Beautiful property and great location on the Chena River in Fairbanks. Clean and quiet room with plenty to do in and around the lodge. On site restaurant offered a quick and easy option for dining. Food was above average to very good. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Will stay here again. Rates are very reasonable as well.

I was attending a conference being hosted at the hotel and therefore I stayed there. My first impression of the hotel was the set of big double doors that do not open automatically. Upon checking in the front desk person told me the boxes I sent were there and to call any time for delivery to my room or the conference room. It was about a 3 minute trek to get to my room in a far wing of the expansive hotel. When I finally put my bags down and took off my shoes the carpet crunched with every step. It was as if the carpet was laid over a sheet of plastic. This drove me crazy for four days.

The lighting in the room was very inadequate, the water pressure was marginal, the bed was old and not comfortable, and the bedding was old and of average quality. The heater blew the hot air into the curtain and was not deflected into the room. The cleaning crew must be rushed because they do not seem to vacuum. Every day I saw the remnants of nail clippings on the carpet that were not mine. The restaurant was nice, but very over priced. Room service had reasonable breakfast rates and selection. The service was right on time and the man was very friendly. This was good since the room didn't have a fridge (or microwave) so I could buy my healthy food for breakfast.

My overall impression is that this hotel caters to the cruise ship passengers that come up north on the Princess busses and don't really have any other option of a room. I feel sorry for them.

The best thing I can say is that the staff was very accommodating any time I had a concern or needed help with something and that the wireless internet signal was strong and free. Good thing they have plug-ins for cars since it was below zero every night.

We had a nice stay at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. Here is our rundown...

Rooms: The rooms were sufficient -- comfortable enough and supplied with all necessary amenities. Beds were comfortable and views (especially rooms looking out onto the river) were very nice. No problems in terms of noise in the hallways at night or anything. Overall the rooms were nothing spectacular, but being in Alaska itself is amazing and we found ourselves spending little time in the rooms anyway.

Hotel Features: The hotel has a snack bar in the lobby with muffins and bagels in the morning for a quick breakfast-to-go if you are signed up for a tour. There is also an outdoor cafe and two nicer restaurants. Overall the food was pretty good. There is a business center downstairs with two computers and internet access at no additional charge. One of our favorite features was the Northern Lights Call List. Upon check-in (or at any point during your stay), you can call the front desk and ask to be put on the list of rooms that will be called in the event that the famous Northern Lights are visible during the night. The list gives you the ability to sleep through the night and not have to worry about missing the lights; if they are out, you will receive a call and can go outside to see the lights if you want. There are also a number of games available at the Front Desk (Uno, Yahtzee, Scrabble, etc.) that you can sign out, and there is a fitness center with several treadmills and bikes.

Location: The hotel is not in downtown Fairbanks but is located very close to the airport (and the hotel has shuttles back and forth from the airport when there are departing/arriving flights). There are also shuttles to downtown Fairbanks. There isn't too much to do in downtown - there are a few shops to check out, a good fudge store, and a couple of hotels with restaurants. Almost all of the excursions that are popular with tourists are not in the downtown area, so you aren't missing that much by not staying there.

Other tips: We went to Pikes Waterfront Lodge one night and had a great dinner. The hotel is about a 7 minute walk from the Princess Riverside Lodge and the restaurant in the hotel is very nice. Great fish!

Overall, we'd recommend the Princess Riverside Lodge and would probably return if in Fairbanks again.

We arrived here after a *really* long day of traveling. It was 11:30pm and the sun was shining! Also, it was 80 degrees! In Alaska! Now that was a pleasant surprise.

I really liked this hotel. It's right on the river, and away from Fairbanks, so it's quiet and serene. Our room had a great view of the river and was spotlessly clean. The public areas are lovely, well decorated, and the restaurants are very good. Service throughout the hotel is friendly, with every request cheerfully granted.

You can sit on the deck overlooking the river while having a good meal with a cold Alaskan beer (or wine), watching the sun go down - if you can stay awake that long. It was 3am when it finally set (in July).

Not a luxury hotel, but lovely nonetheless.