Geckolips

I read a review on another site that someone had just returned from the Alyeska Prince hotel and it was terrible. They said it had gone drastically downhill since their previous visit several years back. Has anyone else stayed there lately and been disappointed?
We have reservations for 1 day next week.

fredluecker

Dear Geckolips,

My name is Fred Luecker and I am the Director of Rooms at Alyeska Resort. I have attached my response to the letter published in Frommer's. I hope it helps clarify the service issues that were brought up. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further comments or questions.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to write me concerning your recent stay at our hotel. I was sorry to read that your stay was less than satisfactory.

Although the importance of the matters stated in your letter are disturbing please rest assured that we are taking steps in which to remedy the situation. I am happy to say that a after many man hours and a hefty sum of money our new wireless system will hopefully be online this week. It was unfortunate that it was not available during your stay however, as things of this nature go, we sometimes cannot predict obstacles we will encounter until the work is in progress. As far as the “air conditioning” in the hotel, this is a uniquely Alaskan issue. Many of the hotels in the state were not built with air conditioning units as there are only a few weeks out of the year that they are needed. Although we do offer a “cooling system” it is not the typical forced air conditioning you find in the lower 48. We do find that most guests are comfortable with their windows propped open and a small fan when needed as our average night temperature ranges between 50-60 degrees.

As far as the pool and fitness area it is unfortunate that we needed to close the pool for half a day during your stay. As maintenance problems arise we pride ourselves on addressing them especially when the safety of our guests is at risk. Although we look at our occupancy and choose days with lower numbers in order to inconvenience as few guests as possible it is never a good day to close the pool.

After consulting with our management staff regarding your letter, I was informed that none of these problems were brought to our attention during your stay. Given the fact that a hotel operation can consist of several hundred employees, there is a margin for "human error". While mistakes can occur in any hotel, what sets a good hotel apart is the manner in which it reacts to those mistakes. Unfortunately, we were unable to improve your situation as we were not given that opportunity, having been unaware of your displeasure until we received your letter.

Fred Luecker
Director of Rooms
Alyeska Resort, Alyeska Prince Hotel
Office (907) 754-2110
Fax (907) 754-2200
[email protected]
www.alyeskaresort.com

BayouGal

Is anyone else confused?!?!

stcolt

Not at all. The messasge was primarily management arrogance saying all problems were explainable and the customer just needed to accept that.

mingum

Sorry, but a guest has an obligation to complain while on property, not after they leave and then ask for compensation. It isn't fair to the hotel to not have the opportunity to fix or make up for the problem while the guest is there and the complaints might have a remedy.

lcuy

I agree. They should have complained while there.

Although it must have been frustrating, the wireless being out and the pool being shut for 1/2 day seem like just unfortunate timing to me.

The missing AC issue comes up often in locations where AC is not normally used..Portland, San Francisco, even condos in Hawaii come to mind. Of course, if you hit one of the 7 days a year where you'd need AC, that is of little comfort!

MrAmazed

I wonder if Mr. Luecker felt silly writing "Dear Geckolips".

lcuy

ps- I'm not defending the hotel- have never stayed there. It just doesn't sound like these issues alone make for a "drastically downhill" assessment.

elkedog

I stayed at the ALyeska Prince and it was average at best. The rooms were hot, dark, and small and there was a strange "smell" coming from under the bed. The housekeeping staff was unable to understand my concerns and nothing was done to fix the "smell". The staff was unkept and unattentive, I saw a staff member with dreadlocks and a long beard, he also smelled bad. The seven glaciers restaurant was nice but could not pull out a win for this dump. The wood walls were beat up and cheap. I paid over 225+ a night and it was not worth it especially when Anchorage is only 30 minutes away. There is also nothing to do here, there is the tram and walking around but that it. Stay in downtown Anchorage where there is plenty to do and see. You can also rent a car there and drive anywhere in the state.

repete

Anywhere in the state? Like Nome? Kodiak? Juneau? Ketchikan? Bethel? . . .

elkedog

What kind of reply is that? How many tourists go to Bethel? Huh. Most go From Seward, Anchorage to Denali and back to Anchorage

Geckolips

The Prince is STILL a Prince in our book! We just got back and we had a lovely time at the Alyeska Prince. Our room was on the 5th floor with a nice view of the tram and the mountain. The room was spacious, with gorgeous dark molding and heavy louvered doors to the dressing area and closet doors. The linens were very luxurious and the big fluffy duvet and a beautiful white on white cover. The carpet, upholstered chairs, etc. were all first quality. The windows did have screens and there is an air circulating system that provided fresh air. In fact, I was a little cool with it on and so called the front desk to ask how to turn it off. Within minutes an environmental engineer called and told us what the temp was registering on the computer for our room. He said he would be happy to turn the air flow off if we wanted him to. We said yes, please do so. He called back in a half an hour and asked if it was better. We said yes. He said to feel free to call him any time if we wanted it back on. It was perfect and we appreciated his kind and helpful attitude. Every staff member we encounted was polite, helpful and friendly....much more than at the Hawthorn Suites by the way! The flowers inside and outside of the hotel were gorgeous!! The fireplaces had a crackling fire and guests were relaxing in the quiet public areas. We enjoyed the tram ride through the clouds and the view from the ski area. The lunch was good and not overpriced for the location. We have stayed at 4 and 5 star places in the past and feel the Alyeska Prince lived up to its 4 star rating. We would be happy to stay there again and to recommend it highly.

repete

All the more reason to think that elkedog is wearing a troll suit. With a sum total of three threads posted to, Elkedog hypes the Hotel Captain Cook or its restaurant or bashes its major competitior in the high-end hotel market (the Prince).

That's not to say some folks haven't had great experiences at the Prince (or the Cook), but the post pattern is a little suspicious.

Geckolips

I don't understand it, we must not have stayed in the same place as elkedog. We had nice wall paper on our walls, not wood. All the staff were clean cut and friendly. I probably would not want to stay more than a day or two due to no much to do in the area unless I was there in the winter to ski, but for our purposes of a night in a mountain setting with a touch of class and spectaular views, we really enjoyed the Alyeska Prince and find no fault with it. It isn't the Bellagio in Las Vegas, but then that is a different story, price and environment...

Binthair

Nothing to do? We had a terrific week during our stay in Girdwood. There is some good dining nearby, in particular Double Muskie. DO rent a bike at the shop in Girdwood and take the vastly underutilized paved bike trail toward Anchorage along Turnagain Arm...It is a spectacular ride; maybe you wll even catch a bore tide. Day trips including some awesome hikes, further south to Exit Glacier, Portage Glacier, etc. are much closer form Girdwood than Anchorage.

elkedog

I'm just reporting on my stay in Anchorage and Girdwood, I don't have any agenda, just what I experienced REPETE. What is suspicious is your 491 other postings. What makes you the expert, also you must not do anything, because I don't know anyone with the time for that many "suggestions"

Geckolips

Binthair - Well said!! What was I thnking? It is a lovely area and very convenient to all you mentioned.

CPTkeller

My stay at the Prince wasn't so great either, the service was slow and unpredictable. The area was put in a nice setting with its beautiful trees and flowers. Its just not worth the price. I called ahead and was quoted $275 a night for a deluxe room which was not even close. I had a room that was way to hot (they don't have A/C or an air system) with a window that was 2X2. 7 Glaciers was very nice, but the Cafe was horrible. I also noticed that the wood in the lobby area was worn down. As to calling it a resort their spa facilities were non-existent. I called for a massage and they said they could send a man to my room, I asked for someone else and was told he was the therapist that works there. Okay hotel for one night, but no more.