Grande Denali Lodge

The hotel sat high on a mountainside so access was by car or shuttle bus up a steep and winding road. We had arrived by coach from Seward as part of a longer Alaskan Tour and Travel itinerary. ||The hotel’s shuttle ran hourly, except a period in the afternoon when there was a two hour hiatus. It was too small for the demand and on one of the trips we took many had to stand, which was not safe. ||Despite a well publicized schedule the shuttle did not adhere to it. ||Essentially being trapped, if you arrived by coach as we did, there was little choice for dinner but the hotel’s restaurant. ||The Thai Halibut curry’s sauce was watery. The King Salmon was over-cooked and the accompanying lentils and roasted pomegranate seeds were a very bad choice the be served with the delicate fish. The coffee was weak. Grossly overpriced. ||Similarly with breakfast. $33 per person which is very expensive if you only are used to a light breakfast. ||The coffee bar had very limited hours, very sparse selection of pastries and when it closed there was nowhere to get a good cup of coffee. ||The area has many hotels/lodges so it was prone to over-tourism. Some of the extra tours we tried to do were full.||The large hotel had spacious rooms with microwave, mini-fridge, coffee maker, phone and TV.|There was no safe|There was no TV guide for the many channels. Reception said they had not enough for each room but a copy could be collected from them (so why not put those in the rooms?). |The bathroom, unlike most hotels today, did not have a curved shower curtain so it was claustrophobic. And the fan was very loud. |The curtains in the bedroom were completely inadequate in keeping the room dark. |There was no central heating/AC in the room. Only a baseboard heater and a wall mounted AC unit. And when it was used, hardly put out any cool air - it had to be run on maximum cool to make the room comfortable. |There was no same-day room service for towels, beds etc. |The toilet in the bathroom was low to the ground making it challenging for persons with knee problems. ||Some rooms had a spectacular view of the valley, river and mountain ranges. Ours had the carpark and a mountain slope. Not attractive at all.||Most staff are summer workers from all over the USA (and the world) so the typical Alaskan friendliness was absent. ||We will not return.

The resort is not user friendly. Can’t charge to your room a cup of coffee or anything. No free coffee !! And no one tells you that. Make sure you carry your credit cards!! |The breakfast & dinner very expensive and no options for another place. (The little convenience store has limited items to help.) Unless you wait for the once an hour shuttle to take you down the hill for other options. Then time your return for the once a hour pickup. We were very disappointed with their setup. However , the rooms are nice.

Great hotel for the location. A stones throw from Denali NP. Frequent buses to and from the train station / Denali NP Visitors Center, Denali Village, and the Bluffs. Most excursions have buses that pick up from the hotel. Great breakfast and dinner onsite, 24 hr snack area ( no sit down lunch option, but plenty between the park and the village). Nice (but steep) 10-15 min walking trail down to the Village. Love the signs on the drive up to the hotel!

Denali has always been on my bucket list. That said, not only did I go, but we hit the jackpot. Many clear sunny days! We saw the mountain a few times! This hotel was also great. Their service and staff are phenomenal. My suitcase lock came off, prolly my fault, and Green found it for me! Kacelyn in the restaurant was one of the best servers I have had in a while. There were 11 of us, and many different checks, and she never complained or did anything other than work for us to have a great meal. We should have eaten there the second night! I was thinking about only 4 stars till the train back to Anchorage. You have to plan around the hourly shuttle runs. There is no other real transportation. Uber and Lyft pretend to find you a ride, never works. On the train, there was a couple that was at another hotel with a shuttle on demand, and I was thinking that was great, until he told me it was $40 a ride. Not so great!||Shuttle to and from the train was great, and the entire staff was great. We had Mass there, and Olivia at the front desk was great at making sure that worked, and the entire desk crew was friendly and helped us figure things out. ||the 5am park tour was well worth getting up that early!||It was a great trip.

Excellent guest services! Grand Denali Lodge employees did an amazing job of processing in, scheduling tours and processing out. Every step was seamlessly executed. Hotel room was perfect for a place to rest at the end of the day. Also, the onsite Aspenglow restaurant food far exceeded my expectations.

We found the Grand Denali Lodge to be a huge disappointment. The facility is very dated and although the view from the lodge is beautiful, the location is very isolated. There is a deck overlooking the valley that has a few old tables and chairs to enjoy the view. The shuttle runs on a limited schedule and can fill up quickly, especially the last runs of the day, we had to hike up to the lodge a number of times due to the wait (a very difficult hike up a dirt path). The dining options for breakfast are either overpriced prepackaged “grab and go” in the lobby or a very expensive buffet. There is no option for lunch and the dinner menu is limited to large meals and the food was pretty bad. The lodge provides no daily room refresh service, so the towels and sheets when you get there are what you have until you leave. |The Grand Denali needs a serious investment in upgrading the facilities to take advantage of the “view” that they promote. It was a very disappointing experience and expensive for the experience that we had.

Not worth the price. We paid about $550 a night and there wasn’t any room service. We’re not staying at Alyeska for the same price and the difference in service and the type of priority is huge. We did not find the staff to be super helpful or knowledgeable - extremely young staff who don’t seem to have been trained. It wasn’t a terrible stay but definitely underwhelming and not worth it.

The views are spectacular from any where on the property. |The staff at the main lodge were very helpful and friendly. The security person even gave as a ride when the bus was not running.

