Hotel prices in Anchorage

[sarahruth23]

So our TA booked our hotel, through RCI I think, in Anchorage - she booked us at the Hilton for a rate of $479 a night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My mom is paying for our whole family to go on this trip and we needed 5 rooms.

 

We have fixed it - we found a rate at the Dimond Center for $189 - although, even though she said we will, we don't yet have confirmation from the TA that we're getting our money back. We were pretty unhappy b/c she booked it without ever telling us the rate, after telling Mom is would be about $160. (We only accidentally discovered it in a breakdown of charges and my sister and I immediately insisted on changing it)

 

I was just wondering - has anyone else ever heard of someone booking a hotel room at that high a price? I know hotels are more expensive in Anchorage, but good grief!

[fti]

Glad that you asked questions. Actually my hotel in Anchorage is cheaper than most hotels I book in the lower 48. But I got in on a deal last fall. I would be very clear with your travel agent about what exactly is included in your price and what everything costs. If they made this error, perhaps there are others.

 

Be sure to get:

 

1) cancellation number for the Hilton

 

2) confirmation number for Dimond Center. If a reservation has been made or canceled, these numbers are readily available.

[Budget Queen]

Not sure, but if your agent booked this hotel through the cruiselines, those prices are per person and never a bargain. You can always get better rates your self. But did your rate include transfers to the hotel and then to the ship??? It may have?? The transfers to/from Whittier will be, at the lowest end $35pp and up.

 

I would definately follow up and make certain that the cancelation went through.

[SunFunCruiser]

I think the key to booking hotels in Alaska is early booking.

I know that every hotel and Inn we used went way up in price over the year.

A year out we had the Springhill Suites in Anchorage booked for $99.00, that went up to $229.00!

Same with the Holiday Inn Express Seward, almost doubled in what we had booked it for.

So, if this is for next year, book as soon as the rates are available!

[penguin6969]

We just returned from our Cruisetour in Alaska. Since we were leaving from Vancouver, B.C. I booked our hotel myself. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in downtown Vancouver. The room rate was around $200.00 per night and included tax and dollar exchange rate. I can't believe your travel agent did that without your knowledge - that's very expense. I would be looking for another travel agent.

[sarahruth23]

oh. my. goodness.

 

You can not imagine the confusion we have been through today with this. So, I thought (belatedly, of course), "I hope that the hotel wasn't so expensive b/c it included the train ticket from Anchorage to Seward" I thought no, there's no way. We've spoken to the TA several times about this -she knows we're switching hotels b/c it's too expensive, she would have told us if it was expensive because it included the train. But I felt compelled to call her and check anyway. THANK GOODNESS. The $479 was including a single supplement for the hotel room - for two people it was $525 or something around that. That price included from the airplane to the pier - hotel, train, and transportation between all those places. She had booked it through Royal Caribbean. (I asked her why she hadn't mentioned this to my mom when she called about the hotel and she said, "oh. your mom knew that." Clearly, she didn't. Nor did my sister, who had also discussed this with her. I was a little bit frustrated)

 

So, we called the travel agent back. She said she could get us on the train for $99. (I will not go into the math of it here - but she told me that was only saving me about $8 a person, and it wasn't. It was saving about $100. She was calculating $189 per person, but it was $189 per room) I found the train online for $65. After much discussion and scrambling - should we re-book the original package or do it ourselves? There are 8 of us and an infant, so we would end up saving over $500 booking the train ourselves, but would lose transportation from the train to the pier and RCCI taking care of the luggage; my sister thought it we should stick to the original plan, I thought we should do it ourselves - we decided to book the train ourselves. I called them - THE TRAIN WAS FULL. I called several travel agencies and no one had enough seats for the 8 of us!!!!

 

Now, I know we could have rented a car or taken a bus. But none of us really wanted to do that, and we were waaaay over this at this point. Also, I was worried that other things would be full too and it would be too late to get our original package back. We quickly called our yet again. Luckily, the cancellation hadn't gone through. So, we're back to the original plan.

