Calvin the bartender was Top Notch!! He is attentive, hard working and knows his stuff. When he smiles he lights up the room. Every bar needs a sweet bartender like Calvin. I m old enough to be his granny, but if I come back to The Elms it will be Calvin who brings me back!! Excellent service!!

The resort is excellent, but the wedding pavilion is right next to the pool and the road so lots of extra noise.

Well, I really am torn on the Elms. On one hand, it is a beautiful, historic hotel with lots of charm and great character. On the other hand, as a hotel, it is not worth half what they charge per night. Background: I brought my gf here as a More

Nice room, nice staff, very calm and relaxing environment. Great place to read a book and absorb the area. A little pricey for the amineties included.

The grotto and spa experience are excellent but the rooms and restaurant are resting their laurels in a bygone era.

Go early and get a day pass to the grotto, skip the crowded outdoor pool and take the long stair descent past the exercise room to the humbly named lap pool that actually resembles a superb lazy river.

Finally, go for the spa then cab it to a different hotel to get a better hospitality experience

Loved this stay, nice rooms, nice history, GREAT breakfast on the way out.

It was good to go have a night away from the city but no TOO far away from the city to relax with the wife.

Would be nice if the Ghost Tours bit was al little more organized, got pulled because some other folks didn't show up which kinda disrupted our plans.

But just walking around and enjoying the spa or the History of the place was nice.

Great place for a weekend, make sure to do the spa!

I have to say I was disappointed by the service and food. The grand old hotel is a historical landmark, but parking, food and service lacks.

What better to do than to spend a night overlooking the same grounds as President Elect Harry S Truman did , on a night he thought would be a shameful trade at, yet emerged into one if the greatest comebacks of all time ? Or to look over your shoulder as Al Capone once had , looking for mobsters and police alike ?

My wife and I loved the place. It reminded us of Scotland. The staff is very nice and the spa is as good as any I have been in. The only downer is that the restaurant food is way too salty. Otherwise we look forward to coming back next time we need a spur of the moment getaway.

Stayed at The Elms Hotel for a night and took advantage of the fact that they had a spa and restaurant right in the hotel! Our room was newly renovated and the bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was beautifully done, too! After we had dinner, we took a quick walk to a local brewery and had a lovely time. We ll definitely be back. It s a great place to relax!

We highly recommend the Elms as an ideal Midwest getaway location. The spa is set up perfectly and well worth the money. Make sure to allocate extra time to enjoy the grotto and relaxation rooms. The food and drinks at the hotel restaurant (88) are fantastic. Two of the bartenders that we interacted with (Calvin and Kyle) were exceptionally interactive and timely. They had great recommendations for new drinks to try and local treasures including Wabash BBQ!

Wonderful hotel and spa that makes a great weekend getaway from Kansas city.

Was here for a wedding. The setup after the ceremony was a little slow and could've been handled a bit better but the overall experience was great

The room was good. But, they were having an event so there was no parking. After finding a spot almost to the back, we had to walk all the way around to the front to enter. There should really be side entrances for guests with door cards. The room next to us ordered room service and placed their tray out in the hallway. It stayed there for hours. Usually we have a great time but this stay wasn't as great.

Loved the experience here! The spa and grotto are worth the cost! Hotel isn't a 5 star hotel only because the rooms are older and less modern but the history of the building is very cool. Definitely will be back!

From the minute we walked into the door we were treated like VIPs. Unlike most modern hotels this place has history and style. The staff bent over backwards to make our weekend amazing. Definitely coming back.

It is peaceful and relaxing. The king size bed was comfortable. Pool and hot tub were great. We did not use the lap pool. Massages will be for the next visit! The staff that we met were very pleasant. We will return.

Great experience with my family. It s worth every dime with so much history and amenities you can t lose. Can t wait to go back and stay in the Capone suite.

Serious issues with them billing my credit card 2 times for the room and adding a $25 incidental fee 3 days after checkout. Called management 3 times and emailed them but they will not return my calls or email. Hot tub outside was cold. Inside hot tub had trash in it and the bed was uncomfortable. The only hotel I have stayed in that I had to move to the couch to sleep. Dog barked all night across the hall and the buffet for breakfast was cold. Not impressed with this hotel. I would have liked at least a return call for my concerns.

I recently visited the spa and pool at The Elms with some friends for a birthday spa day. We all thoroughly enjoyed our so services. We lounged by the pool and enjoyed some drinks. It was a perfect environment for this and we enjoyed amazing service. Would absolutely visit again.

Fantastic property for a couple's getaway. The restaurant was great!

This is such a cool place with lots of character and history. The rooms were nice but the best part of the hotel is really the overall experience of the lobby, pools, spa and restaurant.

