Why The Cottages are NOT Hotels

Most of our guests are here for one night only. Our central location, easy access to multiple highways, and Kansas City itself being a natural stop for folks traveling east to west or north to south, means we catch a lot of business from people traveling from Point A to Point B.

The other day, we had a family of four stay for three nights. As I saw them packing up to leave at the end of their stay, I went over and talked to them. I learned they were on a road trip through multiple states.

"I've been using Airbnb for 11 years," the guest said, "and your Airbnb is what they all USED to be, before corporations and property management companies stepped in."

She went on to tell me of renting an Airbnb that had a beautiful kitchen, something many guests appreciate because they can save some dollars and eat their own homecooked food, and that there wasn't a single pot, cookware, or spices inside of the spacious kitchen.

Does that host honestly think that guests are going to cart a kitchen's worth of cookware, utensils and spices to the Airbnb?!

That's just... nuts. And rather short-sighted. These hosts have spent all this money investing in a property, only to stop 3/4 of the way through and call it done.

I provide cookware, utensils, spices, most basic condiments, and you can find the occasional surprise of unopened shelf-stable food left behind by a prior guest in the pantry.

So beautiful!

If you want to insult me, probably the WORST thing you can do is to call my property a hotel. Hotels don't have kitchens. They don't have q-tips, feminine products, kitted out kitchens, earplugs, fans, or a host of other items ready and waiting. Hotels provide a place to sleep and maybe a table for you to sit at.

As we renovated Cottage West and took this sweet little 1920s era bungalow down to the bones so we could give her all new electrical, plumbing, hvac, windows, roof and more - I dreamed of what she would look like and who would want to stay there. I dreamed of artists and writers, creatives like me as I added a chalkboard finish to the kitchen table. And perhaps this dream now inspires tiny hands to add a little chalk decor to the kitchen chairs, but that's perfectly okay. In fact, it's amazingly perfect to see kids creating in a safe, non-permanent or disfiguring way, and enjoying their stay at Cottage West.

Easily wiped off, and it was a super cute surprise!

So, despite Cottage West being predominantly used by those just passing through, it is far more than that. It is your home away from home. When you step inside, you won't find boring gray walls and IKEA furniture. You won't find bland colors or wish you had brought your [fill in the blank here] because it is all here. We've got everything you need!