The Lakefront Anchorage

This hotel has seen better days in its multi-decade existence. It has gone through some renovations and name changes, but still seems to be in transition as we walked through the third floor paint fumes (half of the floor was being painted while still having guests on the floor) to our room at the end of an extremely long corridor. It seems understaffed and whatever staff they do have are wearing multiple hats and running around or in training. We encountered a spectrum of personalities from sweet to terse to neutral in their customer service/reception area. Their booking system is also a bit unclear. I got emails for "pre check-in" and "set checkout" which seemed fine, but I had selected a cocktail pack at the pre check-in and input my credit card information but was not charged for it. If my CC isn't going to be charged at that point, why should I have to enter my CC information at all? It should be noted that these are "requests" the front desk can choose to fulfill for the guest or not. They still asked for a CC to be put on file for incidentals too, during in-person check-in, so online "pre check-in" just seems pointless. We had booked our multi night stay on the Trip app and it did have us prepay but also said there would be a $89 charge at the hotel for four nights. We later learned it was a ~22 bucks "resort fee" for our stay per night. I guess the resort fee includes the amenities of free water and free shuttle service? Breakfast wasn't included for our booking. The person checking us in even charged a $$$$ deposit amount larger than the cost of our 4 nights there, so I hope they are more careful on other security deposit charges, in the future. On another note, the 24/7 airport shuttle was great and the downtown shuttle service was excellent. Their free shuttle service is definitely a highlight. Kind drivers also -- lovely service from all the drivers we met and always helped us with our bags and directions. Big appreciation for the shuttle vans and drivers! Free water (2 bottles per guest per day) included at the front desk, which you have to make sure to grab yourself, as there was no "deliver to room" option during our stay. The outdated facilities are somewhat maintained, as we had slow drainage in our shower tub and slow drainage in our toilet that nearly led to a clog. Luckily, the maintenance team was able to remedy that after our first night. We stayed 4 nights in total, but that first night was rough. Going forward, I would recommend this place for someone seeking adventure in a property that is next to a beautiful lake with cool seaplanes and a nice lobby full of taxidermy and doesn't mind the potentially tumultuous reception or dated bathroom.

Dust on counters. Clogged toilet drain. Overall, cleanliness was very poor.

The location is good as close to the airport. Free shuttle bus to/from airport.