Bait and switch

I am extremely disappointed by what used to be an excellent hotel 10-15 years ago. The name changed to Lakefront and had I made the connection, I wouldn't have booked it based on my experience 5 years ago. The lodging cost was initially less than other seemingly equitable choices. However, additional fees kept adding up making the stay NOT worth the money. There are other better quality hotels in Anchorage at a lesser cost.
1. The picture of the hotel makes it look like a beautiful lodge on the lake. The view of the lake is only for a few rooms. Primarily, it is the restaurant and conference rooms that look our on the lake. From the restaurant side, I very large generator blocks the view of part of the lake. The rest of the hotel rooms look out onto another building's wall, or the street.
2. The rooms are marketed as either deluxe or standard on the BringFido website, but there are no "standard" rooms. When I checked with the front desk, all the rooms are called deluxe rooms. There is nothing deluxe about them. The beds and linens are comfortable but average. There is no microwave. The electrical system has NO USB ports, so make sure you bring a plug with your cords!
3. It is in need of repair, not well cleaned. There was dust in the corners of fixtures, ceiling air grates, and door panels, also the carpets in the halls are old and need to be replaced, paint chips, the towel rack was pulling out of the wall, etc.
4. Dog Amenities: There were no treats for my dog as suggested on BringFido. There was a very small walking area for my dog, with supplied doggie bags, which was helpful. However, it was not fenced in and would be too small for 2 dogs if either of them were anxious about other dogs. There was no "dog in room" sign to leave on the door, as suggested by BringFido, so we used the Do Not Disturb sign and this was effective enough.
5. DO NOT PURCHASE the $64/day "breakfast buffet." It only covers 2 guests, not your children. It is not an actual buffet but an $18 discount on breakfast items. Breakfast ranges between $15-22/per meal, not including drink. On the plus side the restaurant is very good and does provide free refills on coffee throughout the day.
6. The best part of the hotel is it is very "Alaska-y" in the lobby area, with a beautiful working fireplace and attractive, well-done animal mounts throughout.
7. It was a good night sleep, but I would save your money and get a good night's sleep at a Best Western, as I feel this is the quality/amenity equivalent of this hotel. Nothing against Best Western, by the way. It was my hotel of choice when traveling across the country with my dog from Indiana to Alaska. The hotel price is equivalent to Anchorage's premium hotels, so I recommend the Sheraton instead. It is downtown and close to everything!

Apr. 15, 2024