The hotel opened on July 1, 1980, as the Hyatt Regency Kansas City.

It is part of the Crown Center complex, built by Hallmark Cards, adjacent to their headquarters, and southeast of the Downtown loop, where most of Kansas City's tallest buildings are located.

An investigation revealed that tie rods supporting the walkway did not meet Kansas City building codes.

[5] The hotel went through a $5 million reconstruction following the collapse, replacing the skywalks with one large second floor balcony supported by massive pillars, with local authorities saying in 1983 that the building was now "possibly the safest in the country.

Starwood took over the hotel November 30, 2011, renaming it the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center the following day and announcing $30 million in renovations and a $5,000 donation to The Skywalk Memorial Foundation.