Puffin Inn of Anchorage

If I could, I’d rate it 3.5 stars — it wasn’t a terrible stay. After spending the previous night in a rundown hotel in New York, my stay here felt like such a relief. To me, it looked more like a motel than a hotel, as my room was on the second level with access from the outside. The lobby is beautiful, though the rooms don’t quite match that same charm. I had booked through a third party, so when I asked if I could switch to a room inside the main building, they weren’t able to accommodate my request. The room itself was a bit dated, but I’ve seen worse. The main issue was the toilet, which flushed very poorly. I asked the front desk for help, but unfortunately no one came to fix it. On the positive side, breakfast was included and that was a big plus — boiled eggs, fresh fruit, a waffle maker, coffee… it was a great way to start the day. There’s also a shuttle service, which is very convenient. Unfortunately, during our stay it had to be repaired, so we couldn’t rely on it to get to the airport train station for our cruise departure. I was only there for one night, as part of my trip on the Norwegian Jade cruise. We were very tired after barely sleeping the night before, so having an excellent restaurant like Chopped and Chowdered within walking distance was truly a bonus.

Back from this trip, I change the stars to FIVE. But remember this hotel seems bundled with Agoda, a traveling booking website. I didn't want to leave 5 stars review in Agoda as they didn't help any, instead I gratefully want to tell google reviews viewers this hotel's service is heartfelt. They solved my most worry thoughts and hotel itself just done renovation in their main building. This hotel is a scale of accommodation complex, they have one 3 floors hotel like main building, a annex building which is located on the next lot, and one or two motel clusters. I believe you won't have the nuisances issues shared in the reviews if you stay in the main building. The only sounds we sensed just the adjacent doors slamming. Mattress hardness is soft to medium. You choose the type of rooms before booking wisely, any questions concerns call the hotel directly to ask before you book on other 3rd parties websites. Airport shuttle seems perfect and dedicated. The heater may be not warm, it was fine for October. Overall, it became a cherish experience to provide a home feeling for our 4 days Anchorage trip. This is a pre-review about strongly reminding not to use Agoda, they scammed the cancellation policy from free 24 hours before check in to 24 hours after booking. NOT to book through Agoda. Others 3rd party, must review the confirmation letter after you booked immediately, the cancellation may not match the web page you picked. I'll update the review about the hotel, if Agoda won't fully refund me for cancellation while the hotel confirmed I can.

Location was good in terms of where I needed to be. Pictures on the Hotel website are deceiving though. The lobby is quaint, the front grounds maintained, but the rooms are nothing more than cheap quality, low budget, uncomfortable , not worth the price disasters. My room was 1117. Weird parking lot with limited spaces. The beds were hard as rock and lumpy. It was 43 degrees and raining outside and our noon Heater did not come on. The AC fan ran blowing in more cold air and wouldn’t shut off: The front desk had a sorry, not sorry attitude: claimed they were sold out and refused to give us another heated room. The manager sent the shuttle driver to bring us a space heater which was dirty, smelled and noisy. It took hours to get the room to a comfortable temp and it was ridiculous!! I asked for a refund and the manager, Jackie, refused. I asked to speak to someone over her and she said they would give me the same answer. Horribly rude. Later she sent the driver back to see if we left or not. This poor guy was so uncomfortable. This was not his job. We traveled. All day from Arizona, it was nearly 10 pm, I had a sick grandchild and a freezing room which smelled like dog pee. It was horrible. My room is prepaid for 3 nights and they are holding me hostage to the charge: it’s completely unacceptable as they knew before renting me this room that they had below standard heating and cooling. The manager said it’s against their policy to comp a room or offer a discount for the inconvenience and discomfort. Don’t let their pictures and descriptions full you!

This is the worst hotel stay for as long as I can remember. Photos posted by the hotel show deluxe rooms in the main building. The standard rooms at the annex are several steps down in terms of everything. After paying the difference, we upgraded to a suite. While paying the highest rate per night, we got a room that had a stuck window and defective bathroom GFCI, preventing the hair dryer to be used. It took the staff almost two days not to repair the GFCI, but to provide another hair dryer. Furthermore, housekeeping did not service the room while we were out. We were only told when we complained that requests for room cleaning must be made each and every morning. Fresh towels also have to be asked for. We even had to take out the trash. If this is in fact hotel policy, it should have been made very clear when we checked in. Most of the staff we talked to were nice, but our requests were simply not being dealt with. Maybe they are just overworked. Maybe they need better training and higher expectations. Either way, this hotel has serious management issues. Save for a relatively inexpensive room to stay just one night while flying in our out of Anchorage, I'd strongly recommend taking your money and luggage somewhere else.

