Historic Anchorage Hotel

Ghost hunter buffs should be very excited about this one! The Historic Anchorage is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in Alaska. They embrace this reputation with numerous newspaper clippings in the front of their café area. We had no idea of this when we checked in and only found out when we saw the clippings as we ate our breakfast the next morning. It turns out that we stayed in one of the most haunted rooms, room 215, the night before! The story was that a jilted bride hanged herself in our room! Luckily, we did not experience any supernatural phenomenon. What we did experience was excellent service from the small staff and very quaint accommodations. Jessica the night receptionist was especially wonderful and sweet! The rooms have no air conditioning but are equipped with a large circulating fan. That along with opening the windows was sufficient to keep us cool and comfortable. However, our room faced the street and birds like to gather on the roof top across the street. Since the sun barely sets in July, they pretty much squawked throughout the night and in the morning. There was also a rowdy group of drunks on the street around 3 am that woke us up as well. Otherwise, our room was extremely clean (and this is coming from a germaphobe who wipes everything down with bleach wipes) and comfortable. I wasn’t thrilled with the free breakfast. The buffet included hard-boiled eggs, bagels, oatmeal, fruit, cereal, and make-it-yourself waffles. I didn’t like the waffles at all and I need to eat protein in the mornings so I winded up mostly eating hard-boiled eggs. I’ve stayed in a lot of business hotels and I guess I’m just used to having more hot foods like scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. That being said, the free breakfast was a definite plus. We departed after staying one night to visit Denali but returned after Denali to the Historic Anchorage and they had upgraded us to a mini-suite. The mini-suite was much larger and nicer. It also faced the alley in the back which meant no squawking sea birds or rowdy drunken men! The location of the hotel was very convenient to the train station and Egan Convention Center, where many of the transfers drop off, but at the same time, very convenient to the rest of the Downtown Anchorage with shops and restaurants all around it! I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Anchorage, just make sure to request a room facing the alley if you are a light sleeper!

Unique Quality: Historic, excellent staff, super clean

I was in Anchorage for a conference and boooked into the Hilton but after two days changed for the Historic: Very friendly staff, a working free WLAN, a nice breakfast buffet. Sure not as fancy as the Hilton and the view might be less spectacular but worth to try.

Directions: Harbour district, next to Hilton (which is one of the few high houses)

The Anchorage Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places and it's guest list includes Wiley Post, Will Rogers, Bob Marshall, and Sydney Laurence. The rooms are elegant and have a great homey feel.

There are only 26 rooms, so be sure to book early! Prices vary with the season.

Unique Quality: Ask about "A night on the town" which includes a suite, dinner for two at Orso, and a Horse Drawn Carriage ride to and from dinner. Great for that special someone that you love.

The Anchorage Hotel is completely non-smoking.

Directions: Downtown