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All 15 Seward hotels »

The Van Gilder Hotel

308 Adams St., Seward, AK 99664
Hotel amenities
Ranked #8 of 15 hotels in Seward
3.0 of 5 stars 50 Reviews
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50 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    3
    17
    15
    12
    3
Date Rating
Homerite12
Homer, Alaska
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews
4 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 February 2012

On the positive side, it was clean. Other than that I didn't sleep well due to the noise. It was hot and no screens in the windows. Furnishings were old and dingy but not antique. Breakfast was lacking. disappointing overall. I will choose to stay somewhere else if at all possible. More

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Prasad N
San Jose, California
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews
4 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 September 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Stayed there for 2 nights in july. Took the shared bathroom option along with tour saver coupon book to save some money. Big mistake as the restrooms we never neat. We never the bed or the room. On top of that, the windows couldn't close and there was light always (alaksa..) So didn't sleep that well for the 2 nights.... More

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EOSHomer, General Manager at The Van Gilder Hotel, responded to this review
23 November 2011

Thank you for staying at The Van Gilder Hotel in Seward, Alaska. As you know, our rooms with shared bathrooms are our most basic rooms for the budget conscious traveler. Sometimes when the bathroom is not locked, other unauthorized guests use it We make a concerted effort to assist our guests in keeping their bathrooms locked while they are not... More

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ilane1
haifa
Contributor
12 reviews
1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 September 2011

Cannot relate to many of the negative comments from those that came before me. I had the last room on the right on the lower level corridor. Nothing fancy, but nothing dysfunctional either. Bed is HIGH - some may dislike that. WIFI exists, but it is very weak when far from the lobby - constantly cuts out and in, to... More

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EOSHomer, General Manager at The Van Gilder Hotel, responded to this review
23 November 2011

Thank you for staying at The Van Gilder Hotel in Seward, Alaska. Wet have now upgraded our internet speed and added an additional router on the upper levels of the hotel. Now all rooms will have uninterrupted WI-FI. While we do have limited space in the Breakfast room, the communal kitchen does have space as well and is open to... More

swati25
Irvine, California
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 September 2011
1
person found this review helpful

We stayed at this hotel on September 4th. We were booked for 2 nights originally. The hotel is not like what you expect. Room was available and because the building is really old, it was smelling a lot in the room. Location is little far as you have to drive almost 9 miles in the town. We paid 120$/day for... More

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EOSHomer, General Manager at The Van Gilder Hotel, responded to this review
23 November 2011

Thank you for staying at The Van Gilder Hotel in Seward, Alaska. We are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your stay. We try to do everything we can to accommodate our guests. However, like most hotels, we have a 48-hour cancellation policy in place. We were not informed that you had an emergency or we would have... More

Timtam50
Sunshine Coast Australia
Senior Contributor
25 reviews
6 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 September 2011

Friendly and helpful staff. Small basic rooms, reasonably comfortable, basic continental breakfast. Had an Alaskan Tour saver so OK value for money using this. More

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DonJuanAtlanta
Atanta
Reviewer
3 reviews
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 August 2011

When they say historic, think old. The hotel is not renovated and is in bad shape. Wallpaper peeling off the walls and just in a state of needing repair. We had to prepay for our rooms and booked two nights in a suite. After checking in we were able to be refunded for one night and promptly left the next... More

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Seacliff23
Aptos, California
Senior Contributor
31 reviews
2 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 August 2011

This hotel was listed as a lot more charming than it was. A step above a youth hostel in my mind. There are better places to stay in Seward. More

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ebuckhold
Marcellus, Michigan
Reviewer
4 reviews
1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 July 2011
1
person found this review helpful

We visited Seward on a sight seeing/fishing trip in July 2011. Trying to stay on a budget, we stayed at the Van Gilder, which is by the old downtown, not the boat harbors. It was a longer distance from the train than we thought, but Seward has an awesome and FREE shuttle that runs during the day, making transportation easy.... More

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SueHar-u
Cantwell, Alaska
Contributor
11 reviews
4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 July 2011

We stayed here 2 nights and definitely will be back. The hotel is on the historic register and is well maintained. The rooms are "modern" yet left with that old world charm. The bathroom in our room was recently remodeled which was redone nicely. If you're expecting a new modern place this is not for you. If you want a... More

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SArena2070
Paso Robles, California
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews
2 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 July 2011

We chose the Van Gilder after our cruise arrival in Seward because they could accommodate our extended family of 19 -- eight adults and eleven kids. Our rooms were spread around the second and third floors. By Alaska standards, we arrived during a sunny heatwave -- temps in the 70s. Our rooms -- especially those on the third floor --... More

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The Van Gilder Hotel Also Known As

  • Van Gilder Hotel
  • Van Gilder Seward
Address: 308 Adams St., Seward, AK 99664

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The Van Gilder Hotel
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