Don't let the price or the lobby fool you into believing this is a good hotel. We arrived, checked in and headed to our room. The window was open, bathroom fan was on. It was all in an attempt to cool the room. It was about 85 degrees in the room. We attempted to turn on the air conditioning, it did not cool at all and it just blew hot air! The window would not latch when we tried to close it. My sister's room was only partially cleaned and the second bed wasn't even made and looked as though the sheets weren't changed. The door wouldn't even latch properly. Our room phones did not work. The elevator broke shortly after our arrival and we were told it would be out of order. Location of this property were less than ideal and due to the lack of functioning window latches, door latches the deplorable room conditions, and the safety issues all this created, we left.

Should be asleep at the Puffin Inn right now. The ac/heater in the room we were given would run ac for a few minutes then start putting out warm to hot air then repeat. We were treated like we were ignorant and didn’t know anything while I told the dude exactly what the problem was and gave him options. Couldn’t open the window, it was stripped and broken, fan was mentioned but never actually arrived (we’re dumb and making the heat in the room up I guess). When we asked for a refund the manager finally offered a different room but it was literally too late as I’d already made reservations at the downtown Hilton for about the same price. Save yourself some hassle and go somewhere else.

The accommodations did not even come close to the pictures online. the pictures are for the highest cost units off the lobby. Although they claim they are renovating their units for moderate and low-cost rooms, they are very old and like staying in a jail cell. Windows didn't open or were fixed closed. No ventilation from the outside. units open to small exterior corridor with no view of anything but a wall. the breakfast was typical, bagels, waffle maker, toast, cold cereal, hot cereal packets, hard boiled eggs, yogurt. Room was clean, door keys didn't always work, bed was comfortable. Shuttle to airport and float plane area was very useful but only runs on the hour and half hour.

The 1 and 2 star reviews are correct. The Puffin Inn has massive health, safety and service issues, and apparently has had these issues for years. The whole place should be bulldozed.|We checked-in to a suite room (for a very high $491.68 including tax and fees). On the way to the room, we observed four industrial level fans apparently drying out the hallway. (Upon inquiry, there had been water damage in a room on the second floor requiring "demolition and correction"). Our room at the end of the hallway with the fans immediately smelled of mold, and my wife and daughter had adverse reactions within two minutes of entry. We asked for an alternate suite room on the third floor. On entry, that room also smelled of mold. In addition, the interior door handle fell off the door when turned. This essentially locked me into the room until I was able to jury-rig the handle to open the door. This is a major safety violation. We decided not to stay at the Puffin Inn, asked the front door clerk if we could get a refund; she responded "Yes". I booked an alternate accommodation, then went to the same Puffin Inn front desk clerk, and asked to process the refund. She now stated that she had not previously agreed to a refund, a blatant lie! She stated I had to talk to her manager, who was gone, and would return in the morning. When I returned the next morning and talked to the manager, she repeatedly stated that the Puffin Inn "does not have a mold problem", was very rude, would not refund the first night's billing, but only refund the second reserved night. Read the reviews, the Puffin Inn has many reviews stating mold and other cleanliness problems!

Do NOT believe the pictures on their website and buyer beware. Perhaps the rooms in the main building are fine, however do not reserve an "economy" room unless you truly don't care where you stay. We had landed after 10 pm in Anchorage and had two nights booked here while we explored the city the following morning. Puffin Inn does have going for it, the proximity to the airport and a 24 hour shuttle and front desk. I didnt use the shuttle but it was helpful to have arrived later to an open front desk. The lobby was cool and they had a ton of info about the surrounding area that was helpful. Then I realized where my room was and when I got there, I just wanted to cry. Yes, the rates are lower but certainly not cheap. I paid over $200 a night for a sketchy room with no furniture, stained carpets and a location in back alley that looked like former run down apartments. Had to carry luggage up rickety stairs and the area didn't seem safe to leave my car parked overnight. By the time I got to my room around 11, I seriously wanted to check out and find somewhere else. I checked the bathroom which was clean, to my relief and the sheets and beds were okay also. Having invested a lot for the rest of my trip outside of Anchorage, I sucked it up and decided to stay. It wasn't pleasant and I didn't sleep great with a rickety AC wall unit that made grinding noises all night. However, the next day, I was out exploring from 9 am to well after 10, so was barely in the room. It was relief to check out. I had originally had one more night at the end of my trip booked, the night before my flight home. I cancelled it and booked somewhere else. Gross, shady hotel for a high price if you're staying in one of the annexes and not the main building.

