Markonen

About the only memorable thing about the property is that when staying in the upper floors and facing the general aviation airport, the planes taking off appear to come straight at you, and quite close too, and then just miss you by a couple of floors or so!

vincom

It's a basic Sheraton, nothing special, but fairly "typicaly"...

Did a MR to ANC once.. stayed there just t'ill midnight...

-Vincent

mtacchi

Club rooms are basically the same as regular rooms.. IF you can pay more points (1500 I think) you may get confirmed in a much larger jr suite..

Really not much to get excited about.

number_6

Rent a car and spend as little time in the hotel as possible. The area under Anchorage is very beautiful, even spectacular, once you get outside of the city limits. There is a glacier and associated park about 30 miles south, an easy drive (actually there are a dozen glaciers surrounding ANC). Within the city limits, have drinks at the bar called Crows Nest in the Captain Cook hotel (top floor, as you might expect from the name). Great stock of wines and spirits (there is some serious money in Alaska) and a nice view of the inlet.

thaliajen

For an Alaskan hotel, you really can't complain much. I stayed at the Captain Cook- which is supposed to be (according to Alaskans) the best, and it was average, just as the Sheraton is. Having stayed in hotels in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali, I would say that the Sheraton was at the top. Not that it was as nice as most Sheratons, but the mindset there is different, in my opinion. I have friends in Fairbanks and they consider the Sheraton one of the nicest places in the state! I think it is fine for what it is. What I remember is VERY nice staff and one of them going out of his way to extend my stay for free! I had booked a 2nd night b/c I had a 10pm flight and they didn't charge me for the 2nd night. That was classy. I love the people in Alaska, they were very friendly and interested in what you do, etc.

If you decide against the Sheraton (I wouldn't- it isn't the best but it's good for Alaska) try the Captain Cook. I had a suite there that was quite nice. But if I went back I would definitely go to the Sheraton- may as well get the points!

Have a good trip- I wanted to recommend a restaurant in Anchorage that has amazig steaks but it's name just flew out of my mind. It's in walking distance of the hotel.

BTW- check and see if they have airport shuttle service. When I was there I had been told yes but I ended up paying for a cab. That was my only trouble with the Sheraton there.

mtacchi

I have spent great amounts of times (like months) at both the Cook and the Sheraton. Cook is more dated, but made to look like it is supposed to be. Kinda a theme..circa 1850..The Sheraton would like to look newer, but infact is stuck in 1978.

Lots to do in ANC. I recommend you go to the Alaska Air board and start chating with those folks. There are some cool Ft'ers to meet up that way.

Socaflyer

Take some time to enjoy the local cuisine. The Sheraton is within a five-ten minute drive of some great restaurants (as well as most of the downtown areas). We were just in Anchorage last month. Had some terrific food there. Found most of the restaurants on TripAdvisor.com. Sacks Cafe was terrific for dinner. We would have gone there both nights except they were completely booked on Saturday night. Snow City Cafe was a great place for breakfast. Go early though, or you'll have to wait.

number_6

Including one of the best seafood restaurants in the US, and it is located in a strip mall! Very cheap considering the high quality of the food served. Almost worth a trip to ANC just to eat there, particularly at Christmas. http://www.jensrestaurant.com/

Leumas

I'm typing this in my room at the Anchorage Sheraton right now. It's just gone 6:17am and the sun has been up for a couple of hours. I don't think it's gone completely dark during my time here.

Anyway, I find the staff quite nice here, very helpful. I checked in without any problems, then 5 mins after I went up to the room, they rang up and checked if everything was OK. Although I haven't stayed at that many hotels, this was the first one that rang.

However, my departure is 10pm tonight. I tried to ask for a late departure at check-in (i.e., before I knew I was upgraded). I wanted as late as possible and asked for 4pm, they offered 3pm, so I took it. I may ask again later this afternoon...

I was also upgraded to a junior suite (I believe, the room is 816), although I'm a mere SPG gold. I also booked at the cheapest rate. There's only me and I booked a room with 2 double beds because that was the cheapest at the time.

I'd dinner at the Sushi Bar on the ground floor, not the best sushi, but pretty good seafood.

Internet is not free here, $9.95 for a day (up till the next day's check-in time) and it's wired. I can see some wireless networks, but I can't connect to them or it's very slow. The Internet at the Business Centre is not free either.

One last hint, if you've laundry to do, and your stay is during the week, take it down to a place one block down from the Sheraton called 'Snow White', it's on 6th Street. Get it there by 9am, get it back by 5pm. Same deal as the hotel, but I suspect cheaper. After all, if you send your laundry for the hotel to do, they send it to Snow White anyway.

SkyTeam777

Anyone stayed here on a Priceline rate? Have you been treated to the lounge or offered upgrades as Plat?

number_6

I stayed there last year but not on priceline. Lounge was closed most of the time, never did visit it. Upgrade was to a "suite" which was just a lot of empty space but not nicer furniture or a separate bedroom. Hotel is fine, but rather austere -- don't expect luxury. Furnishings were worn. But ANC is such a nice place to visit, who cares about the hotel room?

bocastephen

One of the best Sheraton experiences I've had - even without my upgrade.

1) front desk agent - the best ever. If I could, I'd clone her and carry copies of her with me to every Starwood hotel I visit

2) rooms - very clean, tasteful, standard Sheraton quality. The black-out curtains (required in Alaska during summer) were well maintained and worked perfectly.

3) parking - $10/day, all self park

The front desk agent was so happy to see me, I thought she was going to leap across the counter and give me a hug. She thanked me for my business, called me by my name repeatedly, apologized for the lack of upgrade (rooms taken by Platinums), and handed me two vouchers for the breakfast buffet to compensate for the lounge being closed on the weekend.

When I came downstairs 30 minutes later, after she had checked in dozens of cruise ship passengers, she still remembered my name and room, and was very helpful referring us to a local restaurant for dinner.

The location is very convenient to both the Glen and Seward highways, as well as walking distance to some of the shopping and eateries on 4th and 5th avenues.

bigbrownboy

spg.com says: From January 30, 2008, to May 1, 2008, the hotel will be undergoing a complete renovation. Please contact the hotel for further information.

Any recent stays here?

LilZeppelin

Staying here at the moment: the front lobby is still under renovation, as is their gym. Some floors are remodeled although some are not. Staff are badly trained (have no idea of SPG elite benefits) and are bad listeners. They are devaluing the SPG brand

izzik

I have to agree with this - the guy at the front desk did not ask about platinum benefit choice until I mentioned it. Although they said I was "upgraded" to the club floor, I will say that it had to be the worst Club room I've seen in a while. The bathroom was the size of a closet and the door couldn't even open 90 degrees before hitting the shower curtain rod.

On the other hand, it's stumbling distance from what is probably Anchorage's only gay bar.