Tim O’Brien knew his 40th anniversary was coming up. What he didn’t know was just how special the occasion was going to be.
He and his wife, Melinda, were married four decades ago at the Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri, something he remembered fondly as he looked through an old box of keepsakes in late March.
The box, stuffed with wedding mementos, hadn’t been opened in decades. Tim, 64, had taken on the project of sorting and organizing old photos in the couple’s Overland Park, Kansas home.
That’s what he was doing when he came across an old hotel voucher.
A lifetime ‘honeymoon rate’
Dated June 15, 1983, the voucher’s red lettering identified its issuer as The Radisson Muehlebach Hotel. A heading at the top of the certificate read “The Muehlebach Lifetime Honeymoon Certificate.” Additional text below specified: “This certifies that anytime you stay at the Radisson Muehlebach during your anniversary month, your room rate will be the same as your original honeymoon rate. Simply make your reservation in advance and present this coupon upon your arrival.”
As can be expected, hotel room rates in 1983 were much lower than the $200 plus you can expect now — only $38 dollars a night, to be exact. That amount wouldn’t even cover the taxes on a typical room today, managing director of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown Derek McCann said.
While the historic hotel the O’Briens had once stayed in closed its rooms to guests in 1986, Marriott Hotels took possession years later and incorporated the building into one branch of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown, even reopening one of the original spaces, a bar, for guests to visit.
With all of this in mind, Tim still decided to take a swing at finding out just how veracious the “lifetime” part of the guarantee was, despite the original hotel being under new ownership.
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‘I didn’t really think they would’
“I found it and I thought, ‘I wonder if they would accept this.’ I didn’t really think they would,” said Tim. “Well, I thought it was probably a 50-50 chance they would because the certificate is for the Radisson and not for the Marriott.”
Still, he decided to send an email with a photo of the voucher to McCann.
“I sat on it for a couple of days because it was a pretty unusual request,” said McCann. “(We) talked about it and decided why not, right? We just thought, the 40th anniversary, that’s a mile marker for anybody, so we were happy to be able to be a part of it.”
While the couple could no longer stay in the same room they once had, room number 314, they would get a chance to enjoy the new iteration of hotel for a full night’s stay, something they didn’t get to do the first time around.
“We did not check into the room or have someone check in for us ahead of time and our reception (at the Leawood Country Club, Kansas) ran late and the band played late and we didn’t check in until 3 a.m.,” said Melinda. “So, we were sort of in this wedding fog, right? And we had to get up the next morning early to go open gifts with all of our out-of-town family and we really literally spent six hours in the hotel that night.”
Marriott made their stay extra special
This time around, things were more relaxed. The pair was able to check in on a Sunday and enjoy the hospitality of the staff, who hoped to give two long-time members of their community something a little extra.
“It’s pretty cool that they’re still locals. That they’ve been here for the entirety of their 40 years as a married couple,” said McCann.
The O’Briens raised three children in the area, some of whom have also settled nearby. Honoring the family’s strong, multigenerational ties to the community was important to The Marriott, said McCann and hotel manager Dustin Holcumbrink. Because of this, they wanted to go beyond just honoring the voucher.
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The O’Briens said they were surprised by the extra effort the hotel staff put into their visit.
“They did a lovely job. They decorated the room with ruby,” Melinda said, noting that ruby is the 40th anniversary color and was also her bridesmaids color. “They had rose petals and ruby little crystals and then they bought this big paper weight in the shape of a ruby that says 40 happy years together.” The staff also set up a balloon arch in the room, along with traditional accommodations like champagne, breakfast and valet parking.
“It was more than we expected. I mean, we were just thinking we’d have a nice quiet evening,” said Melinda. “We hadn’t been able to really do that the weekend that we got married. They were really, really good about making (the anniversary) much more than it was going to be and that was special to us.”
While the O’Brien’s weren’t able to visit the revived historic part of the hotel they had once stayed in, the bar known as the Voo Lounge, they plan to go back to experience it soon. They also see themselves visiting the hotel more often, though not for $38 a night.
“We’re just happy we made it 40 years I think there are a lot of people that celebrate 40 years but there are a lot of people that don’t get through,” said the couple. “We’re hoping that we make it to the next milestone. We’re happy that this one was so special.”
