Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge — Hotel in Alaska

Hello fellow Tripers! Been a while since my last Review and I really dont give them unless I feel really strongly about it, no matter if its good or bad. || I wanted to give this a little time before I wrote (2 weeks) because I was waiting to see if I heard anything further regarding the appallinly BAD service that we recieved from this establishment. We did not hear from the agency or the lodge and at this point I dont care to, so here it goes. || The lodge itself is nice and clean for the area. Our room was an Executive Suite which probebly thier best room category. It was comfortable so the room itself I would give it a B + , oh and the elderly driver of the shuttle was so sweet and HE gets an A+.. however that's where the compliments stop..|| Firstly this Lodge is massive with many rooms in different buildings and it mainly caters to bus loads of tourists from Cruise ships and other tours so you have to keep that in mind.. Its a bit touristy so if that's not your thing, be advised. Frankly its not my thing either but I didint know better. || My Husband and I came here as part of an itenary from a high end Custom tour agency who does adventure tours to Alaska and other places. It's expensive but up untill this stay it was well worth it. I did this trip for my husband as an early Birthday gift. || We checked in to Talkeetna lodge and that first night we had Dinner in thier more spendy restaurant the Foraker,, it says its fine dining? At least the people working THAT place were nice but it took over an hour to get our food and the place was half empty. How long does it take to cook fish? Perhaps they went fishing for it? The food was not what I would call Fine Dinning, just so so, my Halibut was kinda cold like it had been sitting there waiting for attention and the crab legs were a little over done, plus it was well over 200 bucks for just the two of us. || The bigger problem happend the next morning when my Husband went to have breakfast at the Base Camp Bistro. He went alone as I was not feeling well and when I learned what happend, I wish I had been there. || Breakfast was indeed included with our stay but I guess some of the staff did not get the memo, . Our first night there we even double checked with the staff at the front desk and we asked if we needed Vouchers, they said "No, you just give them your room number " So that's what my hubby did the next AM. || He was sitting and having his breakfast and while he was there a server, lets just call her "CRS" came up to his table, she sharply pointed out that his breakfast is NOT included. She became argumentative with him when he told her it WAS included and that we confirmed this with the Front Desk.. She supposedly went over and checked with the Front and comes charging back to his table saying the Front desk said our breakfast was NOT included and that he was going to "Pay for that breakfast and she's bring over a card reader" || My husband is a very laid back guy so it takes a lot to get him angry, but he was upset at this point as anybody would be being put on the spot and litterally being scolded in public. He even told her " Look I have money, I can pay for this breakfast but that's not the point, but i'm going to go to the Front desk myself and see what the issue is" He was talking loud in attenpts to just be heard, but not cussing or saying anything other then to defend himself from this woman who in my opionion has no buisness working in Hospitality! She then ordered my husband to " Get out of her restaurant" || My husband went to the front desk and asked for a manager, the only one there was a desk manager who's name started with an "A" Note: I know these peoples name but I dont believe in using them on the web, even if they deserve it. So at this point my husband is beyond embarrased and he tried to explained his side of the story. Now at one point the Base camp manager comes rushing out and tells my husband not to " Talk to his staff that way ECT.". We can only assume Miss CRS complained to her boss that she was being "Yelled at" or God knows what she told him! At this point its my Husband's word against this Server who thought she owned the place.. || Bottem line was THIS should have NEVER happend.. When I found out about it I was mortified.. We travel all over the world and never have had something so odd over something so petty as a lousy 24.00 breakfast happen before. || I have to say Miss A at the front desk just didint make up for the BIG Mistake of not putting us on "THE LIST" for breakfast, and her apoligy was just a bit insincere. She did offer to send me up some breakfast, which was nice but the damage was done. Also she kept on saying in a curt tone " She could see both sides" and "This matter has been resolved" As if THAT was going to make us feel better?|| Well, I disagree! || Had I been there, I would have shown this beyond RUDE and impatient server our itinerary on my phone, I would have pointed out in black and white where it says " Breakfast included" in BIG letters! Oh and yes, I did contact our tour agency and reported the matter. || Now I DID ask Miss A that I wanted to speak with the lodges general manager ASAP.. Next day rolled around,, needless to say my husband did not want to go for our "Included breakfast" so we took the shuttle into town. I asked who the manager was and confirmed he was indeed on duty. We waited to hear from him.. nothing.. not till my husband was in the parking lot later that day and saw his name tag and then was able to tell him what actually took place the day before. || The Hotel Manager did confirmed there was a slip up with the front desk not getting the memo to Base Camp ECT.. He invited my Husband and I to enjoy our included breakfast the next day (our last day) which we did and lucky for US, Miss CRS was not there, but I must say it took some convincing to get my Husband back in there. I cant blame him really, but I have to say as the person who planned this trip I was determined to make sure we didint have a repete situation. Well, we gave the guy at Base camp our room number and wouldnt you know, he could NOT find it,, but unlike CRS, he calmly and proffessionally double checked and confirmed our room number should have been listed there and showed us to our table. I remember saying to him " OH no, not again?" || If only CRS had bothered find out about my husbands breakfast privillages BEFORE he sat down and had his breakfast instead of humiliating him in public right in the middle of his meal!|| Upon check out Miss A was at the front Desk and curtly said " Ok you're all set" and that was all she said to me, Gee, no||" How was your stay?" Sorry about what happend, hope you give us another chance" NOPE.. just again very curt. || Keep in mind I had never met her in person, only talked to her on the phone when I called feeling lousy from my hotel room to get to the bottom of the fiasco at Base camp, so I'm not even sure she knew who I was. My hubby waiting outside as he was pretty much done. || So the take away is this.. Lodges of this massive size cater to large amounts of tourists from all over the world. Some of thier employees assume these tourists are all on a ONCE in a lifetime trip to Alaska, never to be seen on thier property ever again.. so why care? Why go that extra mile to provide excellent service and just be NICE instead of Snotty? Well, we do plan on visiting Alaska again, we loved it, except for this place! || I just personally feel if these people are going to be in the Hospitality biz, they should start behaving a little more "...

