Notes from the house
Notes From the House
The Journal is where we write down what we know: the seasons on the prairie, the way the kitchen cooks, the parts of Kansas City worth your afternoon, and the slow work of running a house like this one.
- 4 Articles in the Journal so far
- 3 Regular series we return to
- 18 yrs Of running this house, written down
- 62% Of guests who come back within a year
Why we write
What the Journal Is For
Most hotel blogs exist to fill a content calendar and sell a room. This one exists because we have spent eighteen years learning a particular patch of Kansas City and a particular way of doing things, and it seemed a waste not to write some of it down.
We write in the first person and we name the people who do the work, because the house is not an anonymous brand. When the chef writes about the hearth, it is Julien Baptiste, who has stood at it since 2011.
Read the Journal
Every Article We Have Published
Everything we have written, newest first. Use the topic filter to find the two or three pieces that match what you are planning.
4 articles
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Kansas City
A Proper Weekend in Kansas City, Written by the People Who Live Here
Forty-eight hours is enough for the Nelson-Atkins, the River Market, a barbecue argument and the streetcar, if you put the days in the right order. Here is the version we hand to friends.
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Weddings
What to Pack for a Prairie Wedding (and What to Leave at Home)
The south lawn has a wind that takes hats off, the evening cools faster than anyone expects, and almost everyone forgets the same three things. Here is what to bring, and what to leave in the car.
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Food & Drink
The Case for Eating at the Counter
There are four stools at the counter by the hearth, and they are the best seats in the house. Here is why I opened them, what you see from them and what to ask for when you sit down.
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Behind the House
Why We Kept the Farmhouse Instead of Building a Hotel
We bought a leaking 1948 farmhouse in 2008 with a plan to knock it down and build a hotel. Eighteen years later the farmhouse is the hotel, and here is why that turned out to be the right decision.
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What we return to
The Series We Keep Coming Back To
Three subjects come up again and again at this address, so they are the ones the Journal returns to most.
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Kansas City, Properly
Where we send guests when they ask what to do.
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The Prairie Year
What is happening on the twelve acres month by month, from the first pasque flowers to the last of the autumn seed heads, and the birds that come with each.
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From the Hearth
How the kitchen cooks, what is coming out of the wood-fired oven, and why Julien sources within ninety miles of the back door whenever he can.
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At the Spa
How our therapists think about rest, recovery and doing less, written by the people who give the treatments rather than a marketing desk.
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Weddings and Events
What actually makes a prairie wedding work, from the light at six in the evening to the practicalities nobody mentions in the brochures.
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House Notes
The small mechanics of running an independent hotel, including the decisions we made restoring the farmhouse and the ones we would make again.
Who writes this
Written by the People Who Run the House
Every piece in the Journal is written by someone who works here. Nobody on the team writes under a made-up name, and we do not hand the writing to an outside agency that has never stood in the lobby.
That means the advice is specific in a way that general travel writing rarely is. When we tell you the best time to walk the prairie trail, it is because we have walked it at every hour of the day.
- Every article is written by a named member of the team
- No outsourced content and no anonymous bylines
- Pieces are edited by colleagues from other departments
- Corrections are made openly and acknowledged
A Small Publication With a Long Memory
The Journal is modest in size and unhurried in pace, which suits the house.
- 4 Articles published so far
- 3 Regular series we return to
- 18 yrs Of running this house behind the writing
- 3,520+ Guest reviews that inform what we notice
How we write
How We Choose What to Write
A piece starts with something a guest asked, or something one of us noticed and could not stop thinking about. A couple asked what to do on a rainy Tuesday and we realised we had never written it down.
We write for someone who is curious rather than someone who is being sold to. That means we avoid the words that every hotel uses and that no longer mean anything: the ones about secret retreats and private paradises and escaping the everyday.
Using it well
How to Get the Most From the Journal
If you are planning a stay, start with the Kansas City pieces and the seasonal ones.
If you are already booked and counting down, the practical pieces are the ones to read: what to pack for a prairie evening, when the light is best for photographs, and where to walk before breakfast.
Good to know
Questions About the Journal
The things readers ask us most about the writing itself.
Who writes the articles in the Journal?
Our own team does, from Geneviève to the kitchen and the spa. Every piece carries a real name, and no article is written by an outside agency or under a made-up byline.
How often do you publish something new?
Most months, and sometimes twice. We publish when we have something worth saying rather than to a fixed schedule, and we would rather run one careful piece than five thin ones.
Is the Journal trying to sell me a room?
No. Some pieces mention what we offer because it is relevant, but the writing is not a sales channel.
Can I trust the advice about Kansas City?
We live and work here, and we write about the places we actually go. Where we recommend something, it is because we use it ourselves. If we ever get a detail wrong, we correct it openly.
Do you accept guest posts or sponsored articles?
No. We do not publish paid content and we do not accept free stays in exchange for coverage. The Journal is ours, which is the only way to keep it honest.
Can I suggest a topic or ask a question?
Please do. Many of our best pieces began with a guest question. Use the contact page or ask at the front desk, and we will pass it to whoever can answer it best.
A Question the Journal Has Not Answered
Call the front desk or send us a note, and a real person will get back to you, usually the same day. We are happy to help you plan, whether or not you have booked.
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Where to go next
A Question the Journal Has Not Answered
Call the front desk or send us a note, and a real person will get back to you, usually the same day. We are happy to help you plan, whether or not you have booked.
- Lowest rate guaranteed when you book direct
- Breakfast for two and valet parking included
- The Prairie Escape from $279 a night
Two ways to book
Contact the house Call (816) 555-0147Reception 24 hours · Dining 7a–10p · Spa 9a–8p
Need something tonight? Concierge on (816) 555-0148