Alaska - Anchorage Hotels near the Airport

Any recommendations for a overnight hotel stay near the airport in Anchorage?

My daughter is doing her twice yearly trek to Germany from UAF, but she is attending a friend's wedding in the Anchorage area on the way. She's got an early flight to Seattle out of Anchorage, so I was curious is anyone had any good recommendations.

I stayed at the Courtyard years ago and it was OK. My last trip up to Anchorage, my daughter and I stayed at the Marriott downtown and the Spring hill Suites. The Marriott is a bit far from the airport, especially is she is just there to crash before the flight. I was thinking about the Spring Hill suites again, but I was wondering what others think.

When is her flight out of Anchorage (time of day and month)? If she is wanting a hotel with an airport shuttle, those are key pieces of information. Not all shuttles operate 24 hours and there is a chance that some hotels don't offer the same frequency the entire year.

When is her flight out of Anchorage (time of day and month)? If she is wanting a hotel with an airport shuttle, those are key pieces of information. Not all shuttles operate 24 hours and there is a chance that some hotels don't offer the same frequency the entire year.

Flight is the first week of June - 6:30am in the morning.

Shuttle would be nice, but she can always take a taxi if needed. As long as it is safe and semi-close to the airport, that would be fine

The Millennium is usually a good bet, although pricey that time of year (as is every hotel in town). There's also a Courtyard and a Holiday Inn Express out there, as well as a brand new Quality Inn.

Hey jplenny! Good to see you again. Sorry for the late response here--I've been busy with life and am just now catching up on FT.

The Millennium is usually a good bet, although pricey that time of year (as is every hotel in town). There's also a Courtyard and a Holiday Inn Express out there, as well as a brand new Quality Inn.

Those Chugach mentioned are the closest chain hotels to the airport, and they're probably the most decent of the bunch in the lower Spenard area. They're not the only options, though. (It should be noted the Quality Inn is not actually new--it is the rebranded Best Western Barratt Inn, which has been around forever. The Barratt's other half across the street became the Econo Lodge when the downtown Econo Lodge lost its branding.)

Other nearby chain options include the Microtel and the brand-new Comfort Suites, both on the frontage road just off of International Airport Road.

All of the above have airport shuttles, though I do not know if they run 24 hours.

You also have your pick of chain properties in Midtown, which are only an extra 5-7 minutes away, and all of those have free airport shuttles as well. These choices include (in order of distance) the Crowne Plaza, Marriott Fairfield, Motel 6 [very new and nice as far as Motel 6s go], Homewood Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Marriott SpringHill Suites, Embassy Suites, and Marriott Residence Inn. The farthest one--the Residence Inn--is only a 12-minute drive from the airport. I would feel comfortable recommending any of the above--all are in safe areas (safer than the closer ones on Spenard, actually) and are good properties.

If price at any of the chains is an issue (this is June we're talking about), there are some non-chain properties that are decent and have airport shuttles. FlyerTalker ozstamps was quite impressed with the Executive Suite on Spenard, and the Puffin Inn's remodeled side (the deluxe rooms) is quite nice (though avoid the older side). They are both right across the street from the HIX on Spenard. I've seen many of my customers stay at the Coast International Inn or the Long House Alaskan Hotel, and I've never heard anything negative about them, but they're unknown commodities to me. The Dimond Center hotel is on the south side of town, relatively far from the airport (a 15-minute drive) and in a commercial district with not much activity late at night, but it is a very nice property (huge rooms, jacuzzi tubs, HD TVs, etc.) with a free airport shuttle.

Be sure to say hi next time you're in town--Moose's Tooth is always delicious! :D

Other nearby chain options include the Microtel and the brand-new Comfort Suites, both on the frontage road just off of International Airport Road.


If price at any of the chains is an issue (this is June we're talking about), there are some non-chain properties that are decent and have airport shuttles. FlyerTalker ozstamps was quite impressed with the Executive Suite on Spenard, and the Puffin Inn's remodeled side (the deluxe rooms) is quite nice (though avoid the older side). They are both right across the street from the HIX on Spenard.

Be sure to say hi next time you're in town--Moose's Tooth is always delicious! :D

Jackal:

Based on your post, I've reserved a room at the Executive Suite on Spenard. We are arriving at 7:30 PM and plan to hit the road early the next morning. By signing up with their frequent stay program (a link is provided on the website), we received a 15% discount and may receive a free room upgrade (based on availability). So for only $85.67 (includes all taxes), we receive a room with two queen beds, sleeper sofa, mini-fridge, free wireless access, breakfast, and best of all - "Great View of Chugach Mountains." This rate is less than Expedia's rate and does not require pre-payment. We can cancel up to 24 hours before check-in. For Anchorage this price is extremely reasonable. I'll post about our stay when we return.


The website is: www.AmericasBestValueInn.com

We travel to Alaska every year - usually in late May or September - and this is one of the better hotel bargains that I have found. One year we stayed at the hostel on Spenard and booked a room for four for the three of us. It was also a good place to spend the night - especially for those on a tight budget or for someone travelling alone. The cost is $25 per person ($27 if you use a credit card). Their website is: http://alaskahostel.org .

