K.C. Sees Old Spa Reborn

<B> K.C. Sees Old Spa Reborn</B>

By Rowland Stiteler

The 110-year-old Elms Resort and Spa has become a popular retreat for business travelers after a massive renovation and a summer reopening. The five-story limestone structure--set on 16 acres in Excelsior Springs, 30 minutes from downtown Kansas City--originally drew visitors for its mineral springs spa, and has been noted for its celebrity stays.

Today, in addition to the calming essence, the hotel boasts of its role as the site where Harry Truman hid from the press on election night in 1948 and where Al Capone flaunted his gangster celebrity status during Prohibition. However, the new spa--which offers everything from massage to esoteric herbal body wraps--is still a central focus of the hotel today.

The property offers 12,000 square feet of meeting space, a 43-seat amphitheater and two ballrooms that can each handle groups of up to 300. Other amenities include three restaurants and a business center. A challenge team-building course, and meditation technique and T'ai Chi sessions, also are available.

Larry Sternberg, general manager of the suburban 153-room luxury property, said a fair amount of the reincarnated hotel's success comes from travelers' affinity for historic properties with an unusual flair. "Today, the Elms Resort & Spa is open as a restored historic retreat poised for the turn of the 21st century," he said.