Stayed here for 3 nights at the very end of the season. We checked out on the day they were closing. Not a bad hotel, we got upgraded to a room with a balcony and it had the most gorgeous view. We had a room with 2 queen beds, which were decently comfortable. The bathroom was okay for the most part. It has some cracks in the wall and the baseboards, so maybe some renovations would make it look good. They had a few things in a refrigerated area for breakfast such as uncrustables sandwiches and bagels, but no toaster to toast the bagel only a microwave? The road to get to the hotel is super windy, lots of twists and turns to get up there. They clean the room only on request so make sure to tell the front staff. Check out time was 10, but we were able to push it to 10:30. The sweetest thing this hotel did was give me a basket of goodies for my birthday that I was celebrating while there! They left it in the room when we were out hiking and was super surprised to see it there when we got back. Very very generous of the hotel!

Hotel is ok, but they gouge way too much on food. Sodas are $450. We thought we could maybe split a breakfast but they only offer a buffet for $32 a person. You have to take a shuttle to town if you want to try something else but only one shuttle an hour and you have to plan it right to get back. I realize hotels are always more expensive but this was over the top.

The number of really poor reviews had me concerned, but this ended up being, as Yelp puts it, a-ok. The room was spacious, the beds comfortable, everything clean. Breakfast was a typical buffet. The view from the common area and the rooms facing west is outstanding. The building and finishes are all a bit old, but nothing falling apart. The price tag, like the road up, is steep, but it's hard to evaluate when there aren't exactly a lot of options or comparables. Operating out here -- and in a short season -- is more costly than in a town or something.

My husband and I stayed here for two nights in June. The customer service at the front desk was amazing. Specifically, Crisinda, was super friendly and welcoming. She ensured we had dinner reservations at the lodge's on site restaurant, were good to go on tours and answered all of our questions. We ended up upgraded our room upon arrival for a small fee. I am so glad I did because we ended up with an awesome view rather than one of the parking lot. The onsite restaurant, Alpenglow, was great (see other review for specifics on that). My husband grabbed lunch and coffee one day in the lodge which he enjoyed. The views from the property are spectacular. It was super enjoyable to hang in the lodge and walk around the property. The drive up the mountain to the lodge is quite adventurous. Super twisting and turning but there are funny signs along the way. The room itself is super outdated but we did not experience any issues like I read in other reviews. I would still recommend this property to anyone staying near Denali. One minute down the road is the town with several shops and dining options. The entry to Denali is 3 minutes in the other direction. Super convenient location!

Disappointing, especially for the price. Spent 2 nites at the Grande Denali Lodge over Memorial Day weekend. First, let me address the good things: 1) location is close to the park 2) dependable shuttle service to the park and "downtown" 3) the newer "view" room was clean and comfortable; pillows and bed were comfy, it had a coffee maker, mini fridge, microwave, and the view was great 4) very friendly staff. The not so great: 1) guests are expected to drag their luggage in heavy, thick gravel from the bus or car, to the lobby and then to distant buildings, some with a significant incline on gravel. We're all used to having to roll our own luggage, but in heavy gravel??!! 2) when i reached my building, i had to step up high over a gap to the decking, a very clearly dangerous situation, especially for elderly guests. The hotel put an orange cone there to alert you, and at some point had tried to layer what looked like an asphalt speed bump for a step, but it wasnt wide enuf to provide a safe step. This is a lawsuit in the making should someone fall 3) the meal i had upon arriving (corn chowder and a salad) was one of the worst I've ever had, and it took 45 minutes for me to get it 4) the TV didn't work (no signal), and even after notifying the front desk the next morning, it was not repaired 5) NO HOT WATER for my morning shower. When I mentioned it to an employee later in the day, he cheerfully responded that they were fixing the boilers. Having been in the tourism hospitality industry in a previous life, I thought it would be appropriate to bring some of these issues to the manager on duty. Her only response was to offer to send someone to look at the TV, but I didn't want a maintenance person in my room at 8pm. No apology. No explanation. I recognize it was the start of the season for this property and that they were still working out the bugs and training staff, but the view, shuttle and nice pillows weren't worth the hundreds of dollars spent for this experience.

This is basically a motel. Our room was super outdated and kind of grimy. The bathroom was especially underwhelming. We were also right on the parking lot and it was quite loud the whole time. They had also run out of rooms with king/queen beds so my partner and I slept in two separate twin beds. On the positive side, the main lodge area is very nice-looking and the panoramic views on the deck are stunning. The drinks at the restaurant are really nice as well. The breakfast was pretty bad and overpriced, though-- both the $28 buffet and the grab-and-go. We paid $8 for a KIND bar and a plain bagel wrapped in Saran Wrap. That was our second choice; a mini ham and cheese sandwich was $13 but we couldn't justify paying that much. The Denali Bluffs, their sister property, seems a little nicer but I didn't go inside the rooms there... only ended up there because the Lodge restaurant isn't open on Sundays.

Be sure to upgrade your room from the base $450 a night or you will end up looking at the parking lot not the view. Dinners salmon halibut bites were frozen Swanson fish balls I'm sure. We heard everyone pee in their toilets as they woke up today, some worse as there is no insulation in walls and water flush don't get me going! They lost our credit card at the bar, yes thank you for making us cancel our card during our vacation. Staff is all new and hasn't a clue how to help. Actively disengaged. Run don't walk from this nightmare.

