We stayed at the MSBB for 2 nights en route to Denali National Park. We were looking for a place close to the downtown area that offered easy access to the railroad depot, since we were not renting a car. Although few rooms were available in Fairbanks when we booked, the MSBB seemed a reasonable choice, advertising itself as being "1 1/2 blocks away from the railroad depot."

It turns out that this claim was true until May of last year (2005). The depot is now 1 1/2 MILES away. No one at MMSB bothered to change this key information on its website until the past couple of weeks (June/July 2006), and no one mentioned it when we called to reserve our room.

Which brings me to our next beef. For car-less travelers there are 3 major motorized ways of traveling about Fairbanks: the bus, taxis, and private shuttle services (e.g., Alpenglow). The MSBB proprietors will not tell you about the latter, even though they are far less expensive than taxis and arrive within minutes, due to disputes about commissions (the MSBB wants a 20% take, so we were told). This fundamental omission was mean-spirited and are grateful to our fellow travellers for cluing us into this.

The bed is the best part of the MSBB -- firm, warm, and clean. Noise is almost absent. They will allow you to check your email and to do your laundry (the latter for a reasonable fee). The breakfasts were unimpressive but certainly edible. Avoid the "bag-breakfast" (one that they'll pack for you to take with you) as it contains lots of processed junk.