I can't believe I spent almost $250 for this joke of a hotel. So many things have gone wrong: * Our bathroom door wouldn't close. Not even if you're using the lock. * We had zero large towels in the bathroom when we arrived. All there was one small hand towel. That's all. * Trash hasn't been taken out after the previous guests. * Our bed cover had nasty cigarette burns. The only few positive things I can point out is the close proximity to the airport, the overall quietness of the hotel at night and the comfortable bed. Overall, there must be other better hotels to choose from - Puffin Inn seemed too ghetto for its price.

This is the first hotel that I've ever walked out of in my life and I recommend that nobody else book this hotel either if you value your sanity. First, we showed up at 5 PM on a Friday evening to check into our room. Check-in begins at 3 PM. We were informed that our room was not yet ready. We asked if they had any other rooms available for us as we were tried from traveling. The front desk clerk rudely replied no. While we were waiting 30 minutes in the lobby, we checked the hotel website and they were offering other rooms so that was clearly a lie but whatever. I can overlook that. The part that I really want to stress is that there are two different buildings to this hotel. There's the main building and then there's a second building in the back near an alley. There was a dumpster and a shipping container taking up most of the parking spaces as we pull up. The paint is chipping off the railings as we walk up the stairs. The room we got was something you see out of a Law and Order episode. I am not even joking that this was one of the worst hotel rooms I have ever seen and looks nothing like the pictures on the website. I walked out and did not stay the night. That was a waste of $200. I wouldn't have paid $50 for that room. We immediately left this hotel and booked a much nicer hotel for less money than they were charging for the same night. I recommend that you avoid this hotel and its rude staff.

The Puffin Inn was a solid home base for two days in Anchorage. Clean room, comfortable bed, free wi-fi, good bathroom/shower, free off street parking. Very close to airport and easy drive to anywhere in town. Our room was double queen, deluxe room in the main building. It was a little pricey for what you get, but prices in Anchorage are high when you travel to Anchorage over 4th of July. From other reviews, it appears that you might not want to stay in the Annex.

Solid room, funny and friendly staff, excellent location next to the airport. Will use again.

I do not understand the low rating. it is a motel, people, what are you expecting? And as far as motels go, this was tops. Only complaint I would have it parking situation was a bit dicey, but otherwise beds were comfy, room was clean, staff amazing. Loved the cozy blanket (even bought one to take home). If you are looking for cheap, clean and comfortable place to stay, I recommend coming here.

Stayed at the Puffin Inn one night because it had a free shuttle to and from the airport in Anchorage and was slightly better priced (but still pretty steep) than other hotels/motels in the airport area. It was a watm day/night and the air conditioning barely kept the room coolish. Our rooms were in "The Annex" and after checking in we had to walk with our bags down the street to what looked like an old apartmentbuilding that had been converted to hotel rooms. We had to muscle our bags up 4 or so steps to the 2nd floor. Minimal air conditioning and really quite a shabby space. We couldn't get the TV or any of our devices to connect to the internet. The desk staff was pretty grumpy both at checkin and in the morning. The one redeeming feature was the shuttle a d shuttle drivers. If we were ever looking for a place to stay near Anchorage airport with a shuttle, I'd select a different property - many of them have free shuttles.

The staff were great and very accommodating to our sudden need for a room since we had missed our flight late at night! could not ask for a better experience! will be returning!

This is the perfect place to stay if you need a quick overnight before the airport. I wouldn't recommend a long term stay here. We stayed here during our last night in Anchorage- Arrived at 9 pm and checked out at 4 am. They have a free airport shuttle, which runs on the half hour. Very convenient for early flights but honestly, an Uber to the airport from there is also probably $10. My two biggest complaints are the noise at night - We could hear our neighbors loud and clear - and the lack of elevators. There is only one elevator in the lobby. We were in the connected building and had to carry our luggage up and down stairs. Not super ideal when you have 2-3 bags per person.