We were reserving rooms for after our wedding and the lobby was beautiful and the staff was amazing

The location is quiet and is a break from normal life. Several pools and spa amenities help further the relaxation. On site food is good, as well as reasonably priced. Staff is polite and helpful.

Beautiful, well-maintained old luxury hotel. Eager-to-please management and staff. Royal treatment package made for a wonderful Valentine's getaway. Some features were not handicapped accessible and the on-site restaurant favored bar service over food service. Overall excellent stay.

Stayed here for the second time for our anniversary and loved it even more the second time! We had a relaxation couples massage which was great! We also splurged to stay on the private 5th floor which is made great by Debbie, a wonderful lady who serves or'derves and drinks from 5-7 for a managers special hour thus is included in the 5th floor experience. It had w beautiful spread of meats, cheeses, fruits, warm blue cheese and meat tarts and shrimp rolls. Complete with Debbie's cherry pound cake which she makes from scratch and is her grandmothers recipe. It was overall so relaxing a fun to pamper ourselves. I recommend treating yourselves to this experience! We will be back! Our room was lovely and the food is great! We ate in the tavern this time and the 88 last time having had great experiences with both.

We've come here for our yearly tradition and sadly, this will be our last year. We were treated rudely in front of multiple patrons for having our (well-behaved, rather quiet) child with us. Watery drinks, loudly popping speakers we had to beg to get dealt with, somewhat inattentive yet not particularly busy wait staff, and high prices for what turned out to be very basic food. Past years had gone so well and we'd made so many happy memories; it's just a shame. Not sure if there was a change in management, but whatever the difference is, it has had a brutal effect. We won't bother next year, there are too many good places to waste a night out.

Beautiful hotel. Our room was extremely clean. Smelled good. Had a first floor room that was quite a walk with a steep ramp. Did not like that but it was ok. Pool was nice. Grounds were clean and well kept.

This place is incredible! Love it & love the history of this classic historical hotel.

Beautiful! very clean. Nice selection for rooms. It's little expensive... but overall good place.

Wow, what an experience!!! We stayed overnight at the elms and had a spa day the next morning. We loved the hotel, the rooms were beautiful, and the spa day was the icing on the cake. We did the wrap treatment with hydrotherapy which was the best thing ever!! Massages were really great and professional!! I had Kimberly, and she is amazing!!! You should ask for her! The bath was the least favorite thing, we won't be doing that part of it again, but we will be back for sure!!!!

First time visitor. First ever massage. Oh my goodness.
Incredible experience. A national treasure.
Friendly staff, professional masseuse. Relaxing atmosphere all around.
Tucked away in a beautiful niche in Missouri, northeast of KC.
Well worth the trip.

We have stayed here on two other previous occasions and have had a glorious time. The ghost tour we highly recommend and the cafe has amazing coffee. This past weekend was a disaster. The hotel was loud and crowded and the pool was soo full we couldn t even use it...we finally went to the lap pool in the basement for some tranquility. We were awakened in the middle of the night both night by very loud patrons...was offered an apology by the front desk that is all. Got a king bed room with the smallest room we have ever stayed in. Probably our last time there sadly...local restaurants we highly recommend.

This has been amazing so far!! Love the atmosphere, the age of the hotel. Everything's has been well maintained and kept up to date! The bed in our room was memory foam, and it was fantastic to sleep on! The king room (not suite) was small, but cozy! The food has been great so far, so have th drinks! We have family in the area, and we will be staying here from now on anytime we come to visit!!

Pretty place with history. The room was smaller than I thought it'd be. The room was dirty... Mirrors had streaks, floors were stained and still had stuff on them, and it looked like nothing had been wiped down. The bed was pretty comfortable and the pool and hot tub was nice. Found this through Groupon- pretty pricey for what you get... The $40 food and beverage credit was nice though. Used it for breakfast in bed which was nice.

The hotel is amazing a lot of history.
The haunted tour with Jay was really cool learned about history of the hotel . Al Capone stayed there President Truman stayed there . A lot of history . The town Excelsior springs was super cool with the older shops & jessie james farm good job Jay the tour guy thought me a lot about the history .

An absolutely beautiful hotel. The staff is so friendly and helpful. The rooms are a very nice and cozy and spacious. The bed is absolutely wonderful it provided some of the best sleep.

We've been coming here for the past 6 years or so. The place is a great relaxing location when it comes to the spa services and premises. The hotel sleeping rooms are not that great or worth the money cost. Do an Airbnb instead and book yourself a couple of spa services. They are totally worth it! :)

Located in historic Excelsior Springs, the Elms hotel has remodeled accomdations and facilities. With meeting space, manicured grounds a cafe and restaurant, the Elms is a fantastic stay. The pools are open until midnight with quiet hours at 10pm. Rooms are air conditioned and the staff is attentive and friendly.

