Ingrams June 2023

Business Services (continued)

BEST HOTEL Our civic champions promised us a new jewel in the tiara of Kansas City hotels, and that came true with the 2020 opening of the LOEWS KANSAS CITY HOTEL . COVID or no COVID, it has quickly become a Gold -level favorite of readers with its 800 guest rooms, lobby bar, on-site restaurant, and more. Splitting Silver this year are the more intimate 126-room RAPHAEL HOTEL on the Plaza and Downtown’s historic HOTEL KANSAS CITY , with 160 rooms and suites. SHERATON CROWN CENTER , a staple of the convention and event silo, picks up the Bronze . BEST LAW FIRM Red hot. That’s the only way to describe the voting here, and as one might expect, the largest firms in the market domi nated, with SPENCER FANE securing the Gold for its mastery of all legal mat ters relating to business transactions and litigation. Each of the next two levels produced ties, with LATHROP GPM and POLSINELLI settling for Silver , and Bronze going to HUSCH BLACKWELL and STINSON LLP . Combined, those firms wield the legal expertise of more

than 700 lawyers who represent business and individual clients across the nation. BEST MEETING FACILITY When we say voters like the OVERLAND PARK CONVENTION CENTER , we mean they really like it: The center adds another Gold to an unbroken string dat ing to 2010. Sitting adjacent to the 412- room Sheraton and with more than 58,000 square feet of exhibition hall space, it’s easy to see why. Silver goes to BARTLE HALL and the KC CONVEN- TION CENTER , the granddaddy of meeting facilities anchoring Downtown. Two other Downtown facilities— LOEWS KANSAS CITY HOTEL , just across Bal- timore Avenue from Bartle, and the KANSAS CITY MARRIOTT DOWN TOWN , just blocks to the north—share the Bronze .

So nobody should be shocked to see this brand, now part of United Real Estate Group, scooping up Gold . The Silver honors go to a pair of brand flags flown by multiple agencies in the market, RE/ MAX and KELLER WILLIAMS . That leaves Bronze to be divided between REECENICHOLS and BETTER HOMES & GARDENS . BEST SPA Few categories evoke smiles of know ing satisfaction like this one. And few operators in that space are as consistently recognized with Gold as BIJIN SALON & SPA , the Prairie Village oasis that does it again this year. From head to toe, with massage therapy, skincare—and now, even CBD services—this spa is here to help relax and rejuvenate. Patrons find a similar outlet by heading up to THE ELMS HOTEL & SPA in Excelsior Springs, a perennial fan favorite that racks up this year’s Silver . WOODHOUSE SPA in Leawood’s Towne Center enters medalist territory with Bronze . BEST WEALTH MANAGER Once upon a time, it was a boutique wealth

BEST RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE FIRM

Just 15 years into its overnight success, PLATINUM REALTY surged to the top of regional real-estate firms in terms of sales volume and, in 2022, overtook the storied ReeceNichols for the top spot.

46

I ng r am ’ s

Best of Business Kansas City 2023

Ingrams.com