Sportsman's Cove Lodge — Hotel in Ketchikan

The O'neil Group, a private equity company, purchased the lodge in late 2022. Now in their second season, they are still trying to figure out what the hospitality industry is all about. | From the beginning, when their salesman was hawking new business at a sportsman's show, entered into a verbal contract for an all inclusive deal that was rescinded promptly after he was fired, the fun began.| We missed our first night at the lodge because of weather. We were called about 8AM with the news that the float plane company wouldn't fly and the lodge said the water was too rough to come get us by boat in Ketchikan. With ever changing weather conditions, why was the only call made early in the morning? Couldn't we have been updated later or flown out with a break in the weather? We had to wonder how the outgoing group made it to Ketchikan to catch their flights home. (The float plane company was fired a couple of weeks later.)| The food was ample in quantity but was never served hot. Traditional breakfast was offered in chafers, with neither a hot water bath below the food pan nor a burning sterno to keep it hot. Dinner entrees were tepid, as butter tried to melt on the mashed potatoes. The much heralded crab boil served on the first night of arrival did not happen and meatloaf was served instead. With a few weeks left in the season, the website still notes "2025 menu coming soon".| We must have paid for the 'economy package' which included a twin bed to sleep on, twin XL that is, adding another 5 inches. Children sleep well on twins so why not give grown men a full sized bed and a chair in the room. | Cod fishing was great, rock fishing okay and salmon less good. Cod was so abundant the first day that we ran out of bait and also room in the bin to add more fish. Captain radioed the managing partner to bring more of both but neither showed up. The deckhand worked expeditiously to make room in the bin by filleting the cod, but even after filleting more than a five gallon bucket full, there still was no room. I believe we called it a day early.| I paid the GAF fee for a 66 pound hailbut. When I opened my fish styro at home, I was expecting to find nice big whole chunks to cut steaks out of. The lodge took no extra care in doing that and I received small 4 to 6 oz pieces, extremely disappointing. I know we didn't receive the full amount of halibut we caught and we did not receive either of the two yelloweye we caught.| I really wanted to give the lodge a chance to explain why things went awry, rather than just reviewing them this way. I emailed and then did have a phone conversation with the managing partner. To my surprise, he was dispassionate and seemed unconcerned with my questions. At one point I even asked him if he would like to continue this one-sided conversation and said he was busy writing. Management in general exhibited the same qualities.| There are many other lodges that have current reviews to help you make a better choice on where to...

If you're looking for a corporate retreat that combines team-building with just enough adventure to keep everyone awake—Sportsman's Cove Lodge in Ketchikan is your spot. Forget dull conference rooms at an Arizona resort; try bonding over a crab boil dinner or making your own brown bag lunch like a camp kid. The whole thing felt like a corporate trust fall, except with more salmon and fewer awkward hugs.||First off, getting there? You’re not just flying in—you’re floating in. Float plane travel was the kind of “adventurous” that makes you question whether your life insurance is up to date, but also makes you feel like you’re in a Nat Geo special.||Once we landed, the view was so majestic that we all forgot about our email inboxes for a solid 30 minutes. The lodge is remote, beautiful, and peaceful. The rooms? Simple but comfy—and clean enough to make you think they've got a secret cleaning squad on standby.||The fishing! Captain Donnie and Nicole were practically fish whisperers, guiding us through the Alaskan waters with the kind of patience you’d need to deal with a boatload of engineers. Big props to Jenny for handling the logistics. No detail was missed. ||Watching the dock team clean fish was mesmerizing—like a high-stakes sushi showdown, but with way more guts and glory.||Food-wise, the crab boil was legendary, and the DIY sandwich tradition? It's like they knew we all secretly miss elementary school field trips. And the dining staff made you feel like family.||Final perk: whales and eagles. Like, right there. It’s basically Mother Nature saying, “Welcome to Alaska, now go catch some fish and bond with your teammates."||All in all, if your team survives a float plane, fishing, and crab boils together, they can survive anything. Would definitely recommend for...

Land in front of lodge by floatplane. Greeted immediately by staff and bags taken to room. Appetizers and cold drinks in lodge and meeting our group of 6 along with our guide George. We ate all meals and fished with the same group all 4 days. Staff are trained well and numerous. Noticed leaving first day of fishing a dock hand neatly wrapped all ropes of our boat back in a perfect circle. Attention to detail. ||Breakfast daily 6 am, boat leaves 6:30 am Before breakfast made our own deli sandwiches at self serve table that also had numerous sides in small containers which we took on boat for lunch. Took maybe 5 minutes. Plenty of soft drinks on boat and they asked what brew we wanted and had it at a cost. ||Captain George and deckhand Blaize were great. Detailed and kept a clean boat. Fishing for 8 hours per day!! Wore me out! That great sore feeling. ||Breakfast great each morning. Dinners were good. Plenty to eat. Met great people!!!||ALL staff are well trained and easily found. They provide all boots and fishing gear. ||Last but not least the stunning beauty you will see daily fishing is spectacular. Snow capped mountains, sea lions, whales, bald eagles and fish brought up from depths up to 300 feet. Rooms were well equipped but a little dated but this is a fishing lodge! Great view from the room!||The Captain encouraged us but that is what I wanted. The smooth operation they have made it most enjoyable. ||We traveled a long way and definitely chose the best lodge in...