Alaskan Hotel and Bar

The bar played loud EDM until 3am, and I could hear it from the third floor even though there were only about five people in there. I got almost no sleep. They said we had a queen bed, but it was probably a full. There was no way to control the room temperature, and it felt like 50 degrees. They say rooms with history are “staff only,” so you can’t book them. I could’ve worked around the other problems, but the bar music was just disrespectful.

The room was roomy and clean, though a bit tired looking. It could use proper curtains and a fan, and there’s no air conditioning. Some noise at night, but nothing major. This quirky, historic hotel is right in downtown Juneau, which is a perfect location. There’s no lift, so getting suitcases up to the third floor takes some effort. I was disappointed the resident ghost didn’t show up.

What makes this place stand out is its history, its haunted reputation, and how unmistakably Alaska it feels. It opens straight onto downtown, which is part of why my wife and I booked it. We’re used to unusual places, but this one has no elevator, sits built into a hillside, has hallways that smell like a hundred years of cigarettes, no AC, and showers that leave a lot to be desired. It also costs more on average than some nearby places. This suits a very particular kind of traveler. It isn’t a “good” hotel, so if that’s what you’re after, go to the Ramada.

We asked for our money back and ended up sleeping at the airport. There were three of us, so we wanted three beds. We called ahead and were told we could get a queen, a sofa bed, and a roll-away. When we arrived at 9pm, there was no roll-away in the room. On our way back to the office we spotted one in the hallway, but the desk worker said none was available and didn’t believe us when we said we’d seen it. After we showed him, he said, “oh, that one has bed bugs.” Ew. Every floor had its own disgusting smell. There was karaoke going on during check-in, loud enough that we couldn’t hear anything at the desk. Later, a lovely bartender in Juneau told us the place was very haunted. DO NOT STAY HERE...EVER!