Great budget hotel!! I seriously enjoyed the stay and staff was sweet. Breakfast was great and kept me full until mid day. The rooms are very "lived in" and cheap but we didn't spend most of our time in the room anyways. Perfect location & includes a shuttle to and from airport

This is not an upscale chain hotel like the Hilton, Marriot, Comfort Inn, or Springhill Suites. And unlike the Captain Cook, the rates are not nearing $500/night. The price is less than half of what those places charge in summer, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was as nice as it is. I paid $160/night after taxes for a room with a single queen size bed. Others I checked ranged from $270-$500/night. I needed a hotel near the airport, and the Puffin has a 24 hour shuttle (my flight boarded at 5:15 am, so I needed a shuttle at 4:30 am). It's an older hotel that could use some updates, but the carpet and bathroom is clean, it has a great hot shower with good water pressure, and the bed is comfy with great pillows and a lovely duvet. The Puffin branding was darling, with special tiles in the bathroom shower and even a puffin shower curtain. I love Puffins, so this cheery symbol was welcoming to me. The artwork on the walls was Alaska themed, and not tacky, although not originals. Clearly, some thought has been given to the amenities (toiletries, Ironing board, coffee station, nice towels, and good quality bedding). The convenience to the airport was my main interest, but it's Northwest location provides easy access to the major roads heading all directions. Anchorage itself is a hotbed of mentally ill street people downtown in summer - and in my short time near Walmart, I witnessed 3 obvious meth tweakers stumbling around, and one almost fell off his bike as we drove by. I don't know about you, but I do not feel safe around meth heads tweaking in public. As a Retired Nurse, I am familiar with the erratic behavior that often goes with meth use, and I don't want to be anywhere near it on vacation. At the Puffin, I feel safe. It's worth a few extra bucks to avoid the noise and danger that comes with a true budget hotel where you might run into unsavory characters looking for a score. My room had a solid lock and felt secure. I was in the main building on the 3rd floor. I would definitely stay here again if I ever end up in Anchorage with an early flight back... And PS, the reception desk is manned 24/7 with excellent service and security. Enjoy your adventures in Alaska! I did!!

I should have known better , upon arriving at 3 pm for check in , we were told our room was not ready ... so we sat in the lobby watching an assortment of people check in . Finally after 40 minutes we were given clearance to go to our room only to find a rude housekeeping staff tell us our room wasn't ready. Went back to lobby and told the FDesk we'd be back after grabbing a bite to eat. Arrived an hour later and still not ready! Finally after another 20 min we get cleared for our room As luck would have it , we get situated and the running and jumping begins overhead. Two phone calls begging the front desk to do something and Nothing. It's after 10 pm and it is still going on! Yes be sure to ask for a clean room , with a bath mat which we had none, finger nail polish all over the counter, what looked like blood stains on the bathroom door. If your tall the toilets are so low you'll be lucky to make it off the pot! Certainly at over 300$ for a room you can do better Be sure to check your sheets for bugs and make sure they've actually changed the sheets ! .

Disappointed at hotel. Room was dirty shower water did not stay warm for even a minute. Arrived late to find no towels in the room. I will never stay there again and for $250 a night it was horrible.

It's ok, if you stay in the main building and not the rundown annexes full of spiders and bedbugs

I don't ever really do ratings because I think they are for really unhappy people with nothing to do in life but I would feel kinda weird not saying anything about this place. We stayed here for 5 days and we constantly had a mouse problem, there was a family of mice(we could tell because they were various sizes), that was roaming around the hotel and made stops in our room. They ate the creamer packets that were on top of our microwave. Maybe it's inevitable in Anchorage in January because they are hiding from the cold but idk, if you're allergic or scared of mice don't book here. My husband and I are animal people so it didn't bother us too much. The shower also has like 5 very small streams that work and the water pressure is very high, if you're not too careful, you'll get pelted with burning water. It also kinda smells like you have a bloody nose when the shower is on, like that very iron-y smell. I would feel bad giving it one star because the location is good, right by the airport and there's a bus stop right by the front if you're thinking about using local transport. The staff are also fairly nice and accommodating. And the bed is pretty comfortable. Breakfast is alright, a lot of Costco muffins, bagels, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, and a waffle maker. I probably wouldn't choose it again but there's definitely worse available.