2-Star Hotel at 5-Star Prices -- Rooms are very basic and poorly planned. Great view of Denali from the hillside location of the lodge. Would not eat at restaurant again but rather go into town. Price is WAY too high for what you get.

The Experience: My wife and I researched the Lodge online prior to our honeymoon and per the reviews decided to get the Denali view room for a three night stay... $350/night The staff was very friendly to greet us and checking-in was painless. However, there was no elevator to go up to our room though it was offered to have someone carry our bags. No valet. No complimentary waters. No room service. No welcome binder/magazine for amenities. No instructions regarding radiant heated floors. The room was VERY BASIC (mind you we upgraded to the North facing room on the 3rd floor). I was only impressed by the radiant heated floors. Otherwise: Bed was average... Furnishings dated and basic... small vanity... Mini-Fridge just sitting in the corner of the room and not tucked away... Old fabric couch of questionable cleanliness... And above all, the SHOWER ROD was so low it was a constant head banging risk (see photo as I am only 6'1")! The views were epic when you can see the mountain (only 30% of the time is there a clear view to the mountain top), but I wouldn't pay the extra fee as you can just go outside and get the same views and the bed doesn't face the mountain at all so you can't really wake up to the views (again, poor planning). Dining is a disappointment. Clearly frozen foods thawed which you might argue is the way to do it for Alaska... however, in town WILDFLOWER and MOUNTAIN HIGH PIZZA and ROADHOUSE were all amazing!!! Do NOT waste your time with the restaurant. Also... stop by Cubby's on the way in to grab a bottle of wine or stop by Denali Brewery to get your beer/mead of choice prior to settling in so you don't have to pay the "Lodge" price for beer/wine.

Overall, this Lodge appears to be servicing tour groups brought in by bus/train. We were asked multiple times what train we were on and what group we were with when we drove ourselves. This is not much more than a pit stop for most and would treat this as such as opposed to an extended stay (which we did). Recommend Mat-Su Resort in Wasilla or Alyeska Resort in Alyeska for...

We stayed at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge through an ABD Alaskan tour. The best way I can describe this place is as a very clean Motel 6 with beautiful surroundings. The rooms have no A/C and are stuffy despite fans. The in-room furnishings are all cheap wood and Formica, circa 1990, which was very unexpected given the hype. However, it was clean, and despite the heat, the beds and pillows were comfortable.||The worst aspect was the customer service in the restaurant. The female Indian hostess at Base Camp Bistro provided possible the worst customer service I have ever experienced. She immediately asked us to sit in the lobby or at the bar to "help the servers." Readers, there were over a dozen empty tables in the restaurant, with most guests being seated in the lobby or at the high bar tables. We declined and asked to sit in the restaurant. She then was obviously annoyed with us, and gestured to a table immediately behind the hostess stand. Again, we asked to be sat further back in the restaurant where there were many many empty tables. At this point, a kind waiter intervened and directed us to a better table. The hostess told us our breakfast vouchers were only good for the buffet (which was not true), and the buffet had not been replenished at 8am, with most of the dishes only 15-25% full. The waitstaff were lovely, but this hostess should be retrained or fired. Others in our tour group also remarked at how poorly they were treated by her, with one couple describing an argument with her for trying to order off the menu after the restaurant manager had told them it was fine to do so. This couple was so shocked at the hostess' aggressive reaction that they just ignored her after that.||So, to sum it all up, this hotel is really the only game in town so a lot of their custom comes from tour groups or folks that just want the best option in the area. The lobby is nice, with a general "lodge" feel, but the rooms are cheap, un-themed and shabby. It's clean, but that's the highest recommendation i can give. For the price, I...