What happens when four K-Staters come together in one iconic location to operate The Hotel Kansas City? One of the newest members of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection, it is only fitting that Ryan Baldwin, general manager, a Kansas City native and 2001 graduate of hospitality management program should lead what was once The Kansas City Club. Colleen Burke-Myers, Director of Engineering, graduated in 1993 from the hospitality management program and Tyler Gulledge serves as Director of Finance and graduated from K-State in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. Matt Peak, who is currently completing his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from K-State Olathe works as a culinarian at the property.
When visiting about the hotel, careers, and possibilities with the four K-Staters, the best, and worst, of K-State football was recalled. The beating of Nebraska was a notable memory of Baldwin and Gulledge. Burke-Myers does not recall those great football stories as she graduated just as Bill Snyder was getting started at K-State.
Pat Pesci, Betsy Barrett, and the opportunities to experience all that the hospitality industry has to offer were highlights of these graduates. Baldwin and Burke-Myers both started careers with Hyatt, which was made possible through internships and first jobs. Like so many other hospitality industry leaders they reinforced the notion that a bachelor’s degree with work experiences is a combination that opens numerous opportunities in the hospitality industry. Even today while the hotel industry is struggling Baldwin and his team are looking to recruit other K-Staters to join The Hotel Kansas City team. They realize that the ‘20s will soon come roaring back.
Peak, whose time at K-State Olathe began after a hiatus from the Manhattan campus, appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with other working adults taking class at the K-State Olathe campus. He noted that the chance to take a theoretical idea from class and apply it to the hotel makes his education all the more real.
The former Kansas City Club once welcomed members such as Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Omar Bradley, and Ewing Kauffman and the new property harkens back to the days of Pendergast and the roaring ‘20s. Working in an iconic building with the acclaimed Town Company restaurant, views of the iconic Kansas sunsets from the roof top bar, and a ballroom with triple story-stained glass windows makes going to work all the more enjoyable for these four K-Staters.
When you find yourself in Kansas City stop by and say hello to some fellow K-State alumni and reminisce of your favorite memory of class, sports, or possibly Aggieville. Just know that Ryan and his team are certain to extend a warm K-State welcome that they may not have acquired at K-State, but they certainly honed and polished in Justin Hall.