Gave us a hell of a deal, bless this place, would recommend if you're in between a whole moving out process.

Complained to front desk and had the cops called on me (not a joke). Booked one night so I could take my kids to the zoo the next day and drive back home. Showed up and enterdd the lobby, the woman behind the counter did not acckolwledge me in anyway until I said i had a rservation. She checked me in reluctantly then told me I was staying the annex. Left the main building drove to the annex and was immediatly greeted with a parking lot full of, shall we say, interesting individuals. Pretty sure my cars is getting broken into tonight. Unloaded my family and stuff into the room with furnutire cheaper than my colledge dorm and about as clean. Whatever, its just one night. Fast forward to putting my kids to bed, flip down the blanket to find dried blood on the sheets. Yep, I'm upset now. Go to front desk and find the same woman still there, great. Say my sheets have blood stains on them. She says "I aint housekeeping, I'll get you new ones and you can put them on." I tell her no, either you move me rooms or refund me as I'm not staying in that room anymore. "There ain't no more rooms." Okay, I'll just take my refund and leave. "I can't give you a refund, I'm front desk, not the manager." Okay, let me talk to the manager. "She ain't here." Well then call her. "I don't like your tone. I ain't talking to you anymore." (Noticing a pattern yet?) I kid you not, that is what she said. Fine, I say, let me talk to the manager. "I ain't talking to you anymore, either leave or I'm calling the cops." I just want to speak to the manager. She calls the cops. I throw my key on the desk and leave, I don't need this crap. I'll just get my card company to cancel the charge. So If having police called is your expectation of customer service stay at the Puffin Inn.

I had an amazing stay at the Puffin Inn. Every staff member was so kind and eager to help. The rooms were comfortable, clean and spacious. I am so happy I stayed here!

Extremely dirty and disgusting room. Rude staff. Rude house keeping. Just left the sheets in the room and said you change them yourself. I showed the pictures to the front staff and she shamelessly said "yes this is what you paid for". Wow!

Yes - I have stayed at the what is known now as the Classic Puffin (thousand yard stare) off and on for the better part of two decades. It is pedestrian picking to point out the oft absurdities of this Inn using the standards of the lower 48. In short - if you measure accommodations in thread-count and luxury flair, you will not find solace in the hunters cabin equivalent that the Puffer represents. - Signifacantly reduces exposure to frostbite, or seasonally flying insect bites. - Close proximity to transportation, staple food sources, and the what can be the best beer drunk you will ever get. - Heavy Duty gravel landscaping - Dysentary and cholera cases virtually nil. - Will not be eaten by wolves in the night. Excellent Value - Readily Available - Good Gravel

We needed to come from Nome a couple of days early because of a storm brewing. Puffin Inn was last minute because of a vacancy. I'm pretty happy here. We are in the annex which sounded like a horror show, but..... Third floor of annex and it's mostly refreshed if not completely remodeled. The walls are bright white, carpet appears clean. Bedding is updated and new lovely window coverings. We are in 3304 of the annex and it's very quiet on a Friday night. Except for a few stairs (no Elevator) everything has been a great surprise compared to the reviews. Breakfast is not in this review and if it's over too early I'll take the money I'm saving and go to Gwennies and get a real breakfast!

This place looked good in the photos and the lobby was nice, but the room was a bust. Plugs wouldn't hold the charger, hairdryer didn't work, etc. Tiny room and aged with a sloppy paint job. The building was old, which I'm usually ok with, but this was like a slum lord property that someone attempted to paint to make a better impression. What top it off was the wet dirty towel that was behind the shower curtain when I got in. Prices were high in Anchorage and this was on the lower end, but for over $200 a night you can at least get someone to remove the dirty towels from the bath when cleaning.

Stayed one night and I am thankful that was all. Shuttle to and from the airport was a great help. That is why I give 2 stars and not 1. The room was freshly painted and had a very strong new paint smell. The floors were dirty and not vacuumed near the walls. The front counter staff were not friendly. There was very loud hammering and sawing going on in the room below us and this went on until around 7pm and started again before 8 am. When I asked the front desk when the noise might stop, I was told, "We are doing this during business hours, and it will continue until the workers are done for the day." I explained that we had been travelling for many hours and needed to sleep. I was then ignored with no response. I did not feel save in the surrounding area. We walked to a close by seafood restaurant and saw a young lady selling herself and 3 homeless people. In my opinion I made a big mistake and should have paid a few extra dollars for a higher quality hotel.

