High Praise for Puffin

Booked twin deluxe with microwave, frig & a/c at a good peak season rate compared with downtown. It was better than hoped for, very quiet, even adjacent to the carpark and was immaculately cleaned every day. A short taxi ride to downtown and attractions etc pick up from this hotel, plus right next to a Subway and gas station for incidentals. Friendly, helpful, LOCAL staff, efficient check-in/out and airport pickup (except we were in the wrong place so had to wait for them to come back). We left the Puffin to join a tour from the Marriott Anchorage where the room, service, amenities were equal, but not the price! Umpteen hotels after five weeks touring Alaska, Vancouver, the Rockies and San Francisco, The Puffin was second only to the Marriott Residence Inn, Vancouver, but a lot cheaper, but value for dollar the Puffin would rate as the best! Can't praise the staff and the Puffin enough.

Never again

We found a last minute "deal" at the Puffin Inn in Anchorage the weekend before school started so we decided to go do some shopping. We were offered an economy room for $99.99. When we got to the hotel the lobby was nice, updated and clean so we thought we might have found a nice place to stay for an affordable price. Then we went to our room, which was in the old part of the hotel. Our room was terrible. Two double beds (we had been told upon reserving we would have two queens) were crammed into a tiny room, there was no room for any sort of bedside table. There were two wall lamps that looked about ready to fall off the wall above the beds. We had to climb across one of the beds to shut the windows, which we had to pull the screens out of first to be able to shut the windows at all. There was a rundown desk under a small TV mounted on the wall a few feet from the foot of the beds, and there was a mirror someone had done a terrible job of painting purple hanging next to the bathroom door. The bathroom was in amazingly good shape, considering it looked to have been installed in possibly the 1960's, but the faucet in the tub dripped constantly, and the toilet ran as well. When we went back to the lobby and asked for another room we were told all that was available was a suite which would cost an additional $170 for the night. Needless to say I would never recommend the Puffin Inn to anyone.

Puffin Inn-go somewhere else!

I had a reservation at the Puffin Inn as it's high season in Alaska and all the hotels are booked at premium prices. The Puffin Inn is near the airport but it took them 45 minutes to come get me. I really think somebody forgot to tell the driver I was waiting. The lobby looks nice, but after plowing through an unnecessarily long check in process I was told my room was in another building called the Chandler Inn two doors down. My key wouldn't open the front door, so I went around to the back where another guest was also entering. I lugged my suitcase, briefcase and backpack up 3 flights of narrow stairs (no elevator). My room was worn but looked clean. Unfortunately is was also about 95*F. I opened all 3 small windows which let in little more than all the traffic noise from busy Spenard Road below. I ended up saying "no thanks" to the room and returned to the airport to wait 5 hours for my next flight.

A must stay

The Puffin Inn was a very pleasant stay with some fine Alaskan art.

The rooms were new and clean and Conveniently located near. the airport.

The huge fireplace in the main lobby underscores it's Alaskan decore.

Richard and Dorene Eckman

Not as bad as the reviews indicate

We were originally booked in the economy section of the hotel. It was clean and would have been fine for a quick overnight, but since were were going to be there a couple of days, we went back to the front desk to see what we could do. The front desk staff was very nice and upgraded us to the Deluxe section, which is just like what you see in the photos! It was comfortable and spacious. The best part was the staff, who were pleasant and courteous and willing to chat to us newcomers. We found a place to stay and are now living in Alaska and we love it!

Much nicer than most people give credit for.

I made my reservations at the Puffin Inn before I came across all these Reviews. However, I knew the Manager who just took over late in 2003 from another Property and told him what I had just read. He assured me it would not be like what I have read.

When I arrived to the hotel, just like everyone who sees the Lobby, I loved it. and I thought to myself. Boy this sure is nice. Well since I was a repeat customer from his last hotel, the Manager gave me a free upgrade in the main building. I was so amazed at how nice it was. I would compare this room to a Hampton Inn, or the like. Very large and clean.

