Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge

The room was too warm, and the AC didn’t work very well. The food was barely warm and not good. The salmon was dry and nasty for the price, and the Coke was flat. That’s plenty of reason for the prices to feel unjustified.

The lodge feels dated and drab, though the servers and grounds were its only redeeming points. A leaking faucet poured water over the bathroom counter, and it took four requests to get it fixed. Twice, we found our door unlocked and ajar with no staff around. Thankfully, nothing was missing.

We came at the very end of tourist season, in mid September, and it seemed much of the princess staff had left before we arrived. We had the same experience at the McKinley and Dinali lodges. When staff did show up, they were friendly. I’m amazed so many people gave this hotel 5☆ reviews. The restaurant appetizers tasted great, but after waiting over an hour, our entrees arrived cold. Then we waited another 30 minutes for someone to bring the check or offer desert. The hotel is very outdated. I don’t know when it was built, but it must have been long before anyone heard of global warming. There’s no A/C, not even a ceiling fan, and no mini fridge. Our lamp’s switch was broken, so we couldn’t turn it off. It was on when we came in, and the only way to shut it off was to unscrew the bulb. Maybe they were trying to keep up with Motel 6, leaving the light on for me. I’ve stayed at quite a few Motel 6s, and in most ways this place doesn’t measure up. I’d give it 2☆, and less if it weren’t so close to the Fairbanks airport. I couldn’t get away soon enough.

The lodge seems to rely heavily on summer help, but manages to sputter along fairly well. Our room wasn’t made up between the first and second nights, and the restaurant wait staff were earnest.