We wanted an overnight getaway for our anniversary and this place was fabulous!

It's such a neat hotel, we stayed here for a short weekend and planned on ordering room service for every meal. We had multiple issues with the room service, even getting a hold of them was difficult.

Alittle on the pricey side but everyone is extremely nice. If you get the 5th floor they give you free wine,beer or champagne from 5-7pm with also free food with it, not enough for a meal but was so good!!

We ve been here 15 minutes and it s already appalling. We booked adjoining rooms a month ago and upon arrival found out that no reservations had been made. They attempted to rectify their mistake with a slapjob solution and rude attitude. The new room was DISMAL compared to our friend s. Dark, dank, and smelt like mold. Also, if you re working in customer service, it would be appreciated if you cleaned your hair. On top of all of this, I think this hotel would barely make 3 stars. I thought I was going to die in the piss-smelling, janky elevator. I have stayed in basic, side of the road Holiday inns that have had better service and quality.

Attended a wedding there and it was a beautiful and amazing place.

Really lovely features, great history. Everyone very nice. So much potential to be chic. Definitely do the evening ghost tour: Jay is great.

Restaurant is crazy expensive.

Is this a high end spa destination or a place for grandparents to bring hordes of children to the pool? Confusing vibe.

If you are passing through rural Eastern Kansas City, you don't want to pass up a visit to the Elms! If you have the opportunity to spend the night, you will want to take advantage of the underground swimming pool that is quite beautiful with nice lighting. during nicer weather you can certainly take advantage of the outdoor pool, courtyard and grounds. I cannot speak for the food, as I've not eaten at the restaurants. This is a very popular venue for weddings and special events. For weddings there is a very nice outdoor gazebo. Inside of the hotel there is a wonderful ballroom that can be nicely decorated. The hotel offers a spa with massage services, as well as a thermal area that includes shower, steam room, sauna, and relaxation room. The Elms is the biggest draw for a historic city that offers a small selection of quality restaurants and retail shops. To better appreciate the hotel as a whole, you will want to look it up on Wikipedia and read up on the history of the area, the community, and the hotel.

Very comfortable room with a comfy bed and tons of things around the hotel to do. We enjoyed the spa then relaxed around their various hot tubs and pools around the hotel. Very relaxing place.

We stayed 2 nights. Deby is an amazing hostess in the manager's lounge - she brings in her homemade pound cake! Grandmother's recipe! She is such a gem. Relinda in the spa is amazing - I had the Moroccan detox wrap, very awesome.
I don't know the names of the other two women who provided treatments, but I will definitely not repeat those two treatments. I had the moroccan bath and the water was barely warm. 30 minutes in lukewarm water is hardly pleasurable. She showed me a button to warm up the water and it didn't do anything. And I had my first facial - very strange. She never told me what she was doing or why she was doing it and I had told her it was my first facial. At the end, she rattled off everything she did, no mention of products I could purchase, etc. It was scheduled for an hour. She didn't start till twenty after the hour and we were done at ten minutes till the hour. Was I supposed to keep the goo on or wipe it off? Very confusing. And I was automatically charge 20% gratuity. Annoying.

Disappointed! The staff at check-in asked if it was our first time there, and we said yes. They were not helpful at all, was more attentive upon check-out. Also, they did not tell us the pool was closed when we booked the room over the phone. When we asked for clean towels we were brought at least 3 stained towels. The room smelled a bit bad, musty. Very overpriced! The spa and food all cost extra, even the ghost tour! However, that was one of the best things about our stay.

We initially picked this place because they once had a spa that took the spa finder gift cards. Sadly they do not anymore. We found out AFTER we got there that it supposed to be the most haunted hotel in Missouri. Sadly we did not see any spirits. Really neat place though. Very large with places to eat inside the property although they are pretty expensive. The pool down stairs was cool. Sadly the hot tubs wern't that hot and the jets didn't blow that hard. There are some cool attractions nearby to check out and you are not that far from all that KC has to offer. Would prob go back but get a cooler room.

Loved the spa. Room was nice but really needed a more thorough cleaning. Cobwebs and dead bugs around the windows and on the dull. Dusty table lamps and behind the nightstand. Bathroom floor needed better scrubbing. Mold in shower. Countertop over mini fridge needed to scoured. The room was quiet. Bed was comfy.

Very cool place! The hot tub is 5 to 6 feet deep and big. Check out the ghost tour at 9 every night.

Very elegant hotel. Service is great and the spa is wonderful. Will be visiting again.

The Spa is incredible, excellent environment, especially loved the wet steam room in the grotto. Can't wait to go back!

Very nice historical building I had a great time staying here over night very clean hotel all workers were helpful very nice bar is really nice great drinks bartender funny and nice