I then asked the Manager if I could see the other rooms. There were two other sections to this hotel. Both sections were older and had outside entrances. One section they called the Moderate rooms were smaller then the new building, but I still thought they were clean. They had all the same things as the new building, just a little smaller and a little older, but still comfortable.

The so called Economy section was just about what I read about. Very very small rooms. Cheaper rooms, but still smaller. I like room space, so I would not stay in a Economy room. But they appeared clean to me.

I stayed at the last property this Manager had which was a older motel, and from my stays there, I always got good service and found him to really care about what product he tries to deliver. Give him some time and I am sure you will see better reviews from here on out and into the future.

I truly belive a motel/hotel is only as good as the Mangement. I am happy with this one, and I know they will always try their best to take care of me, so I will continue to support them.

Would not recommend

We choose this hotel when moving up to Alaska based on pictures and how everything sounded. When we arrived the room they had given us was so small the door hit the back wall when I opened it. It was definately not what we had reserved. They said there was a problem with the reservation, and that there were no rooms in the hotel that matched what we had requested. So rather than taking care of that when we checked in, and sending us to right style room, they sent us to a room on the complete opposite side of the hotel, and it wasn't until we returned to front desk that they told us there was a problem with the reservation, and they'd get us a new room.

Noises in the hotel do carry into the rooms a great deal.

Upon checking out the room rate was incorrect, and it was an annoying hassle to get corrected, in addition they tried to charge extra days on our stay despite the reservation agreement we had, and they refused to cooperate on that until the lodging manager on Elmendorf threatened to blacklist them from base listings and referrals.

The entire experience was very tedious, and cumbersome, and there's no chance that I would ever repeat this incident. This was the worst hotel stay I've ever had.

Do yourself a favor and find another hotel in anchorage.

Worst hotel stay ever!!!

I can't believe a hotel can be that bad! Room was very small and carpet was filthy. Paid $92.00 for the off-season! Staff was very rude (except for the guy that drove the shuttle from the airport to the hotel). And if that's not bad enough, it was the noisiest hotel room I have ever had. You could hear every thing that went on in the hotel...people talking and doors slamming everywhere. I wouldn't stay there again if they paid me! I complained to the staff onsite and was told I would have to talk to the manager who was conveniently not there. I emailed them when I returned home and only got a token apology along with a lot of excuses about why it was such a bad experience. I think the only reason I got that was because I told them I was going to review them on the web for travel sites. ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLY EXPERIENCE!

Really nasty lobby picture is not the reality!

This hotel was not all all what it appeared to be from the nice lobby picture. I wish I'd seen the previous review before we reserved this.

We paid $100 for this room. First when we were picked up by the shuttle from the airport the van was really old and dirty, the lobby when we arrived to check in was nice so I thought it would be okay.

Unfortunately our room was in the building next door. It was like one of those scenes from a horror movie. The room was the smallest I've seen, it was dirty and smelly, the bed had an old old mattress and the blankets and sheets just felt gross and unclean. Our room was right next to a busy street so we could hear loud traffic all night, and people talking as well with the thin walls. It was something you'd pay maybe $25 for in most places. If you are flying in late and only are spending a few hours there it might be worth saving the money you'll spend at most hotels in Anchorage but probably not. I would definitely not stay there again.

Terrible Experience in my Lifetime

It was a extremely terrible experience! The room was so dirty and small. And it was so uncomfortable.

We have booked a room with 2 Queen Beds which would fit 4 people.

However, those 2 beds were so close together we actually felt like all 4 of us sleeping on the same bed. The room condition is very dirty both in bathroom (include bathtub, florrs) and the bed. And the bed had bugs. We felt itchy and found bite marks on our bodies after sleeping on the bed. It was horrible. And only 1 of us can do unpacking 'cause the room is so small. Don't be deceived by the gorgeous lobby! My friend said it was the most terrible hotel she have ever stayed in her life and I completely agreed on her.