 

I know this was long - sorry to rant!!! But thank you for your advice. Believe me, next time I will just book everything myself. My family has assured me that I can be the TA next time :) (To be fair, I have only one trip to plan - and it's a once-in-a-lifer - so I spend a lot of time looking into this particular trip. Mostly on these boards! The TA has lots of trips to plan to lots of places, so it's not like I can expect her to know as much about this trip as I do)

 

To sum up - situation resolved. We will be staying at the Hilton (which better be a really nice hotel!) - I'll let you know how it is :)

[tbenson81]

I booked in February for late May/early June ANC and received

 

Millenium - 46 dollars a night

Extended Stay - 29 dollars a night

 

I check again in late April and both were in between 150-250 bucks

 

Again- book early! However, maybe we just got lucky because we only booked 3 months and stayed 4 nights in ANC for 150 bucks TOTAL!

[fti]

I am so sorry about your troubles. I am glad that you checked into this and I definitely would consider never using that travel agent again. Fortunately most travel agents are very competent though I know most people on this board plan their trips on their own.

 

Perhaps you could consider another transportation option between Anchorage and Seward next time - for 8 of you I am sure some company in either Anchorage or Seward would transport all 8 cheaper than what you are paying. But that would be "next time."

 

In the end, at least you checked through all the options. And you know that you at least have a decent option. Have a great trip!

 

John

[fti]

I booked in February for late May/early June ANC and received

 

Millenium - 46 dollars a night

Extended Stay - 29 dollars a night

 

I check again in late April and both were in between 150-250 bucks

 

Again- book early! However, maybe we just got lucky because we only booked 3 months and stayed 4 nights in ANC for 150 bucks TOTAL!

 

Great prices.

 

I booked last fall and am paying:

 

Anchorage $50 x 3 nights (not consecutive and I am only using one during a 6 hour layover between flights) and $0 x 1 night (best rate guarantee = free night) = $150

 

Seward $100 x 2 nights = $200

 

So for $350 I have six nights of hotel. Actually, Seward would have been free if I transferred points but instead I bought enough points to get the HI Express. I figured I could use the 20,000 other points I have in a more efficient way for flights.

[SunFunCruiser]

 

To sum up - situation resolved. We will be staying at the Hilton (which better be a really nice hotel!) - I'll let you know how it is :)

 

I just stayed there. It's not as nice as most Hilton's I've stayed at and if I had paid a lot I would have been pissed.

One tower is better than the other. I can't remember which, sorry. But, our room was a lot larger than my parents room, they were in another tower, I'm assuming the original. It was the tower on the left as soon as you enter the hotel.

The service was terrible. The front desk called us three times to bring our credit card down, after doing it at check in and another time.

The lounge was packed and they only had one server on.

The beds were comfy, breakfast was good and the location was good.

 

Apparently they just got bought by someone new and the staff seemed a little bit in disarray.

[Boo's Mom]

So our TA booked our hotel, through RCI I think, in Anchorage - she booked us at the Hilton for a rate of $479 a night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My mom is paying for our whole family to go on this trip and we needed 5 rooms.

 

We have fixed it - we found a rate at the Dimond Center for $189 - although, even though she said we will, we don't yet have confirmation from the TA that we're getting our money back. We were pretty unhappy b/c she booked it without ever telling us the rate, after telling Mom is would be about $160. (We only accidentally discovered it in a breakdown of charges and my sister and I immediately insisted on changing it)

 

I was just wondering - has anyone else ever heard of someone booking a hotel room at that high a price? I know hotels are more expensive in Anchorage, but good grief!

 

 

Check into staying at a B&B ! There are some that have 5+ rooms. Prices will start in the ballpark of $100.00 per room per night.

Perhaps even a discounted price, because you are booking so many rooms.

[Boo's Mom]

Here is a link to a B&B that offers 5 bedrooms within 4 suites.

 

http://www.mahoganymanor.com/home1.html

 

I would not hesitate to ask for a reduced rate, if I were booking the entire house.

Most appropriate.

