Pike's Waterfront Lodge — Hotel in Alaska

This is a shame. The place has soooo much potential but they just miss the mark on a few things. Number one and the biggest issue is the food. One of the things we liked about the place and the reason we booked was the nice restaurant on site. They didn't bother to let anyone know that it had a large fire and wasn't open/useable for some time. So they tried a pop-up kitchen inside the lobby/bar area. Swing and a miss. For breakfast you get powdered eggs and either potatoes, corn beef & hash or sausage patties. You also have a waffle maker (with some nasty chicken nuggets) and cereal. No pastries, no fruit, no bacon. There was yogurt and english muffins as well. For dinner, they have a "limited menu" and it is all pre-made, boxed items that they either heat up in a microwave or drop into a deep fryer or so it would seem. Their salads did look fresh although we didn't have one. We got 2 entrees, an appetizer and a side of inedible/rubber mozz sticks for a total of 79.00. The "fish" is some processed bland crap that is dropped into a deep fryer. The wait staff tries hardish but they don't seem like they really ever have waited tables before. It appeared that they were employees of the restaurant/bar that burned and the owner is trying to keep them busy. While I can't be sure, I would assume that he had insurance and it should have covered "lost business" in the policy. However; there are pity signs on every table and countertop begging that you tip the staff since the restaurant burned. So we ended up getting a lyft or walking (long walk) to local restaurants and ended up paying 25.00 for transportation to go eat elsewhere. The food was that bad. Eating atmosphere could be improved. You have this big room with tables over-looking the river and snow yet they don't turn on the fireplace for ambiance??? Also, they need to have their staff meetings somewhere else. We tried to sit down and relax our first morning after a wild airline experience and they are having a staff meeting at one of the tables. We heard all of their issues and on top of that, one of them has their phone ringer set to WWII air-raid siren at the highest volume known to electronics. He got about 5 calls in 30 minutes. Everyone at the tables around us was laughing/annoyed at that dam phone. On the positive side: *Location. It is beautiful and peaceful even with the occasional airplane noise. *Rooms. We found out that the "best" room available on Expedia isn't the best room as they only release the bottom end rooms to 3rd party booking sites. Our first room was a box. Undersized and outdated. They like to call it rustic. The second room was cabin 12 right on the water with a little extra living space and it was so so much better. Only 2 cabins (1 & 12) have that extra living area. *Gift shop- Cute with the usual stuff. They sell frozen meals which may be the best food on site. A little pricey but convenient. *Shuttle service- perfect service. Fast and courteous. *Front Desk- Saved this from being a 1 star review. Super friendly and accommodating when it came to changing rooms.

In short, they have the right ingredients (except for the literal food ingredients) but they just aren't quite executing overall. They need to be able to listen to criticism and use it to improve. If they can't offer the things on their website (restaurant, amenities) then they need to take them off the website and be up-front about that with their guests that have...

The place had many amenities that we toured but didn't use they have an Aurora room that has a giant globe with where the Aurora borealis is at the moment. They had a sauna with aroma therapy. They had a dog park and an outdoor fire pit. We stayed in one of the Aurora viewing rooms which is misleading because you can't view the Aurora with all the floodlights that lights up the area. They also had a midnight sun area which was essentially a solarium. They have a gym and a place to print and use a computer. They also had a small theatre that has some movies.

The breakfast buffet was very hearty but got tiring after the 3rd day. The offerings didn't change all week. The had scrambled eggs, sausage, corned beef and hash, home fries, yogurt in individual servings as well as from a bowl, canned fruit, make your own waffles, cottage cheese, English muffins, cereal and oatmeal. Sure it's a long list but it didn't change at all the whole week we stayed there. The food at the stations were topped off regularly and never empty. The $1 ice cream isn't a good deal because the scoops are very small and you need 3 or 4 scoops to make a regular scoop in a regular ice cream shop.

The room was very hot even with the heat turned off which some may like especially in the winter time. The rooms don't have enough storage for clothes especially if you are packing for the winter. The rooms are also dated and small. There is a coffee maker, microwave and refrigerator in the room. Instead of a closet, you have a small armoire that can only handle 1/2 length jackets. The drawer in the armoire is useless because there is a safe in it and can't store anything other than a few pairs of socks. The dresser space is mostly taken by the refrigerator and microwave. The drawers are too small to hold anything other than socks, underwear or bras. We couldn't fit more than 1 pair of pants in the bigger drawers. We ended up keeping all our clothes in the luggage since there were no room for clothes. This made the already tight room tighter. The balcony is also tight and only has enough room for about 3 people to stand in.

Overall, the place is nice and it is close to the airport. The amenities can make up for the shortcomings in the room if you take advantage of them. They serve hearty breakfasts as long as you're ok with eating the same thing day in and day out. The staff was friendly and very helpful, especially the breakfast staff that showed people how to use the waffle station and the toaster. The staff kept everything clean including the ashtrays outside ( I don't think I saw more that a few butts in the ashtray at any...

Unfortunately, I was not impressed with Pike's Waterfront Lodge as soon as I walked through the door. I go to check-in, and they are unable to find my reservation. I booked a dog-friendly room for my husband, myself, and my dog. After a few different searches and name changes, they can find my reservation. Also, while checking in, a man (who the front desk tells me is the owner) begins to scream from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor at another coworker in front of everyone. Classy. I then have a second "run in" with the owner as we are getting onto the elevator; he is getting off the elevator. He looks at my husband and I and then at my dog. He says in a very harsh tone, "You know that dogs are not allowed on any floor by the 1st." I answer with, "Your front desk booked us a room on the 3rd floor." He rolls his eyes, huffs, and states, "Yeah, but that is not allowed. Those are not dog-friendly rooms." I ask, "Okay, well, what would you like us to do? Re-check in?" He again rolls his eyes, does not answer me, and lets the elevator door shut.

We go back down to the front desk and ask if it was a mistake to be booked in this room on the 3rd floor. The front desk clerk says that it was and books us a different room with two queen beds when we specifically booked a single king-size bed (we paid for a king-size bed).

The "dog park" was an absolute mess. There were dog feces everywhere within the gated "park," and wherever you stepped, or your dog stepped, it was in feces. It looked as if the dog's feces has not been cleaned or picked up in months. Four different people walk by and talked to us and describe that they have stayed here multiple times, and this is the worse they have seen the "dog park," and they will not bring their dog into the "park". They said they took their dogs by the trail and cleaned up after their dog so they would not have to use the uncleaned "dog park." It was unsanitary, and we removed our dog from there immediately. The air conditioner in the room was "turned off" due to it being May. It was hot in the room overnight and during the day. We were unable to sleep due to the temperature in the room, and our dog was miserable. Yes, there was a floor fan in the room, but it circulated the warm, hot air.

The day we left, the "free breakfast" was one biscuit or one bowl of cereal. You were able to choose one yogurt, one orange juice, one coffee, or one snack cake to go. They had a worker monitoring what you took, and they had to hand you items so you would not take multiple. It was not the remarkable breakfast that was raved about.

We only stayed one night. But, we will not be...