Jackal:

Based on your post, I've reserved a room at the Executive Suite on Spenard. We are arriving at 7:30 PM and plan to hit the road early the next morning. By signing up with their frequent stay program (a link is provided on the website), we received a 15% discount and may receive a free room upgrade (based on availability). So for only $85.67 (includes all taxes), we receive a room with two queen beds, sleeper sofa, mini-fridge, free wireless access, breakfast, and best of all - "Great View of Chugach Mountains." This rate is less than Expedia's rate and does not require pre-payment. We can cancel up to 24 hours before check-in. For Anchorage this price is extremely reasonable. I'll post about our stay when we return.


The website is: www.AmericasBestValueInn.com

We travel to Alaska every year - usually in late May or September - and this is one of the better hotel bargains that I have found. One year we stayed at the hostel on Spenard and booked a room for four for the three of us. It was also a good place to spend the night - especially for those on a tight budget or for someone travelling alone. The cost is $25 per person ($27 if you use a credit card). Their website is: http://alaskahostel.org .

Thanks for the post. I too have stayed at the Spenard Hostel a couple of times, most recently for a night last month during a quick long weekend trip to AK. Because April is a slower month, there were only two of us in the room. Very clean, friendly people and nice kitchens if you want to prepare your own meals.

Glad to hear it. I can't personally vouch for the Executive Suite, since I've never stayed there or been in one of the rooms, but as I said, ozstamps was happy with it.

You might want to check up on it on TripAdvisor or Yelp or something just to be sure it's not going to be one of those places that ruins your vacation.

Be sure to check in on http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/communitybuzz/822275-consolidated-anc-meet-up-thread.html!

Hey jplenny! Good to see you again. Sorry for the late response here--I've been busy with life and am just now catching up on FT.

Be sure to say hi next time you're in town--Moose's Tooth is always delicious! :D

I understand being busy with life. I'm in the same boat right now. Thanks for the great help on the hotels. The next time I make it to Anchorage, we will certainly do the Moose's Tooth!

Jackal:

Based on your post, I've reserved a room at the Executive Suite on Spenard. We are arriving at 7:30 PM and plan to hit the road early the next morning. By signing up with their frequent stay program (a link is provided on the website), we received a 15% discount and may receive a free room upgrade (based on availability). So for only $85.67 (includes all taxes), we receive a room with two queen beds, sleeper sofa, mini-fridge, free wireless access, breakfast, and best of all - "Great View of Chugach Mountains." This rate is less than Expedia's rate and does not require pre-payment. We can cancel up to 24 hours before check-in. For Anchorage this price is extremely reasonable. I'll post about our stay when we return.


The website is: www.AmericasBestValueInn.com


We spent Wednesday night (May 26, 2010) at the Americas Best Value/Executive Inn near the Anchorage Airport. I did have to present my America's Best Value membership card that I printed from the internet to get the discount. Our rate was $85.67; we did not get an upgrade since the hotel was fully-booked; our view of the Chugach Mountains was obscured. However, the hotel room was spacious, clean, and comfortable. We had two queen beds, a sofa sleeper, a mini-refrigerator, micowave, and television. It even had an air conditioner. The continental breakfast included orange juice, waffles, huge blueberry muffins, cereal, whole milk, and bread for toasting; coffee was in the lobby. We were quite pleased and considered the hotel a bargain for Anchorage. It was about a five minute drive from the airport, parking was free, and they offer a free shuttle if you do not have a car.

Check-in took about ten minutes too long (I was anxious to see Casey's performance on the American Idol finale and just missed him). Two groups were ahead of us and only one desk clerk was working; as soon as it was my turn to be assisted, another clerk appeared. The family ahead of me made the mistake of asking if they could get a roll-away bed or a bigger room since there were five of them and only two queen beds in their reserved room. Not only did they not get a larger room or a roll-away bed, they had to pay extra for the two teenagers that they did not include in their reservation request. I felt a tad guilty when I saw that our room had two queen beds and a sofa bed for just the two of us.

I'll be doing a trip report about our trip to Alaska as soon as I get some spare time. I will leave with a teaser" - humpbacks, orcas, bears, calving glaciers, caribou, moose, puffins, and glorious sunshine (we even saw people swimming in the lake just south of Wasilla).

We spent Wednesday night (May 26, 2010) at the Americas Best Value/Executive Inn near the Anchorage Airport...

I'll be doing a trip report about our trip to Alaska as soon as I get some spare time. I will leave with a teaser" - humpbacks, orcas, bears, calving glaciers, caribou, moose, puffins, and glorious sunshine (we even saw people swimming in the lake just south of Wasilla).

Glad to hear it was a good stay! I'll feel more comfortable recommending it to people now.

And I look forward to the trip report! Post a link to it here so I (and others reading) remember to follow up. :)