Gorgeous Views...Horrible Experience I'll start by stating that this is my first negative review for anything on Yelp; but this lodge was so bad, I feel like I have to warn others. 1st: Way, way WAY overpriced. You are literally paying for a Mountain View. This place isn't worth half of the price they charge. 2nd: This construction (or lack thereof) is pathetically cheap. The rooms are motel 6 quality. The walls are paper thin and you can hear EVERYTHING outside, in the hallways, or the rooms around or above you. 3rd: They literally run out of water. They ran out of water both days that we were here. The lobby toilets filled up solid waste like a. Outhouse because you couldn't flush. There isn't plumbed water from a well or centralized treatment facility. It's large tanks, stashed under the buildings that they have to truck in water for each day. They haven't worked out the logistics of avoiding gaps in water availability. I am dumbfounded that a place this expensive can't figure out a way to maintain the water. Be prepared to wash your hands and brush your teeth with bottled water. 4th: The drive up and the parking lot is a muddy and sloppy mess with very limited parking. Plan to hand carry your roller bags or expect to plow mud trenches with your suitcase. 5th: The lodge restaurant is below average in quality, but they think they rate above average prices. I got the most pathetic tray of old sashimi I've ever received. Their chicken was dry and over cooked, and the pasta was just average. Over a hundred bucks for my absolute worst meal in Alaska. 6th. If you come here,...which I don't recommend, bring your earplugs. Besides hearing every single word, conversation, step, and running child in the hallways, "Maintenance" likes to bang on walls, drill holes, and yell across the hall to each other like it was a construction zone at anytime of day. All and all, the place is trash-ville with a 5 star price tag. Avoid at all cost. If you want the views, I recommend staying in another hotel and just driving up the muddy, bumpy, unimproved and non-maintained driveway to take a few pics and enjoy the mountains. If I hadn't already paid for the 2nd evening, we would have checked out and gone somewhere else. It's bad enough that I almost just swallowed the loss of the night's stay and left to find someplace better anyway. I absolutely do NOT recommend this place;...but the views are nice.

Stayed here for two nights towards the end of the season, just days before the hotel closed. I wish Yelp allowed you to review specific elements of a business because I would give the staff at this place five stars. Also the views are spectacular from the common area. The rest of the experience, however, was fairly lackluster. Nothing absolutely terrible, to be fair, but also nothing that merits the premium you pay staying here. The bus that picked up our tour group from the train station ended up being full so we volunteered to wait for a different shuttle. The staff was really lovely and gave us free breakfast vouchers for the gesture. During our stay we did get assistance from the staff a few times and they were always friendly and ready to help. The common area is actually pretty nice. We worked from here during the day and it was light and comfortable and also not very noisy. Wi-Fi was pretty consistent and we were able to take video calls without much lag. If you leave on an afternoon train from Denali, it's actually not a bad place to pass the time. The room itself had a musky smell to it so we had to open the window to air it out. The bed wasn't particularly comfortable but it wasn't terrible either. They have laundry facilities but the number of washers and dryers is too small for the number of folks staying there. The machines are kept pretty busy so you have to catch them during times when folks are out and about because otherwise you won't be able to do laundry. Given that most of the activities in Denali will soil your clothing, this is a pretty important feature that they dropped the ball on. There's only 3 washers and 3 dryers and they are low capacity. When we were there, one of the dryers was broken. The restaurant is really not that great and is very pricy compared to better food out and about. Breakfast is pretty standard. The buffet is nice but not high end at all (which is what the price suggests). Dinner had nice presentation but the actual flavors weren't great. We had the chicken pasta and the chicken was a bit overcooked and you could do better with store bought sauce. It was really disappointing given there was a lot of hype about the food. The views are really nice from that altitude but you will generally only really get the spectacular ones from certain buildings. This comes at the cost of having to shuttle from the hotel to the heart of town unless you want to walk the switchbacks. It's not bad, by any means, but it is a deterrent if you just want to get to town for a quick bite. Overall, you can get more for your money at some of the other hotels and have closer proximity to the stores and restaurants.

The Grand Denali was very disappointing, they tried to put us into what had to be the worst room they have: corner of the first building outside reception building, next to the door where EVERYBODY entered and exited, and outside the room was the dusty bus loading and unloading stop. They charged us $150 to upgrade to a room with a view, saying only a standard room was booked. Even so, it (the first room) was a very substandard room they offered. The shuttle service did not seem well organized. The route had four stops and it took an hour to go a complete circuit. This means there was a lot of waiting at the stops and in the shuttles and made it inconvenient to explore what shopping and restaurants were offered. We will not recommend Grand Denali Lodge.

