Best Western Kodiak Inn

The location is hard to beat, and there’s a huge taxidermy bear in the lobby. The Best Western Kodiak could be a great hotel, but my stay was undermined by serious maintenance and management problems. Many rooms open straight outdoors, like a Motel 6, and without air conditioning they can get very cold in winter and hot in summer. Alaska winters are cold, too. I got up early for a business meeting and found there was no hot water, so I had to leave without showering. I called the desk, and maintenance came quickly and confirmed the problem. I hoped to speak with the manager at checkout, but she wasn’t there. I called later, and at 9:30 a.m. she still hadn’t arrived. I left my number for a callback, then called again after hours with no response. By 3 p.m. the next day, I still hadn’t heard from her. The building smells of mold and mildew, and the rooms are worn and outdated. The place feels neglected. It’s disappointing to see a promising property decline under what seems like disengaged leadership. I can’t recommend staying here unless management changes or starts taking the job seriously.

The walk-in freezer for game or fish and the locked gear storage room are what really make this hotel worthwhile. I’ve stayed several times while passing through on hunts, most recently this spring. The rooms are cozy, the hot tub feels especially good after a week in the woods, and the continental breakfast is among the best I’ve had. The restaurant is good and conveniently close. Great hotel and people, thanks again!

Everything was good, from the rooms and facilities to breakfast. The trouble came on our flight morning: the scheduled airport shuttle never showed. The receptionist tried calling the driver twice and left it there. Our group would have missed the flight out of Kodiak if we hadn’t managed things ourselves.

The location was great, the rooms were clean, and we enjoyed the food and drinks.