by Pádraic Gilligan, Co-founder, SoolNua | Research & Consultancy, SITE

I’d never been to Kansas City but I’m here now and am thoroughly enjoying one of those tier 2 locations that the Incentive Travel Index tells us will increasingly be in demand in our rapidly evolving businesses.

I expected to be greeted by Wizard of Oz iconography when I arrived from Chicago at Kansas City International Airport (MCI, for short!) but my expectations were clearly off the mark as there was none. Instead there was a brand new, single terminal, magnificently efficient, ultra-modern airport launched in 2023 following an investment of USD$1.5 billion.

There’s a definite human dimension to its spaciousness, it’s open and airy with a unique sense of place – the airport concessions are local businesses not bland copy/paste repetitions of the shops, bars, and stores you find at all other airports. It’s also built with DEI principles to the fore with all-gender restrooms, sensory rooms and lactation suites. And it’s sustainable.

Airports are, increasingly, a visitor’s first point of contact with a destination and a golden opportunity to make a good first impression. Kudos to Kansas for realising this, and for the ambition and civic pride that clearly underpins the entire project.

The ride downtown on open roads takes you past a suite of ornamental lakes through a combination of farmland and office parks, strip malls and ads for law firms. Overall it’s greener than other airport to city routes and flat as a plate. After about 10 mins the city skyline comes into view as does the mucky, murky Missouri River on its eastbound flow to meet the mighty Mississippi in St Louis.

My hotel is in the Crossroads district, a gritty, not pretty neighbourhood that has a definite Brooklyn feel to it, but Brooklyn ten years ago. The creatives have moved in – probably attracted by affordable rents – but parts of the district are still a work in progress with dilapidation, weed strewn parking lots and vagrancy. Still it’s authentic and real with indie coffee shops, architectural firms, independent fashion outlets and many, many restaurants. It’s Brooklyn without the gentrification … and the prices.

The Crossroads Hotel, part of the Aparium Hotel Group, exemplifies the brand’s focus on revitalizing lesser-known urban destinations—other locations include Fargo (ND), Portland (OR), and Alexandria (VA). Housed in a former brewery, the hotel blends seamlessly into its namesake neighbourhood, preserving the gnarled character of the historic structure but adding cool grace notes.

Guest rooms are generously sized, featuring large sash windows, polished concrete floors, exposed redbrick walls, and timber beams etched with decades-old graffiti. The interiors combine retro furnishings with locally sourced artwork, while oversized screens and sleek contemporary beds create an appealing juxtapositioning between old and new.

The hotel’s public spaces are expansive and minimalist, designed to double as gallery venues that showcase local art and creative energy. The lobby buzzes with activity, anchored by a lively bar and a full-sized wood-burning pizza oven that adds both warmth and aroma to the space. Upstairs, a rooftop bar offers panoramic views of downtown Kansas City—an ideal spot for sunset cocktails. Dining is at Lazia, the hotel’s on-site Italian restaurant. Crossroads embraces “new hospitality,” aligning with the indie, anti-hotel spirit first championed by Ace Hotels and now emulated—often less successfully—by major hotel brands.

I asked ChatGPT what I should visit during the couple of hours I earned back when I managed to catch an earlier flight in from ORD. I was directed to Union Station, a short walk from Crossroads over a major railway thoroughfare. Another example of local civic pride, the last trains rumbled into the monumental Union Station in the mid eighties but the architectural gem was given a full USD$250 million make-over a decade later and now hosts the award winning Science City, the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium and a bunch of restaurants. It’s Great Hall offers stunning banquet opportunities for over 1000 participants.

I was taken to Q39 for wood-fired barbecue, the local KC culinary speciality. A large group of us was unable to make much head way with the signature Q Championship Meat Platter that featured brisket, burnt ends (a true KC delicacy), pulled pork, smoked chicken and ribs along with all manner of sides. Before making the 10 minute Uber ride back to the hotel we called into Missie B’s gay bar where a drag show was in full flight.

This is a short visit and I don’t have time to visit the Kansas City Convention Centre which, apparently, is quite the venue, both architecturally and operationally with skyways and walkways linking the facilities seamlessly to each other, and to the nearby hotels, notably the relatively new 800 key Loews that opened in 2020. I can, however, see it from my room here at the Crossroads and its quite the statement.

A key consideration with 2nd tier destinations (there are probably 25 – 30 of them in the USA) is around overall brand appeal and competitive advantage across all business events or MICE. A city like KC can easily compete successfully for city-wide conventions and corporate meetings, particularly if it manages to match the frequency of inbound air lift with the star quality of its spanking new airport.

But what about incentives?

Can it offer extraordinary travel experiences?

Can it spark and make enduring memories for qualifiers?

I sense that it can!