Nobody travels halfway around the world for a vacation wanting to have a bad experience. When traveling in rugged remote terrain like Alaska I adjust my expectations accordingly as one cannot expect a rural lodge to perform at the level of a multi star European hotel. Unfortunately my stay at the Grand Denali fell well below even these standards. There were multiple deficiencies that cumulatively led to a very poor experience and as e result of which I would never return to this hotel again. I am not in the habit of trashing a hotel for a single perceived slight and never enjoy writing a bad review. If you are currently trying to make a decision regarding on where to stay in Denali please read on. I will try to provide a fair and balanced review rather perform a hatchet job. First, I must say that I had a terrible time deciding on where to stay in Denali. The main hotels: Denali Grand, Denali Bluffs (sister hotel to the Grand), Princess Lodge, and McKenzie Chalet (also owned by Princess), all receive very poor reviews for various reasons if you look at multiple sources online. I am usually pretty good at sifting through the ax grinders and people who give every place they ever visit 5 stars, to get a true sense of a hotel but definitely fell down on the job on this one. I think this may partly have been due to the very impressive appearance of the Grand sitting on its perch when seen from below. I thought the views from up there must be insane. Unfortunately the hotel takes very little advantage of its views. The restaurant takes up almost all the view spots in the main lodge. There are only two small decks accessible only from the bar area where one can actually enjoy the view. Otherwise, the view is not really accessible from the public spaces in any meaningful way. Contrast this with the amazing outdoor spaces and views at the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge where people were constantly outside enjoying the amazing views of Denali. For my stay I booked directly with the lodge and spoke to the manager, Cheryl, twice before arrival to try and clarify some issues of concern. I booked a king "view" room for an up-charge. If arriving by train, the hotel staff checks you in at the train depot where you receive your room key which then avoids the stampede from the bus to the front desk. They get a star for this efficient process. We went directly to our room (in the building immediately to the right of the main lodge) as we had a tour pick up coming in 30 minutes. Our "view" room looked out onto the back of another building (the Kodiak building I believe). We also looked directly out on to a parking area containing service vehicles for the lodge with a tiny sliver view of the river. So NOT a view room. I spoke with multiple other guests in that building who also paid for a "view" room who were equally disappointed with the view. I spoke to the front desk who offered me a 10% discount or a move to a double queen room on the first (of two floors) of the Kodiak building. Not ideal for my wife and I but we took it. The view was much improved but still not great due to the overgrowth of brush in front of the window and small size of the window. We let it go at that. My opinion is that the ONLY true view rooms at the lodge or second floor in the Kodiak building. So other rooms classed as "view" are otherwise bait and switch. The finishings in the rooms were relatively new and fairly basic but not unpleasant. Given that this is remote Alaska they get a star for the room itself. Now here is the biggest issue with this hotel. They are located on a mountain top which unless you are in top shape is not realistically accessible to town by walking. As such, if you want to leave the property for a meal or to explore town you had better keep a close eye on the shuttle schedule. They run one shuttle an hour that services BOTH the Grand AND the Bluffs. The Princess and McKenzie each offer 2 shuttles per hour and are right in town walking distance to all restaurants and shops. The Grand shuttle does not start running until 8:45 AM while the other hotels start their shuttles at 6 AM. When I pressed management on this issue they made the disingenuous argument that most hotels in town offer much more limited shuttle service electing to compare themselves with hotels that have 20 -30 rooms while their 2 hotels cumulatively have hundreds of rooms similar to the Princess properties. There is no taxi or Uber/Lyft service in town so you are a slave to the hotel shuttle. They will offer you the number of a local who will drive you the 1.5 miles for $60 round trip. They offer no backup if you miss the shuttle. Why not give some of the employees on staff the option to do after hour runs for a nominal fee of $10 that they can pocket serving their employees and guests equally well. I felt like a hostage at the lodge and a slave to the very thin shuttle schedule.

The good: - Nice view of the valley and neighboring hills and the Nenema River - Signs on the road up the hill were amusing - Rooms were of adequate size The bad: - We stayed three nights, never got room service - Included breakfast buffet was cheap hotel quality (and $29 if you had to pay for it) - No night latches on room doors or "do not disturb" hangers. - not a shred of paper in the room advising you of any amenities- restaurant hours, laundry facilities, etc. - on site restaurant, Alpenglow, was very expensive and of low to average quality -hotel linens were well worn and threadbare We were part of a 10 person tour group, our guide had told us "people don't go to Denali for the hotels". No truer words have ever been spoken based on our experience here.

Well this was not a "Grande" experience! We had booked a view room with 2 queen beds at what I considered a very high price but understand there are limited rooms available. We paid an additional fee to have our bags delivered from the train station to the hotel room snd the hotel hands you your key when you get off the bus so you can go direct to your room. However they did not have a key with my name on it. A mixup with two parties having the same last name. We were told to go to the front desk. We did and were informed they mixed up the keys and gave our room to another party. They were fully booked and so could not give us a view room. They knocked $70 off supposedly what we paid for the "view" and gave us 3 vouchers for their breakfast which was $31 per person. So that was least something for the inconvenience. In retrospect what we thought should have happened is they should have gone to the people who were given our room and moved them to their room and given us ours????? The room was clean however not "grande" by any means. Very basic! AC was just a window unit not a commercial grade and didn't seem to cool very well! We had scheduled an excursion that evening so we had to eat quickly in the bar to catch our bus after the delay in getting our room. We were also waiting for luggage to get delivered and one bag didn't show up. It was a backpack with a computer and work phone in it. It was luckily at the front desk and we were told they looked in it and held it for pickup. However ut had a room tag on it with a different room number so we think it was delivered to the wrong room snd thankfully that honest person turned It in at the desk. Next morning your bags have to get outside your door at 9 am and check out is at 10! Pretty early for most other hotels I have stayed in! Especially since train leaves at 4. There is limited transportation here. They have one shuttle that comes around once every hour so it takes awhile to get anywhere!!! Overall just not a Grande" experience!

We paid 300 dollars for a room in the middle of May. It ends up having a great view of the PARKING LOT. We booked the hotel for the view. So we go to the front desk and they say it's another 50 dollars to have a room with a view. We pay for the room, because we're already here and we're not going to look at a parking lot. Then ontop of all of that they lose our luggage. Employees are mostly here part time, and have no idea what they are doing. The employees that do know what they're doing are very rude. I wouldn't stay here again. Absolutely DO NOT recommend. Overpriced for terrible service.

We're told this is the "best" in Denali ‍. The buffet breakfast $28 pp! If your a hearty eater....probably worth it, however I'm not a big eater and it wasn't worth it for me! The dinner was Fish & Chips which I believe came out of Gordon's box! Absolutely not worth $25! If you can get to Black diamond, 49th State Brewery an easy 15 mins North! Worth it even prospectors pizza (other items than pizza)!!! The rooms are not urban! They are rustic! Three stories 1 way in one way out! Elevator but in the middle...lace up! Love the vibe at the Bar, great service lots of options!

