After staying in many modern 'plastic' hotels this was refreshingly different. Very friendly staff. Some areas, such as the front stairway are a bit tatty, but I found everything very clean. I was aware of the lack of elevator, but the climb to the top floor was worth it. Breakfast in the communal kitchen was enjoyable. WiFi reception on the... more

I recently stayed at this hotel. The front desk staff was friendly and personable. The hotel is older and it shows. I appreciate that it is a historic building, and wouldn't want the place to go out of business. However, I think the owner should take care of a few things. First, the carpet on the front steps is visibly... more

Bad exsperiance in Seward AK, Van Gilder Hotel. Normally I let things go but this place tried to mess up my great day in Seward Alaska on the day before my day out with the Kenai Fjords tours. I am telling my 20 people and I will cross reference it and send as many people that I can here. Get... more

My boyfriend and I stayed at this hotel because we had a two nights-for-one coupon. It was also rated as a "Top End" hotel in our guidebook. Unfortunately, that rating gave us an unrealistic expectation for this hotel, which in actuality was more like a hostel. When we got into bed, we found hair on the sheets, and the unswept... more

This is a "European style" hotel. That ususally means no amenities. In this case, there was a TV but no elevator, hair dryer, in room coffee, roomservice, air conditioning, microwave or refrigerator. It's got a flavor to it though, and a lady who had obviously stayed here multiple times was familiar with the communal kitchen and knew enough to book... more

My husband and I stayed one night at the Van Gilder in June 2005. We had a room on the third floor. Please note that this hotel does not have an elevator, so you need to be able to manage steps. Our room had a queen sized bed and a fold-down Murphy bed, which we didn't use and a private... more

My husband & I were staying at this hotel on June 9 2005, as we were sailing southwards with Holland America. I was reminded to post this on tripadvisor while watching cable TV on haunted places. I booked the hotel from the hotel website after lots of web surfing, and recommendations from travel book. We paid US$71.10 (before taxes) for... more

This place was recommended in my Moon guide. I called them from Fairbanks Juune 21, 2006 and was told there were several room available at various rates. The most expensive was $165 per night and the man on the phone who made my reservation said it had "water views and a clawfooot tub." And was on the first floor. Based... more

Just stayed in the Van Gilder for 2 nights in August 2005. Paid $98 for a room with a shared bath (which would be a rip-off in most of the world, but didn't seem too bad a price when I was looking around Seward). The room was really small without much of a view, but it was clean and had... more