vacationing, need hotel (Anchorage, Susitna: rental car, 2013, rental)

[bluesmap]

I am visiting Anchorage soon and I was hoping to get some recommendations on hotels and perhaps even recommendations on car rental locations.

i will be in Anchorage for 7 days, I will be meeting a friend in Anchorage she is traveling separately from another state

Thank You for any information or advice.

[cjs123]

Hi Bluesmap,

I've stayed twice at the Airport Courtyard Marriott on Spenard Road. They are less than five minutes from the airport and I stayed there once in 2011 and again in 2012. The rooms were clean and comfortable both times; the lobby had been renovated in 2012 and the staff was much more friendly and helpful the second time around, too.

In 2012 I also stayed at Alaska Sundance Retreat Bed and Breakfast, which is about 12 miles away from the airport but not a difficult drive at all. It is a lovely place with terrific views, and a unique experience as opposed to staying in a hotel. The owners, Jim and Pauline, are very welcoming.

In 2013 I stayed at the Downtown Marriott; the staff was most helpful and my room (16th floor) had quite a view, though I found the room itself to be rather dismal looking. Still it was a good stop within walking distance of some places I wanted to visit during my one-day stop, as I didn't rent a car that time.

The Downtown Marriott did not have free WiFi (I don't know if this has changed); the location on Spenard did.

The Airport Marriott had round-the-clock shuttle service; if you happened to arrive super-late and the rental counters were closed, you could catch the hotel shuttle and then take it back the next morning to get your car. Parking was also free.

The downtown hotels do not offer shuttle service and parking was $24/day; since I didn't rent a car I am not familiar with the downtown parking lots. The cab fare to the downtown location was not that bad, as I recall (should you need to pick up your car the next day).

Twice in Anchorage I've rented from the Avis-Airport location, and the vehicles were just fine. My flights came in 12:30-1:00 a.m. and the counter was still open. The manager, Mary Samuel, was extremely helpful in 2012. I am not familiar with off-site rental companies in Anchorage.

You can check out the hotels and the bed and breakfast on TripAdvisor to get other people's take on these places. TripAdvisor doesn't accept reviews on car rental companies, but I've found reviews on other sites like Yelp.

Since you are traveling soon and this is the busy time of year for tourism in Alaska, I'd start calling now to get something reserved.

Have fun in Alaska!

[bluesmap]

thanks. the alaska sundance retreat seems like a good stay if i can also rent a car.

Thank you for your detailed response. much appreciated!

[mizzile]

You can also try VRBO and airbnb. Good stuff there for rooms.

[AKStafford]

The Trip Advisor forums for Alaska are a great resource: Alaska Forum, Travel Discussion for Alaska, United States

If they have vacancies, the Susitna Place is highly regarded: http://susitnaplace.com/

[Alaskan Mutt]

Be prepared to pay a lot. $150 (plus tax) per night is scraping the bottom of the barrel. There are even cheaper places but you really need to be careful as many of their patrons are hardcore hardluck cases placed there by the various social services. This time of year many places sell out so you need to make reservations in advance. If you use a third party company to book the hotel be sure to call the hotel directly a day or two later and confirm everything is set up and the payment has been received from the booking company. You would be surprized how many people travel all the way to Anchorage only to find out their no name 3rd party booking company never paid the hotel. Now not only are they out the money they already paid but will have to pay for the rooms a second time.

Rental cars will also be way overpriced. I recommend using a nationally known rental company at the airport. Most of their cars will be this years model with fairly low miles. Be careful using an off airport mom and pop place. I used one once to save $10 a day and ended up with a beat up 7 year old car with over 100,000 miles on it.