Beyond The Cookie: DoubleTree In Overland Park

On a recent trip to Overland Park, Kan., hosted byOverland Park Convention and Visitors Bureau, I discovered an important thing I had to point out: There’s more to the DoubleTree by Hilton than the warm cookies at check-in.

But do you really need anything more than a warm cookie to make a stay nice?

This is what you’re greeted with at a DoubleTree.

You do.

Read on to find out more about the amenities of this hotel near KC, as well as the attractions and dining options near it.

This was our first visit to Overland Park, Kan., as a family. I may have been here as a child since my mom has a sixth sense for finding malls on vacation, and this city has a rocking mall (Oak Park Mall).

Anyway. The hotel, you guys want to know about the hotel, right?

The festive lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel in Overland Park, Kansas.

We arrived during the holiday season so it was tastefully decorated. We added our own little decoration since our kids were obsessing over the Elf on the Shelf. Lemme tell you, it was a challenge getting Tizbee into our room before the kids could ransack it looking for him.

Our elf, Tizbee, followed us on the trip.

The Double Tree Highlights

Eggs: You thought I was going to say cookies. As part of our hosted stay, we got to try the breakfast buffet at Trofi. It had the standard offerings of pastries and breads, fresh fruit, biscuits and gravy, that sort of thing.

But the standout was the eggs made-to-order. Yes, eggs. Before you think I’m strange about pointing out eggs, it must be pointed out just how rare it is to find someone who doesn’t overcook an omelet. The chef manning the station nailed it. Fab breakfast, and wonderful service.

By the way, Trofi also has a bar area and lounge that extends to a patio where you can enjoy bar drinks and snacks in warmer weather. Indoors, it has a water feature you’ll probably overlook but it will attract your kids like moths to a flame.

Pool: As always, though, the pool was the kids’ favorite feature in the hotel. It’s a bit of a walk through the lobby to get to, but it’s a nice pool surrounded by windows. There’s also a whirlpool and sauna.

The DoubleTree pool, AKA, the best part of the hotel according to my kids. Not pictured are the little whirlpool and sauna.

Customer service: Most hotels “get it.” Make guests feel welcomed and they’ll become loyal customers. So I expect it. The cookies are a good start, but what I was impressed by the genuine friendliness of the staff. It was above and beyond the typical friendliness (and not in an off-putting way).

The breakfast staff was exceptionally nice. Way more than you’d expect for early in the morning.

Connecting rooms: Beyond the cookies and eggs, this hotel has a lot to offer families. I discovered my new-favorite hotel convenience: The connecting rooms. My kids are now old enough to be trusted to sleep in a separate room – with the door to our room open.

Why didn’t anyone tell me that connecting rooms is the way to go when traveling with kids old enough not to require constant monitoring at night?

I could luxuriate in a king size bed while the littles each got their own double. Win win for everyone.

Another bonus for each room: 42-inch flat-screen HDTV in all of them.

What else do they have? The usual goodies you’d expect a mid-range hotel, including a fitness room, racquetball court, a hiking trail and free parking.

Did you know? The DoubleTree by Hilton has the most adorable vacation package I’ve ever heard of: An Oak Park American Girl Store Package. The package includes an overnight stay in a deluxe pink room with pink sheets, bath towels and more. The room package comes with a American Girl Doll travel bed and robe and slippers that cannot be purchased in a store or the catalog. The girls receive cookies and milk for the child and doll in the room and breakfast for four. The hotel can also provide shuttle transportation to Oak Park Mall for shopping and assistance in contacting the store to set up a personal shopper experience.

Attractions near this hotel

DoubleTree Hotel is 3 miles from Oak Park Mall, which has an American Girl store, LEGO store, and tons of other shops we don’t have in Omaha, plus a double-decker carousel.

You don’t have to pay admission if you just want to see the T-Rex in the lobby of the Museum at Prairiefire.

Families are going to want to check out the Museum at Prairiefire, which is 6 miles from the hotel, as well as the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, which is also about 6 miles from the hotel.

It’s a little more than 7 miles to the Ikea from the hotel too…which is an attraction of another kind, right?

You can get to downtown Kansas City on the I-35 in about 20 minutes without traffic (but we’re talking KC here, so plan on the 17-mile drive taking longer).

Restaurants near the hotel

The DoubleTree also happens to be near some of KC’s best barbecue, including Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue and a crowd-pleaser for my family, Joe’s KC Bar-B-Que in Leawood. There’s also Jon Russell’s Kansas City Barbecue. All three are about 4 miles from the hotel.

The hotel staff rounded up a list of local restaurants for me to share with you – given the short stay, I couldn’t try them all.

– Fritz’s Chilli

– Nick And Jake’s

– Stroud’s Overland Park (super kid-friendly)

– Unforked (super kid-friendly)

– Barley’s Brewhaus

– Blue Moose Bar & Grill

– Rock & Brews (kid-friendly)

– Bo Ling’s Chinese Restaurant (kid-friendly)

– Garozzo’s Ristorante

– Johnny Cascone’s Italian Restaurant

– Chosun Korean BBQ