First Embassy Suites Opens in Kansas City Overland Park

The first Embassy Suites hotel opened in Kansas City Overland Park in May 1984, marking the launch of a new all suite hospitality concept that would later become one of the best known hotel brands within Hilton Worldwide. The property opened in Overland Park, Kansas, within the Kansas City metropolitan area, and introduced a lodging model centered on spacious two room suites, complimentary cooked to order breakfast, and an indoor atrium design that became closely associated with the brand. Sources describing the hotel's history occasionally reference the location as Kansas City Overland Park, Missouri, although the hotel itself is located in Overland Park, Kansas. Embassy Suites was created in 1983 as a division of Holiday Corporation under the leadership of Mike Rose and Hervey Feldman. Within months of the brand's formation, the first hotel welcomed guests and established a format that differed from many traditional hotel offerings of the time. The original property contained 199 rooms, according to later hospitality industry records, and remained an operating hotel decades after its opening. The brand expanded steadily throughout the United States during the following years. In 1999, Embassy Suites became part of the Hilton family following the merger between Hilton Hotels Corporation and Promus Hotel Corporation. By 2019, Embassy Suites operated 257 locations across several countries and territories. In 2024, the Overland Park property celebrated its 40th anniversary, highlighting its continuing role as the birthplace of the Embassy Suites brand. Why This Moment Matters: The opening of the first Embassy Suites demonstrated that an all suite hotel model could succeed in the upscale lodging market. Many of the features introduced at the original Overland Park property became standard elements of the brand's identity and continued to define the guest experience decades later.