This lodge overlooks from a cliff the town of Denali, or McKinley Village, and is only open mid May-Mid September. We stayed here July 17-July 19, 2018 during our 12 day Collette tour of Alaska and the Yukon. We arrived by motor coach, after taking the train from Fairbanks to the Denali train depot in the park. Free shuttle running from the train depot to the lodge, every half hour. We were dropped off early in McKinley Village to have lunch and do shopping, as too early to check in. Another free shuttle runs from McKinley Village downtown to the lodge every half hour, making two other hotel stops. 330pm, our motor coach drives up the mile long narrow gravel road, with 7 hairpin turns, to the lodge, an adventure when encountering another bus coming down the road. Whimsical signs such as "Wet when raining", "Beware of Falling Coconuts" , picture of moose bumping a car, mosquito carrying a person, or "Troll Bridge"along the way. The lodge is on a hilltop, with a lobby, restaurant, gift shop, and at least two long buildings for guests to stay. We got the building farthest from the overlook, and closest to the parking lot. Of the 23 parties in our group, all of us either got the first floor with a view obstructed by a building closer to the cliff, or the second floor facing the parking lot. Nobody in our group got a second floor facing the town and the national park in the background. $50 extra per night for a view on the cliffside. You want the cliffside view, then book a more expensive tour! 150 yard walk from the building entrance to our room on the second floor at the end of the building, with a view of buses doing a U turn in the parking lot. We always got the second floor in our 12 day stay, as others had difficulty with stairs, and were prioritized for the first floor. Unit modern, clean and relatively spacious, approximately 11' x 17', with two queen beds, mini refrigerator, 32" flat screen TV, sitting chair, desk with multi plug outlets, AC, and Keurig hot water/coffee maker. Sink and vanity mirror separate from toilet and tub/shower combination, looks like a relic from the previous century. Wifi weak with dropped connections the norm in this rural area of Alaska. Hot breakfast buffet in the restaurant with our tour vouchers, with a great view of the town below, the river, and the snow capped mountains in the background. Breakfast is about $22, and includes bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, diced roasted potatoes, beef patties, and fruits. We paid $18 each for a boxed lunch for our daytime excursion to Denali National Park. Park buses leave as early as 6am. Someone had to get up at 2:30am to prepare dozens of such lunches! Took the free shuttle to downtown, taking about 25 minutes, with stops at another hotel. They have a printed schedule which they largely adhered to. Miss the shuttle and it is a 40 minute wait for the next shuttle. Hope it isn't raining, and dress warmly, as it gets cold and windy at night even in mid July, waiting for that shuttle. No taxi and no uber service, so staying out after 10:35pm in downtown after the last shuttle not an option, as you will become a prime target for road kill walking up that steep narrow gravel road with 7 hairpin curves and no sidewalk! Had a comfortable sleep both nights, but we were farthest from the parking lot bus stop, with shuttles and tour buses loading and unloading from 5am to 10pm!

Poor showing in all categories! Service was horrible at restaurant never saw the server after she took our order. Had to catch her at the kitchen door to get our check so we could leave. Room was not properly cleaned (hair on bathroom floor) told front desk supervisor who just shrugged. Stop serving breakfast at 10 with no lunch option. Hotel is at the top of a bluff so you cannot walk to town and shuttle stops at6 pm. Be Leary both of the lodge and restaurant

Others have already summed it up but maybe another warning is in order Just don't It's a $400 a night Motel 6, plain and simple From the muddy road up to the muddy and tiny parking lot to the silt laden water in the tiny 60s motel bathroom, everything everyone said is accurate The only breakfast available in the restaurant is a $30 per person buffet with the usual prefab selections The coffee cart couldn't make tea and the coffee grinder was broken and "they haven't fixed it yet" so the worst drip coffee I've had in years was the only option. It was lukewarm from the vacuum pot and stale and absolutely had to have been made the day before The rooms were acceptably clean, I will give them that. The bed linens are coarse and stiff and picky sleepers could be in for a rough night I could go on and on but others have already said what needs to be said This place caters to tourists on a once in a lifetime visit to Denali Park and I seriously doubt they care about Alaska residents repeat business Look somewhere else

Overall the Grande Denali was adequate for the two nights we were there. It is located near the park and town, but a shuttle is required to get around and it only runs hourly--not enough at peak times. The lodge reception, bar and dining room were built and designed with great views of the park/mountains, and the staff was courteous and helpful. The room was nothing special. Ours was located on the parking lot (noisy and no view). It was adequate. We were part of a rail tour and I suspect we got thee "cheap" room. The staff was good, and helpful, though it is pretty obvious in June that some were there for the first season. The meals were expensive and okay. We went for the coffee bar instead of the expensive breakfast. The lodge reminded me of national park concession-run lodges: good locations, adequate rooms but nothing fancy. A little worn. And probably over-priced. Good helpful staff. But then it is in Alaska, and near Denali. A "four" may be generous but I have nothing to compare it to.

I was on an organized tour of Denali National Park and we stayed here for two nights. Overall, it was a very nice stay. The rooms were decent and comfortable. The restaurant was nice. We had dinner there one night and breakfast there twice. We also ordered boxed lunches for our day at the park. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I am not seeing a listing for their restaurant, Alpenglow, on Yelp so I will review it here. It definitely was pricing but the food was delicious. I had a wonderful scallop dish with sautéed spinach and fried beets and lardon pieces. Can't remember what mom had and I am not seeing a menu only but I do remember she liked her dish. We also had some nice desserts. Mom had something with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce. She really liked that. The restaurant also does a breakfast buffet in the morning and that was good. The usuals - breads, pastries, oatmeal, fruit, cereals and a few hot dishes that rotated. Their oatmeal was hot and tasty. Good selection of fruit. Loved the bacon. Room was clean. Comfortable beds. Nice care package on the pillow when we arrived. Great view of the park and river below.

