Anchorage city
 

I've heard that the south part of the city is a little sketchy and should avoid staying over there. Is that true?

Found Al's Alaskan Inn there for $60/night. Really good rate but concerned about the above comment. Can anyone confirm it or disapprove it?

Thanks!

Not sure now. 2 hotels said to be in the bad neighbourhoods are on Gambell St and Eagle St, which is northern part of the town. So which neighbourhood should we avoid?

As a sweeping and potentially unfair generalization, I will simply say that "budget" accommodation in Anchorage is usually very mediocre at best, and often downright yukky.

Many of the cheaper motels are located in parts of town that are strip-mall/auto repair sorts of areas, or cater (at least outside the tourist season) to folks who need to stay for a while in someplace cheap where they can cook. These motels have realized (ta da) that Anchorage is increasingly flooded by tourists (cruise ships being the biggest culprit) and they can get higher rates for daily rentals than for weekly rentals.

Sadly, with one or two exceptions, even the top end of the hotel pyramid in Anchorage wouldn't score big in the lower 48, so you can imagine how the quality changes as you go down the list.

If there's anywhere I've been where spending more on accommodation, or staying at national "brands" is worth the extra cost, Anchorage has got to be it.

The good news, sort of, is that people are hitting Anchorage 3-stars on Priceline for good prices by Alaska standards. I would definitely try there first before forking over my money to Al (who'll be behind the bar on Karaoke night, every night.) See www.biddingfortravel.com for pointers and recent results.

Thanks. Probably I should try on priceline. Never used them before.

One last attempt before I do that. I've found the following:

SPENARD HOTEL MOTEL INN
3960 Spenard Rd.
Anchorage, AK 99517-3099

It has one review on tripadvisor with a score of 3 out 5. The nice thing is that it offers free shuttle to the airport.

Any comment?

I stayed at a SpringHill Suites in Anchorage. They also have an airport shuttle. It was a really nice hotel with breakfast included. Check their rates on the internet. Marriott offers low specials if you purchase in advance.

Spenard Rd. is one of those areas I mentioned.

If you're coming all the way to Alaska, why stay in some unattractive place with thin walls in a crummy neighborhood?

Thanks, Gardyloo. You saved me.

There are good hotels on Spenard Rd. towards the airport end namely, Holiday Inn Express, Millenium, Best Western Barrett Inn, and Courtyard by Marriott. Some Spenard Road hotels/motels are to be avoided, but you can safely bet on these I have named.

Bid on priceline and got Sheraton for $55 + tax/fee $10.77 -- really high tax/fee. I probably overbided as the previous poster claims $50 after 3 attempts. The surprise is that the hotel has no airport shuttle service and I have to shell out $20 for a taxi -- still cheaper than an extra day of car rental for $50.

Thanks, Gardyloo!

Forgot the say, Sheraton (3*) is located at 401 East 6th Ave, hopefully a good neighourhood.