I'm looking for a reasonably-priced ($150 or less) hotel very close to the Anchorage airport, and having trouble wading through all the listings.

My flight arrives at 1am, so I'm thinking that B&Bs won't work -- a hotel that staffs the front desk all night would be best. Any ideas? Clean, relatively modern, ... and I'll only be there for one night, so I'm not looking for fancy. Thank you!

The most important variable is, what date? If it's high season, this might be tough. If not, it will be easy. Give us your dates and we can help.

There is a Courtyard by Marriott that is near the airport.

Check out the Ramada Anchorage Downtown <http://www.alaskaramada.com/>. They do have an airport shuttle. I think this place may meet your criteria. However, your dates are critical to getting your price of under $150.

The cheapest we could find with a shuttle for that hour was Ramada Inn on Muldoon. Their shuttle driver had a degree in something to do with tourism and took us on a tour around Anchorage in the wee hours of the morning. It was a blast! We were her only passengers, and she could not have been a better tour guide. BTW, it was still twilight so we could see a lot.

peak season! Arriving early July. I found some great rates on expedia, of all places, in the $132 range.

It does depend on when you are going, but there is a Holiday Inn Express near the airport. Someone else mentioned the Courtyard by Marriott and there is a Fairfield Inn which is in midtown, but they have a shuttle. I think the Hampton Inn AAA rate is about $159, but that is May. Again, it's all about when you go. High season starts around May 15 or so.

There is a Microtel near the airport, and a Super 8, although good only for an overnight then out. Nothing in the area.

We had a similar situation several years ago when three of us flew to Anchorage. Our flight landed after 10 PM and we planned on getting up early the next morning to drive to Seward. All of the hotels and motels had costs of $175 or more. I found a true bargain by booking the three of us into a private room at the Spenard Hostel International.

The cost is now $21 per night per person. We paid for four people so that we could have one of the rooms with four beds. They were bunk beds, but they had gorgeous hand-made quilts.

The hostel is near the airport, open 24 hours per day, incredibly clean, free parking, near the bus stops, and a real bargain.

We did feel a little bit out of place (especially since I had Louis Vuitton luggage and we had flown first class) but the staff was very polite and helpful.

The bathrooms are shared but they are pristine. You do have to pay extra for a towel; I think it was $0.25 per towel; I know it was less than $1.00.

They have two kitchen facilities with free coffee.

The website is www.alaskahostel.org

It was perfect for our short-term stay.

I think the answers you are looking for is at The Airport Hotel Guru website:

http://airporthotelguru.com/2008/01/26/anchorage-anc/

I stayed at the Microtel after that site rated it as the best value but if you are able to go up to $150 you might want to stay at the Courtyard, which is supposedly the best. I can tell you that the Microtel was a very solid, clean hotel, perfect for catching that early morning flight.

Sportychick went last July (2007). Old thread!

Ah, but very timely for me! We (3 couples total) will be arriving in Anchorage on May 15 around 11pm, and will be in the same situation.

I have "safety" rooms at the Hilton for $119/night, and was hoping to get something on Priceline closer to our departure.

By the way, for those who may be on the same travel track -- I just obtained 3 rooms in Anchorage on May 15 for $37 a night per room. It was Microtel, right next to the airport. For us, arriving late and leaving early in the morning, it was perfect.