With the exception of the view from the dining room, Grande Denali Lodge was very disappointing. The accommodations are more like a run-down and in need of repair overpriced motel. The corridors were dank and walls showed likely years of damage en route to our room. Unfortunately, our arrival at our room didn't change our overall feel for the property - especially for the price. The location was also very inconvenient in that the steep, winding narrow road to/from the road to the property made it impossible to safely leave the property on foot, with ongoing concerns that vehicles would not see pedestrians on the winding curves. The free shuttle operated by the property ran on a very inconsistent schedule, making my comment about the non-option of walking to other dining options in "town" even more pertinent. As mentioned, the view from the dining room was beautiful, but that's clearly only where the property owners have chosen to upkeep the facility. We had mixed experiences in the dining room. On the first night, upon late arrival, we enjoyed the Alaskan Clam Chowder, Vegetarian Tortilla Soup, and a shared Spinach Salad with Broiled Salmon. Our server was polite and welcoming and the food was good after a long day of travel. Unfortunately, the following night, when we went to the dining room for dessert, we were seated amid other tables and literally ignored as multiple servers and other staff passed and ignored our table. We walked out after having been ignored for 25 minutes and were quite frankly, happy to be checking out of the hotel in the morning. If you're headed to DNP, I would strongly recommend you look for other accommodations. We will indeed happily be making other plans on our next visit.

Great place for 2 nights near Denali. This was booked for us as part of a package with a train visit from anchorage. The bed was super comfortable, the staff was so friendly and helpful, the laundry facility worked well for us though the dryer needed longer than the recommended 45 minutes which was fine since it runs up to 90 minutes on one payment, the shuttle service worked out very well for us and got us where we needed to go. I would definitely recommend Denali Grande or the bluffs for anyone going to Denali!

Overall, it's pretty good. Rooms are a bit dated, and the wifi is completely nonexistent, but the rooms were comfortable, and the views are great. The coffee shop and restaurant are pretty good too. There is lots of parking too. The road to the lodge is unpaved and rocky, so keep that in mind if you're renting a car. I suggest a suv or a pickup. The lodge is close to the only shopping in the area, but it's a downhill walk and an uphill climb back to the lodge. There is a bus, though.

Older hotel, not very clean. Sits on top of a high Ridge and can only get to town via shuttle. Definitely needs some upgrading.

Nasty food. I ordered AK SEAFOOD PASTA (cost $45) and that was the worse meal expensive meal I've every paid for. Nothing was good... The sauce was a milk like substance that was watery, the taste of the dish was bland and did not look appealing. I didn't eat the dish and went down the street later on that night and got some chicken wings. Grande Denali change your menu or get some body in the kitchen that can cook.

We stayed here before a Regent Cruise. It is a typical mediocre hotel. The rooms are very basic but clean. The "lodge" is okay. Bar and restaurant service is blah. The window ledges has dead flies on them. Servers didn't appear happy. We would never stay if we had a better option.

We stayed two nights and given the location the room and bed was acceptable. The bedroom and bathroom is rather basic for the price one is charged, but hey they have a captive market and 3 months of the year to make money. the staff are all good and the restaurant staff in particular are very professional. The restaurant menu was over fussy and the chef should we think leave a little off the 'design' of the food, and we felt that the food was acceptable but not really amazing. The views are impressive and we slept well but we did request a room on the top floor as those near the entrance of the bedroom block would be noisy, as many folks walk past their doors and the block is we think constructed with a timber and built off site mode. Also many of the tours leave very early (05.00...)....which is why we self toured! The location is wonderful and this place makes the best of that.

Not impressed at all! Actually Very Disappointed! $400.00 a night for a view of the parking lot and it's not even paved. The La Quinta in Fairbanks had a larger fridge in the room and a microwave 6 pillows compared to 2 and the tv looks to a 24". $400.00, is it wrong to expect a bit more?

Day before our trip and we needed a place to stay. We called the Grande Denali and quickly reserved a room with a very helpful representative. The drive up to the hotel is amazing, courtesy of the breathtaking Denali National Park. It is located very close to the "hub" of Denali. The hotel has concierge services that can let you know which tour fits your needs and wants. The actual hotel is spread out over a couple of buildings. Check in is very quick and the lobby offers a great view of the mountains and is a picture perfect stop. The building where we stayed did not have a view, but I based on location, it would have definitely been worth it. The room where we stayed was spacious, with 2 queen size beds, a TV, a small desk and a larger than usual bathroom. Nothing out of this world in terms of amenities, but exceptionally clean. If you get hot during the night, open up a window. No AC here, which is common in Alaska, but a bummer when you're super hot at night and its pouring too much to open a window. The room service was friendly when we asked them for extra towels and the only issue we had with them was them knocking 2 hours before checkout time asking when we were leaving. All the rooms also include a little goody bad with antibacterial, candy, stickers and coupons, which was a great touch! I would definitely return and splurge on a room with a view. :)

