Top of the World Hotel — Hotel in Utqiaġvik

Let me start by saying that this is probably a perfectly fine hotel for most people. Unfortunately, I had the worst hotel experience of my life here. I was visiting to work with two different clients, and those two clients made two reservations for me: two nights with one immediately followed by three nights by the other. I emailed the hotel ahead of time to make it clear that I would be staying five straight nights and would like to stay in the same room. They assured me this would be no problem. I talked with them about it when I checked in at the front desk as well. I came back to my hotel after two long days of work, and all my stuff was gone. They had bagged up everything I had left out in the room, and put it in storage. I called the front desk to get my stuff, and they were busy checking and other guests and didn’t quickly help me. I went down to the lobby, found some of my stuff, and started moving in to my second room. Over the next few hours and days I realized my shoes were missing, which I eventually got back, and white T-shirts of mine were apparently thrown into the laundry. I never got them back. Nobody ever seem to take this very seriously. A few nice people tried to help me find my clothes, but I never got a significant apology or action from management on this....

During my stay at Top of the World Hotel in Barrow, Alaska, the location alone makes it worth the visit. The view of the Arctic Ocean from the room window was incredible, and it’s just a few seconds' walk to the shoreline. The room was clean, and the help desk staff were friendly and helpful. While the hotel itself is decent, you won't have mobile network access in Barrow, so you'll need to use the hotel’s landline or connect your phone to WiFi for calls.

The only disappointment was the airport pickup. Despite being confirmed multiple times by the manager, no one came to pick us up at the airport on Saturday. After waiting for an hour, I had to use iPhone WiFi calling (Airport) to contact the hotel, only to be told no one was working on Saturdays except the help desk staff. She kindly gave me a taxi number, which was a lifesaver.

Sometimes, travel brings unexpected experiences like this. I recommend taking it in stride and enjoying the trip. A local cab ride in Barrow will take you on breathtaking routes that offer a unique perspective of this...

I stayed for a night this week.|The location is unbeatable- right by the beach and Whale Bone Arch. The views are spectacular on a sunny day. It's a 3 minute drive from the airport. The website says they have a complimentary airport shuttle however a few days before I arrived I got an email from the hotel saying the shuttle was only for tour guests and I should book a taxi to get there. .|Everywhere in town is within walking distance. |Check in was quick and the recpetionist was friendly.|My 1st floor room was big enough but was baking hot- just a little fan to cool it down and it wasn't working. The window was badly smashed too. They don't have blackout curtains which is bad when it doesn't get dark during the summer.|It was so hot and light that I didn't sleep well.|There is a small (very small) fitness room which is a nice touch. |Gift shop was rather poor.|On site restaurant is ok- closes at 8pm not 10pm as advertised though.|Whilst everything this far north is expensive, nigh on $300 a night for this place is ridiculous and...