These rooms boast a spectacular view of the Plaza lights

Joe Agnello knows he’s a fortunate man. The president of the Lockton-Kansas City operations has a good job and a good family. He also has a super view from his 10th floor corner office — one that he enjoys every day.

This Thursday night, when thousands fight the street-level crowd to watch the annual holiday lighting ceremony on the Country Club Plaza, Agnello can simply look from out the insurance and benefits company tower at the shopping district spread out like a board game beneath him.

“I’ve actually not used my office for the Thanksgiving viewing,” Agnello admitted. “This year I may see if my family is interested in heading down to the Plaza. But there’s really no rush because I get to see the lights every night.”

Catching the traditional flip of the switch isn’t as important to him as enjoying his room with a view at 444 W. 47th St. every day.

“It’s energizing to have the nice view, to see development going on, to see the hustle on the Plaza,” Agnello said. “It makes me feel good, like the city is vibrant and things are happening.”

In tall buildings ringing the Plaza, other office denizens, hotel guests, condominium and apartment residents also may get to feel particularly elevated when they enjoy their prime spots for the traditional first night of lights.

At The Raphael Hotel south of the Plaza at Wornall Road, some guests will pay a top rate of $699 a night for the opportunity to watch the lights ignite just across Brush Creek. The least expensive Plaza-view room goes for $419 that night.

Hotel spokesman Rick Hughey said Thanksgiving is one of the hotel’s highest occupancy and highest revenue days of the year. And it’s an especially busy evening for room service, as those who have rented the rooms invite others to join them for the celebration.

“Historically, the significant majority of rooms have been occupied by locals,” Hughey said, but a relatively recent trend shows Thanksgiving guests split about 50/50 between locals and out-of-towners. At least one local family has reserved rooms year and after year.

Hughey pointed out that if the demand-sensitive pricing of Thanksgiving night is daunting, the hotel offers a “season of lights” package with special rates through Jan. 15, the traditional extinguishing date for the holiday lights.

Demand for rooms with a view is equally strong each year at the Intercontinental, just across Wornall from the Raphael, and other nearby lodging.

Partly because the lights are turned on year after year and they’re lit throughout the season, it’s easy to get blase about them.

Valerie Smith, office manager at OpenAir Equity Partners, located on the 14th floor of the American Century II tower, said they had an office party the first year the company moved to 4520 Main St.

Perched high off the northeast corner of the Plaza, she said “everyone brought our families” to celebrate the “on” switch — “but not now.”

Like Agnello, she said it’s a view available every day.

And then there are the private panoramas afforded condominium and apartment residents who can afford them. Many long-standing and some new residential towers ring the Plaza, some with the closest, unobstructed views available.

Plaza preservationists and those who helped develop the Midtown/Plaza Area Plan, a development guideline, are fighting more tall buildings in the area. They are intent on preserving the Plaza “bowl” to maintain stepped-up lines of sight to the shopping district. They want to limit traffic and greater urban density in the surrounding neighborhoods.

For most every night from Thursday to Jan. 15, though, the Plaza will once again be more dense than usual — in an economically good way for its merchants. But congestion? Not for the fortunate who have private parking spots beneath the quarters where they live or work every day.

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 7:00 AM with the headline "These rooms boast a spectacular view of the Plaza lights."