Alaska - Grande Denali Lodge Denali Park Area Before booking my reservation I researched the hotel options in the area. I chose Grande Denali Lodge because it is located on a hill and it overlooks the other hotels, the Nenana River, part of Denali Park and the luxury train that travels from Anchorage to Fairbanks with a stop in Denali Park. I paid extra and reserved an upgraded room with a balcony and a great view. I was so pleased with this room. Sure it didn't come with a flat screen but I wasn't there to stay indoors and watch tv. Sure the decor of the room was slightly outdated but we're talking about Alaska here. You're in the middle of the wilderness not the middle of Manhattan. There was a small welcome bag that had a few souvenirs in it to remember my stay at Grande Denali. That was a thoughtful touch. There was a magnet, sunglasses, a pen, and a postcard inside just to name a few items. I ordered a pizza to go, at Lynx Creek Pub (the pizzas good and they are only a five minute drive away) brought it to my room and sat out on my balcony, ate my pizza, while absorbing the amazing views of Alaska. The parking lot was completely full of cars which lead me believe the hotel was full but there was no one else out on their balcony and it felt like I had the place to myself. It was awesome. I did dine in the restaurant located inside the lodge and it was fine. I just wanted a pizza while sitting on the deck. I drove myself from Anchorage to Denali but keep in mind you have other choices. You can fly, take the train, take a motor coach or drive yourself. It's about a five hour/240 mile drive from Anchorage. Since I drove myself I had a vehicle to drive to the WAC = Wilderness Access Center, this is the location where the Denali Park Tour buses depart from. I wrote a more in-depth Denali Park review on Yelp. I read that the tour bus can pick you up at the Grande Denali Lodge but on my specific tour day I was told the tour bus will not be picking people up and taking them to the WAC where tours depart from. Since I had a vehicle transportation wasn't a problem. If you do not drive yourself I would double check and confirm that you will in fact be picked up at this hotel and taken to the WAC on the day of your tour and write down the persons name who told you you will be picked up. The reservations and front desk agents were all very nice. Prior to booking my reservation at Grand Denali Lodge I had exchanged several emails back and forth with the hotel regarding the different room types and their views. I was always responded to within a day with my questions and concerned answered. I drove around the area and looked at the other hotel options I had read about and I still believe I made the best choice in accommodations. I highly recommend this hotel and I would definitely stay here again.

First room there was hair on the sheets-not much of an apology. Room overlooked parking lot. Construction site. No outdoor seating. Poor layout! Would NEVER stay here again!!

I had a great view -- that was lovely. Everything else kinda blew. You know those endless suburban communities thrown up in the 90s as quickly and as cheaply as possible with bottom dollar materials and construction? That's this place. Everything is cheap, except the prices. Our room was not cleaned the day we were there -- we were gone from it for 9 hours and they didn't touch it. Too tired to raise the alarm on it and shouldn't have to -- it should have been done. They run a regular shuttle down the hill which is nice.

We stayed at the Grande Denali Lodge's sister hotel, the Denali Bluffs hotel. We wanted to see this lodge, so we took their shuttle service to it. Taking the road up the mountain to this Lodge was funny, because the owner/employees have a sense of humor by posting funny road signs as you go up the mountain. The lodge is large and it has nice common areas, we just didn't see any of their rooms. Again, amazing views being so high up.

This place reminded me of a ski hotel. Our room was basic but very clean with a great view of the river. We had cable service that had the channels we like and we also had excellent cell and data service on Verizon. The food was not to our liking but part of that problem is we had the group breakfast buffet. You know the stuff they put on the buffet table. Nothing wrong with it but not our thing. We found some excellent restaurants down the hill that we enjoyed. The hotel part of the operation is very nice.

AJ at the bar makes the best drinks, fun signs on the way up and a beautiful view. Try the mule!

This throw back hotel sits on top of a hill, so you get a 360 degree view of the mountains and river. We were charged $250 per night for a standard room with 2 queens which was reasonable. Free bus service to shopping and eating areas. The Wi-Fi was strong. The hotel staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The only negative was the weak water pressure.

The entire experience was similar to staying at a motel- for $260/ night. Location- not walking distance to any stores/ restaurants, we have to rely on their shuttle to take us down hill. Views are nice, but so are many other hotels in the area. Service- We arrived the first day they got back in business (the entire town is closed Sept to May), but that doesn't justify the disorganization. Most guests' keys were misplaced (the shuttle picks us up from the train depot and hands us the keys to our room), so we had to wait at the lobby for the bus lady to get us the key, 15 min went by, she's MIA. First impression of the lobby was a mayhem- managers interviewing applicants, guests checking in at the same time, front desk under training... Room- Like a motel. Thin towels, loud fan... We had a spider hanging from the ceiling as a roommate. Internet/ cell- We only had it in the lobby, which was a separate building from where we stayed, so we took an electronic break. If we do return to Denali, we will stay at the Princess Lodge (for $200/night and 50% the 2nd night), where all the activities happens. We ended up hanging out at Princess more than at the Grande Denali. We were at the Princess for their shuttle service (runs to more locations and every 15 min, instead of 30 min), dining (more reasonably priced and had a few restaurants to choose from), entertainment, shops, tours... etc. We were hoping to support local businesses like Grande Denali instead of big corporations... But sorry, the value just wasn't there.

Too isolated from the rest of the town with shuttles only once every 40 minutes. No gift shop. Very basic rooms. Not worth the price.

While looking for places to stay in Denali, this was the only place we could find a reservation two months in advance. Location is good but it is uphill a little further away from the city center. However, they have complementary shuttle buses running to and from the lodge to downtown every 40 mins which was very convenient. We had asked for a river and valley facing room and paid extra but the view was partial only and wasn't very good. The Lodge however refunded the difference in price between a standard and a upgraded rooms when we talked to them about the issue. The room was clean and huge, not very luxurious and looked dated. The TV had a huge channel list but few of them were not working. Staff at the reception was friendly and helpful. We ordered a to go lunch from their bar area for $18.00 which came in very handy during our full day Denali Park visit. They packed the lunch in good bags too. Being at a height, the views from here of the valley are amazing.

