Grande Denali Lodge

Nice large and updated rooms overlooking the Denali NP area. The hotel shuttle and drivers are wonderful for getting into the town, to the train station and national park. Hotel desk "day staff" did not make us feel welcome; however the desk night staff was excellent. Restaurant is overpriced with moderate/low quality. There are no moderately priced dining options on the premises. Take the shuttle into town for some excellent food options.

Good location, reception staff are very polite and responsive however the rooms are beginning to date. Be aware that "view rooms" are really standard rooms - your view maybe that if the carpark - you will need to upgrade to look into the valley (our experience). Location is great for a view from the bar. On our second night the power failed which also meant no water was available. Power came back on at 5:30am along with all alarms which repeated several times over the next half hour and soon late that afternoon. Rooms weren't serviced daily - up to you to message your own bed. Other than restaurant/ bar - not many other facilities.

Great hotel with a view. Food was fair, but very overpriced. Room was better than expected. Bathroom sink was not good, no counter space. Water in shower was set so that you could not have a "hot" shower. I was freezing after being out in 40 degree weather all day. Cute signs coming up the driveway to the hotel. Nice place to take scenery pics.

After the “big room remodel of winter 2023” boasted on the website. Fairbanks residents take a spontaneous trip to Denali Sept 13. Saw the Grande Denali Lodge had rooms for $250 a night for a king room and resident rate. Arrived around 5:45pm, spouse dropped me off near the main building to check in while he searched for parking in the two rows of pull in or parallel parking. Note for anyone with accessibility needs. The ramp to the left of the stairs seems like it would be difficult for some individuals to navigate. Uneven, potholed, blacktop with a steep incline. Check in was pretty standard, vehicle make, model, color, and tag. No parking pass. 2 room keys. Breakfast buffet 6-10am $31 per person. No thanks. No directions to room. There are 2 buildings with multiple floors and some cabins. Went to the first building. Doesn’t require key card to access and doors do not have handles to pull shut. They stick open for a minute, then slam shut. We were the first room next to the entrance with a glorious view of the parking lot. Room view options not provided while booking so I guess it is luck of the draw? Our room door was OPEN resting on the deadbolt. Once closed it was immediately obvious the bottom of the door had been cut at an angle to accommodate the floor. This let in a lot of noise from the hallway as guests came and went through the main door. Meaning they could also hear any sounds from our room. The useless scrap of decorative fabric across the foot of the bed rolled up did cover the gap for a semblance of privacy. The bathroom fan and air unit can provide for decent background noise to muffle some of the hall noise. Heat was off. Rainy cool 45F outside, not much warmer in the room. We are Alaska residents and the room was cold even for us. An hour after turning on the dinosaur baseboard heater the room was still cold. Tip: Turn on air blower of the a/c unit above the heater to blow the heat into the room. Otherwise it just goes into the curtains. Keep heat on high or the unit will shut off. Room was mostly clean. Bath floor was wet around the base of the toilet & next to the shower. Bottom of shower curtain touches the floor & had mold when moved. Brown marks on the wall near the toilet paper. Room stayed cold enough that I didn’t feel comfortable showering & having wet hair. Bedding provided is likely nice in the summer but not warm in Alaska fall. We bring our own blankets and pillows. I kept my clothes and beanie on, added a layer, and used our 2 thick fleece blankets. Felt like camping. Guest WiFi no password, 2 of 3 signal curved bars. Standard browser login pop up, just tap login. I got kicked off every few mins. Keep in mind we were probably one of the closest rooms to the lobby. Able to access 5G using our own data. Did inform the staff of these issues while checking out. These rooms were remodeled last winter. Looks like furniture, floor, and carpet were replaced. Signs that the shower curtain rod had come out of the wall, been reattached, mud but no paint on repairs. For those looking for it: no onsite amenities like hot tub, pool, or sauna. You’re paying for the view. For most half the guests that view is available outside or in the dining area. Do not expect a view from your room. For those driving. The road is unpaved, full of s curves, entertaining signs. Go slow, especially around the curves. Woke before 8am to the entry door slamming and guest chatter hanging out in the hall, followed by the more chatter of guests loading a bus outside our room window, and then a guest rolling their bags down the decking sidewalk right next to our window. My spouse asked if there was heavy machinery in the parking lot and laughed when I said nope, it’s a lady with a rolling suitcase. I don’t blame her as it was the only spot she could roll her bag. Overall, I managed some sleep and can say I’ve stayed at Grande Denali Lodge. I wish I’d looked around for the other hotels. I’ve stayed at the princess lodge in the past and had a much better stay. Hindsight it was Friday the 13th.

The positive for this hotel is the spectacular view from the bar and restaurant. Food was good but at a premium price. The negatives are many : accessibility is difficult , you can only take the shuttle every hour and all your activities will have to be planned around it. The hotel being so high up a steep mountain doesn’t help at all. House keeping in the rooms are very mediocre , we stayed there for 3 days and the room was not done even a single day. The day we arrived a room was allocated to us which was not cleaned at all , had to complain and then we were given a different room.

I should have read the negative reviews more closely before booking. Pros: Beautiful view. Good sized room. Cons: - All of the room fixtures are contractor grade and even then not all that well maintained. - The shuttle service is inadequate. They have a couple of older mini buses with only one usually in service. The pick ups are hourly and probably a third of the time there isn't room for all of those who are waiting. Additionally, you have to travel up a poorly maintained road so that after a few trips you feel like your insides are going to rattle apart. - The service is lacking. If you want your room serviced you have to ask and they remind you to "be sure and leave a tip." When our bus arrived they had one person working the front desk, almost as if they didn't realize we were coming. When the water ran out for almost a day (no showers / no toilet) they made no offers to compensate us. They did provide bottled water if we asked. I complained enough they finally gave me a 25% discount for that one day. - HIGH PRICES! We had to pay an extra $60 to have us and our luggage shuttled from the train station. An above average breakfast buffet is $33 per person. A grab and go sandwich is $14. You get the idea. All this with a $400 a night room. If you are going to Denali I highly recommend staying in one of the hotels near the village. You can easily walk to the village. The shuttle to the park is a nice new full size bus. The food options are far more varied and better prices. (Yes, food is expensive in Alaska, but the Grand Denali is ridiculous.) Also, the views are great from virtually anywhere.

I only gave a two star on the location because of the views. Truth is about the location is you are stuck on the top of a hill with only the restaurant at the lobby to serve you. My parents, 4 kids, wife and I ate at the restaurant and it was $650. Food was good but not $650 good. We bought two cokes, a hot pocket, and meat/cheese/cracker snack from the cafe for $27. Staff is not very knowledgeable or helpful. Bartenders were good and friendly.

Very good location and wonderful views! Breakfast is pricey if you don't have a voucher though, so make sure that's included with your stay! They have a nice restaurant and a snack bar. Great overall!!!