We brought a 3 family group of 10 to the Alyeska Hotel in Girdwood for spring break. The service at the hotel was excellent - from the smiling and personable housekeeping staff to the wait staff and desk staff , valets, and ski school and ski shop personnel. From the moment we made our complex reservations of adjacent rooms for the families - all of us on the same floor - all the boys in one room - one handicapped room, to the restaurant reservations for our large group, to the lost room key replacements, the switches back and forth between skis to snowboards with the kids, and finally the panicked call from the airport for the lost wallet in the room (which the staff immediately called us to let us know they'd found it, and mailed it express mail to our home) The staff exceeded expectations at every turn. We also arranged for mountain tours and lessons from the mountain center - which they customized to our varying arrival times and abilities. They managed to accomodate the kids, teens, and adults in lessons and tours of the mountain that had everyone confidently coming down the mountain with ease. I suspect we put everyone through their paces at this resort, and they came through with flying colors. Enjoyed the stay - and recommend contacting the hotel and staff personally over the internet or phone - we even arranged transportation through the concierge which was great, as well as Garth at the ski school who ensured our "new mountain anxiety" was not an issue.

This hotel has been featured on Travel channel and touts a world-class restaurant and a luxurious stay. None of the above is true. We stayed for 1 night as a "treat" as part of an 8-day vacation to AK (2nd trip). We visited the property the first time we were in AK and decided to stay for a romantic weekend the next time we were in town. The whole time we were here, I felt like I was NOT in Alaska but at a Disneyland-like tourist hotel. The service staff was NOT welcoming or helpful. I would compare them to McDonalds employees. The room was a closet with a partially blocked view. The restaurant - Seven Glaciers was supposed to be one of the best 10 in the country. It is situated at the top of the mounted and accessible only by the hotel tram. While the views on the way up and down were beautiful, the views from the restaurant were all partially blocked due to high walls and poor lay out. Entering the restaurant was like walking down a dark hallway and into any other restaurant I've ever been in. Allegedly, there are views from 7 hanging glaciers. None of the staff seemed to know where they were or wanted to take the time to point them out. The worst part was that the dining experience was just ok - not the best food in AK as described. The accompaniments were basically some seasoned mush and the main dish was just ok. I did have the biggest piece of crab I'd ever seen, but I would expect that at any Alaskan restaurant. The wait staff was not accommodating at all and didn't even ask what we were celebrating (even though it was noted on the online reservation). The worst part was the day we left; we spent a large sum of money through the hotel arranging a snowmobile excursion for my husband and a day at the spa for me the morning of check out. We were assured the day before that if we called down for a late check out the next day, we would be fine. That was not the case. The front desk person I spoke with acted like she was doing me a favor by "looking the other way" at 12:30pm (only an hour and a half later than the regular check out) when I asked for a 1pm. I was even willing to pay the extra $60 for a 6pm check out but was told they needed the room. It was Sunday night and I find that hard to believe, as there was a mass check out on Sunday morning. This put me in a bad spot since the excursion I arranged for my husband ran until 2pm and my spa treatment ran until almost noon. We also had to pack up. I gave up after explaining all this to the hotel and they still wouldn't help me. I was also informed by my husband that the tour company that the hotel booked for his excursion and that picked him up that morning was not prepared to drive him back from the start site of the tour! We were never informed by the concierge that I booked the tour through online at the hotel that this was the case. I think it was just poor planning on the concierge part. To sum things up, this place does not live up to its reputation and I would not waste my money here again. We couldn't wait to get back to the Anchorage Grand Hotel for the rest of our stay where they treated us like family and the room was more like an apartment or condo in downtown Anchorage. We also paid a fraction of the cost to stay here and will be returning next year. Finally, as we were walking to the car to load up and make tracks out of there, we found ourselves in a parking lot full of teenagers who were basically tailgating after a day of skiing. This was complete with loud stereos blaring acid rock, drinking and eating in cars and trucks and people UNDRESSING in the parking lot (some down to boxers) out of wet ski apparel. Nice. Isn't that what the day lodge is for? I got the impression this was just another typical day at the Hotel Alyeska. We won't be back.

The hotel itself has an understated refined rustic woodsiness about it. Our king room was on the smaller side but we had great views facing the mountain/tram. Next time, we'll opt for a suite. The upside is that the room was very clean.

The bathroom was as pictured but the faucet had come out of its place and had been tackily put half way back in place w/ caulky glue or something. A little unsightly but it didn't affect the function of the shower/faucet. The shower pressure was decent.

The bed was surprisingly HORRIBLE. We decided to call it the coffin (as the bed was too well worn and you sank into it whether you liked it or not). All the pillows offered no support so even before we skied the first morning, we had stiff backs and necks and we're not old people. It didn't get better the next night as in the middle of the night, while we were actually sleeping, our fitted bed padding came undone and rolled up into a ball. So everything else- sheets, comforter just went everywhere. That's never happened before, not even at 1 stars we've had to tough it out at as a last resort. Maybe the lower floor rooms had beds that were not 2 years past their replacement dates.

The best part about the hotel is their indoor jacuzzi; you don't have to brave -3F to get to it as it's attached to the hotel. Go before the sun sets as the view is awesome. That jacuzzi is worth every $ of the $10 resort fee. The kids seem to love the salt water pool.