 

[Travel Mom]

I stayed at Mahogany Manor last week. The place is nice. The one suite I stayed in has two bedrooms (double and queen) and a living area with a twin trundle and a couch. Our group of 5 were very well taken care of. We did have to share a bath with a shower stall among our group. Fridge is well stocked and lots of private areas to read and relax. Great deck. WE were booked into Donna's b & B and when we travled by to take a look it was in a very run down residential neighborhood and we forfieted our $$ not to stay there. (most cancellation policys require 3 weeks notice...warning!)

 

We did Econo Inn for a midnight arrival. Smelly, dated and run down, but room was clean and bed was comfortable. They had a shuttle from Anchorage also.

 

We stayed two nights at Sheraton...mom had points for this one. VERY nice.

 

There was some talk of Days inn going down hill, but it looked ok and in a VERY good location to everything.

 

Comfort in on Ship Creek was very new and we watched people fly fishing right there. We will book here next time for sure.

 

There is a free shuttle, so taking a car downtown was not needed (a free trolly that circles around to most all tourist attraction) Street parking was pretty plentiful for us.

 

There is a $10 hour tour on trolly like cars...take the green one (local teacher...great information)

[Boo's Mom]

I stayed at Mahogany Manor last week. The place is nice. The one suite I stayed in has two bedrooms (double and queen) and a living area with a twin trundle and a couch. Our group of 5 were very well taken care of. We did have to share a bath with a shower stall among our group. Fridge is well stocked and lots of private areas to read and relax. Great deck. WE were booked into Donna's b & B and when we travled by to take a look it was in a very run down residential neighborhood and we forfieted our $$ not to stay there. (most cancellation policys require 3 weeks notice...warning!)

 

We did Econo Inn for a midnight arrival. Smelly, dated and run down, but room was clean and bed was comfortable. They had a shuttle from Anchorage also.

 

We stayed two nights at Sheraton...mom had points for this one. VERY nice.

 

There was some talk of Days inn going down hill, but it looked ok and in a VERY good location to everything.

 

Comfort in on Ship Creek was very new and we watched people fly fishing right there. We will book here next time for sure.

 

There is a free shuttle, so taking a car downtown was not needed (a free trolly that circles around to most all tourist attraction) Street parking was pretty plentiful for us.

 

There is a $10 hour tour on trolly like cars...take the green one (local teacher...great information)

 

Hey Travel Mom !

I am just down the road from you....

here in San Antonio !

 

Thanks for the info on the Mahogany Manor.

Were you served a full breakfast? .... or just continental?

 

Were you cruising last week?

 

Would you choose the comfort Inn over the Mahogany Manor?

 

How far were the two from each other.

 

Thanks a bunch !

 

Go Spurs Go ! :D

[Travel Mom]

Actually watched the Spurs win it all while on our vacation. We sailed June 11-18 with a land tour prior on COral Princess. One way Anch-Vancouver.

 

Comfort Inn is right there near downtown. Some things walkable and a free shuttle is right there. If you have kids they can watch the guys fly fish for salmon. not sure about aminities....just looked around the building. My son wanted to stay there!

 

Mahogany Manor is on 15th. She has a small free parking lot. You will have to drive to downtown etc. (street parking wasn't bad when we were there..meters) Lots available too. There is a cont. breakfast available (serve yourself) More of an adult place. quiet reading places etc. Nice deck. food: cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, breads, muffins, coffee, tea, choc., sodas. Good enough for us.

[usavvy2]

I've been watching prices climb for mid-July at the hotels I booked (last September). Seems like they climb higher each month. BTW, thought you'd like to know that I'm seeing the same thing with the rental car companies. (At least with Hertz & Avis!) If you need a car rental - book it yesterday!

[LisaH]

We will be at the Hilton for two nights in Anchorage, one on our own and one through Princess. I booked our one night about a year ago and it is $300+. I know hotels are expensive in Anchorage and we wanted air conditioning. I knew up front hotels were expensive in Anchorage and we were okay with that - just part of the trip.

 

Not sure what our one night through Princess is costing...