Van Gilder Hotel

The location is great for walking around Seward, and it was fine for a night, I guess. I wanted to like the hotel, with its old, funky charm, but it seems to have lost that charm and is now falling apart. Some furniture was broken, the curtains weren’t adequate, and there was no hot water. Some room windows are boarded up, and I couldn’t find any staff.

The smell of mold and mildew was strong in both our room and the common areas, and the whole place needs repairs and a thorough cleaning. It looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 1980s. When we raised our concerns at the front desk, they only said cancellations needed 24 hours’ notice. Nobody tried to deal with the problems. I strongly recommend staying somewhere else.

The front desk woman was very nice and apologetic, but the online pictures didn’t show the place as it is now, and the parking felt sketchy. We booked at the last minute online. If you have allergies, I don’t recommend staying here. We only stayed long enough to shower before our allergies went nuts, so that was $250 for a shower. I had a cold shower in our private bathroom. My husband used the shower across the hall, which had hot water, but the space was extremely small. If you’re after a very historic place and everything that comes with that, this may suit you. For a clean, comfy stay, go elsewhere.

I walked out and found somewhere else to stay. This was by far the worst experience of my Alaska trip, and I strongly recommend avoiding the Van Gilder Motel. At check-in, the clerk said the room was ready and unlocked. Opening the door, I was hit with a strong smell of feces. I put my bag on the bed, called my friend in to make sure I wasn’t imagining it, then went back to the desk. The staff member offered a “refresh.” I watched her return to the room and just spray Lysol in the air. That was all. I told her it was unacceptable and wouldn’t fix the problem. She said the motel was fully booked and had no other room, and she couldn’t promise a refund for canceling that day. I said I wasn’t canceling, I was refusing the room. It was nasty and uninhabitable. The smell wasn’t the only issue: the room was run-down, the beds sagged badly in the middle, and everything felt dirty, dated, and neglected. The place needs a full renovation.