Have to disagree w/ previous reviewers about food choices and prices. There are plenty of choices - unless you stay a whole week, then you're bound to run out of options eventually as Girdwood is a TINY town. The little caffe next to the sports shop downstairs had breakfast burritos and pastries along w/ coffee. If you want a bigger breakfast, there's the Bakery (delicious scrambles) at the day lodge or the Pond Cafe if you don't want to venture into the cold yet. We didn't eat there so we can't speak for the quality of the food. The Double Musky is a reasonably priced local institution w/ surprisingly good food (I didn't come w/ high expectations of a town this small in Alaska - sorry locals). We heard Chair 5 had pizzas (as does the Bakery) and the like, and is where the real locals all hang out. The Sitzmark has decent pub grub. And these can all be reached via the shuttle if you choose not to drive.

The front desk staff were nice but not very reliable nor helpful. We'd requested Northern Lights wake-up calls for each and every night but never got one despite the fact that the Lights were one one or two of the nights. So if you want to see Northern Lights, either stay up and ski half a day the next day or set the alarm to wake yourselves up. It's your best bet.

My husband and I went on a week long vacation to Alaska in April 2007, and spent four nights at the Hotel Alyeska. Our main reason for staying here was to try the mountain skiing in Alaska.

The hotel decor is elegant. Beautiful wood paneling in all the public places, leather couches in public areas, a giant diorama of a polar bear/stars above the lobby, brass plating in the elevators (though they were scratched up from skis). The swimming pool is small for a hotel of its size, though the hot tub is a decent size. The afternoon we arrived, the hotel was quite busy and the pool had easily reached capacity. The restaurants are nice and the food is good, but they are quite expensive. There is no breakfast included with your stay, so your only choices if you wish to not leave the hotel are to eat at the restaurant or go to a grocery store and get your own breakfast food for mornings (we did the latter). They have mini fridges in the rooms so you can keep milk, juice, or other cold beverages. Parking at times was a hassle. There are several lots sprawled out around the property, so when the hotel is busy you may have to park far away where it can be a long walk to and from your car.

We initially booked a "moderate" room, but there was a buzzing sound near the room that drove my husband nuts, so we requested a room swap. The hotel was accommodating of this request, and ended up moving us to a "deluxe" room (same amenities as "moderate", but with a much better view). I think they charged us extra for the room upgrade, but I didn't care to argue it because it was only $10 a night more and didn't notice it until we'd checked out. Room amenities for the moderate/deluxe rooms were a bit above what you'd expect for a typical two/three star chain hotel. Some of the "extras" I remember were heated towel racks in the bathroom, a mini-fridge, bathrobes and slippers (though they weren't that great), and buttons on your nightst
and that controlled "do not disturb" and "please clean room" lights outside your door in the hall. The rooms, as well as the hotel as a whole, were overall nice and clean, but there were some signs of wear as you would expect from a hotel that is not brand new, especially one that has skiers tromping through it on a regular basis.

This hotel has high value if you are coming here during winter to ski. Our "just want to ski" package included two lift tickets and room, and factoring in how much an adult all-day lift ticket costs, I figured we only paid an extra $60 or so for the room with the package. It is a perfectly acceptable hotel to stay at, and you can walk right outside the hotel to take the tram or chairlift to the ski mountain.

However, I am not sure if I would recommend staying here in the summer, when most tourists visit Alaska. It is supposedly one of the most luxurious hotels in Alaska, but I'm not sure this hotel is worth the summer rates. Summer rates are much higher and do not include skiing (obviously), so value is lessened considerably. Also, Girdwood is a very small town and I'm not sure there are enough things to do in the area in the summer to warrant more than a night or two stay at this hotel. Spend time in Seward or Denali National Park instead.

Since we primarily came here to ski, I don't feel my review is complete without giving an overview of the skiing at Alyeska. My husband had never skied anything more than the tiny hills we have in MN, and my only other "mountain skiing" experience was one day in the Austrian Alps with a high school trip. So neither of us can compare Alyeska to a mountain ski resort in the "lower 48". Alyeska was by far the most difficult skiing both of us had done, partially due to the excessive amount of snow/sleet the mountain received the week before we went, so they didn't have time to groom the hills adequately. We both ended up renting wide parabolic skis the first day, since there was so much deep powder that neither of us could ski very well without them. The second day was better so I went back to my parabolics, but my husband kept his rentals since his skis are the old-fashioned type with no shape whatsoever.

After we took care of that, we enjoyed the skiing very much. The hill is quite large and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to make a complete trip to the very top of the hill and back down again. There is a tram that runs from the very bottom to the very top to the very bottom of the hill on the "double black diamond" side (not recommended unless you are a true expert); the other side has chairlifts and you have to take more than one in intervals to make it to the very top. Both my husband and I will ski all difficulty levels of hills in MN, but we both mostly stuck to the "blue" hills at Alyeska, which were comparable to (if not more advanced than) "black" hills in MN. That was fine since there are an abundance of "blue" hills at Alyeska and you can make it from the top to the bottom only taking those. I would not recommend Alyeska for anyone who is a beginner, since there are only a few "green" hills that are all clustered at the bottom of the hill.

I would probably not come back to Alaska in the winter primarily for the skiing at Alyeska, as I would prefer to try a resort in the "lower 48" instead. But I would recommend it to avid skiers who happen to find themselves in the area in the winter, or are visiting Alaska in the winter to partake in a variety of winter activities there.