No views of the mountains, do not stay..hideous service, no access to town... worse hotel I've ever stayed in! Housekeeping opening door at 8:00am. Kicking you out at 9:45am.. total oversell!! Go to Denali village park.. way way better.. nice rooms, nice staff.. turned bad experience to good!

The exterior looks great but underneath all that, it is another 2 star motel. There is WiFi but you can only access it in the lobby! So if you want to work and have sensitive things you need to do, forget working in your room. It's cute that the waiters are all from different countries and the restaurant looks great but don't think your room will match the restaurant. It's still a 2 star motel as far as I'm concerned. They have plastic cups for heavens sake in the rooms. Royal Caribbean will a mouthful from me for booking us here.

Surprised by the negative reviews here. I think it's unrealistic to expect real luxurious accommodations in Denali but this place was comfortable and the views are spectacular. The rooms are standard, I will say. We upgraded to a room with a view (it sort of defeats the purpose if you don't and end up facing the parking lot). Perched high on a hill so not as convenient if you don't have a car (we did) but there were shuttle buses to the park so it wouldn't be that bad. The views from the restaurant and lobby are much better than from the rooms. Alpenglow restaurant seems pretty good but definitely pricey. While initially contemplating going there, we ended up instead at Prospector's Pizza down below in "town" (still pricey but less so ... and amazing beer selection so it was worth it). Wifi worked well, checking in was a breeze (literally two minutes). We had a really good deal for this place (~$150 for an upgraded room with a view) considering prices are double just a few weeks later (it pays to go during the shoulder months!)

We absolutely loved the Grande Denali. Our family of four stayed in two cabins separate from the main hotel. They were down a dirt road, tucked away from the main lodge, and built into the side of the mountain. The views were amazing and each cabin had a porch with a table and chairs. Each cabin also had a living room (with a TV, couch, and chairs), a bedroom with a queen sized bed, and a full bath. Perfect for two people. I wasn't extremely impressed with Alpenglow, the lodge's more upscale restaurant, but the awesome bar food (a full menu) and beer selection made up for it. The lodge staff was extremely helpful and considerate. Not only did they take us to and from our cabins on golf carts (because it was kind of a hike), but they helped us plan our excursions and our days in denali. They recommended an awesome ATV tour and a bus ride into Denali where we could meet the park's sled dogs. The concierge was extremely helpful and her recommendations made our trip even more exciting.

When I write a review I try to be fair and always see the full part of everything. As a result I rarely gave a place low stars. I tried hard to persuade myself to get a better rating but honestly could not find a compelling reason to do so. Here are some facts: 1. We stayed in their two queen bed suite for 2 nights. 2. We payed about $400 a night. 3. The room was normal, the same as what you find in a $100 Inn in a large city and did not have a major problem except its unreasonably high price. 4. I got a large black lipton tea for $4 from their coffee shop. (You can get an Starbox quality tea across the street for $2.50). 5. I got a McDodonald quality and size hamburger at their restaurants for $16. Here is my assessment: When I see the room It was small and not really a $400 room but I thought with myself well here they have only 4 month of tourism and high maintenance fee so it can make sense. However, I got very disappointed at the place once I got their $4 large tea. When you charge $4 per tea you should at least try to use high quality tea. It does not make a difference in their profit margin if instead of 9 cent tea bag, they use a 30 cent tea bag which is not tea powder and actually tastes like tea. This simple example was an indication of the mindset behind the business. The shortsightedness of the people in charge, that just because they have a relative monopoly in the region they can provide low quality service with high price. Later I got the same experience with their restaurants. I spend some other night at other lodges around the same region most of them were at the higher end of price range but their quality were also at a comparable end. This along with its sister lodge (Bluffs) is the only ones that I had such an disappointing experience with.

SUCH A NICE RESORT!!! I was a big fan of the carts that drove us to our cabin. Also the view off of the balcony was unbeatable. Marco and Chad, our cart drivers, were very friendly too. Also, the signs on the way up the mountain made us all cry of laughter. Great stay.

No hot water, therefore no shower. Went to the desk, they are aware; they ran out out of gas. Offers me a "free" $3 cup of coffee. And, the room was dirty. You are pretty captive here. Food is very expensive, as if this was a five star. It is not. The rooms are noisy; you can hear every flush and conversation in the hall. The location is beautiful with a great view.

I would give less than one star if it were possible. Some of the previous reviews are exactly correct: it is a Motel 6 at Ritz prices. First, the hotel has NO amenities. There is no pool, fitness center, etc. Second, the breakfast is not included, expensive, and the service is rude. I recommend not eating in the hotel. Third, the rooms are rundown and DEFINITELY not worth the price. The bathroom is dirty and old and the air conditioning system is poor and makes weird noises. DO NOT stay at the Grande Denali Lodge. There are other hotels in the area that are much cheaper and better. The location is no better than other surrounding hotels, and it is even on a weird hill that takes 5-10 minutes to get up/down. The price of this hotel is absurd, so stay away from the scam that is the Grande Denali Lodge.

In the middle of nowhere we found a gem, much more than we expected to find in such a remote location. Our room had a spectacular view. The hotel was well appointed with a wonderful staff. The Aspenglow Restaurant and Bar had wonderful food. Chef Logan Harris and Patrick Norris prepare unexpected foodie choices. Do not miss the Iced Lemon Vodka Gravlav with Gremolata cream cheese or their Bacon Jam. The hotel has a wonderfully managed shuttle service.

Motel 6 rooms at The Ritz prices, apathetic staff except for the bartender who was fabulous so drive up here, have a drink, enjoy the view and stay somewhere else!