Zero customer service! Front desk, Rude! Filthy, mold in room! Stay clear of this DUMP!

This was the second worst motel I've ever stayed in. The first room looked as if it hadn't been cleaned, even though it had, and there was a belt hanging near the door (talk about creepy). Luckily Stephanie helped me move rooms. The second room wasn't much better, but she gave me Clorox wipes to wipe it down. What is it with dirty tables in this place anyways? It at least seemed a bit cleaner. I can tell you that I did not feel safe here. Ok..hold on..let me find a silver lining: the sheets were clean and the bed was surprisingly comfortable. The TV had some decent channels. The continental breakfast was OK. I liked that they had hard boiled eggs for the protein-packed breakfast person I am. Don't get me wrong, I would never, ever stay in this place again...but for the 8 hours I needed the room, it did it's job...

The pictures do not represent this place. The walls and windows are so thin you can hear everything. Thought our window was opened because we can clearly hear the traffic. You can hear doors slamming because you have to slam these doors to closed them. There's an apartment next door. Furnitures are old and outdated. Bed is comfortable but not the best. Lobby is nice. If you want a quiet place to sleep this is not the place. Glad we only stayed one night.

It was definitely a convenient location to get to the airport and I did not have a problem with the customer service, but the person before me and after me both had issues with their rooms and situations. Make sure to tell them 24 hours in advance if you are going to want a late check out. The room was not the cleanest, but it is a motel feel so you get what that entails. The lobby is fantastic though with two awesome bears above the door frame.

Puffin Inn - no soap in the bathroom, only lotion. Hair literally sticking out of the wall mount dryer. It's a meh, from me. Comfy bed.

Giving it a 2 star rating only because the shuttle driver was a nice guy. We called the hotel for shuttle pick up when we got to the airport and 40 minutes later we were still waiting. Called again and he finally showed up....asked why it took so long and nobody told him the first time that we were waiting. Beds are not comfortable, pillows are horrible. Bathtub/shower looked like it had black mold in it. Spend the extra money and stay somewhere else! Definitely not worth the $300+ I spent.

Staff was super friendly and our room felt very clean! Not a luxury hotel by any means but we feel like we got a great stay for what we paid. Options for breakfast every morning were pretty standard & pre-packaged, although there are no hot eggs or breakfast meats. The guest laundry facilities were also nice, about $5 total to both wash and dry your clothes. Options for inside-entry and outside-entry rooms so you can choose your preference. Really great location right next to a bus stop if you want to save some money by using public transit on your trip, and they will pick you up/drop you off at the airport and hold your bags at the front free of charge!

They could stick to the listed amount charged each night instead of doing the bait & switch.

I checked in to the hotel and was assigned to annex. I turned on the heat and an hour later when it didn't get warmer I called the front desk. I was told there was likely no other room in my "section" meaning she wouldn't move me to the main part of the hotel. When I pressed more I was told that it probably wasn't that cold and the room should be fine. She might be able to send up a heater. I explained that it wasn't unreasonable to expect a working hotel room and she argues that I just wanted something for free. Pay the extra $10 and stay at The Clarion.

Main building is ok. Annex next to main building, can be hit or miss. Rooms there are very old design, with old stains, etc., and rooms can have awkward designs. DON'T stay in the annex away from the building towards the lake. I was given a room there (when I thought I'd be in main building). After desk clerk yelled into the radio several times to ask if the room was clean, I went over to discover an old building with no elevator. Halls were dirty, dirty laundry scattered on the floor, trash and trash bags everywhere. My room was NOT clean. Ran a washcloth along inside edge of tub (a jet tub whose valves were black with mold) and it came away black with dirt. No bathmat. Carpet dirty. Desk and end tables covered in dust. Suspicious black spots on bedding!*(*probably just plain dirt, didn't see active bed bud dirt) Coffee maker sitting in a puddle of water with the carafe sitting in the mini fridge filled with water. Room was definitely not cleaned and that was gross enough, but under COVID too???? When asked to change rooms, I finally was brought into the main building, but I had to pay more for it. Oh, and the desk clerk was passive aggressive with me, even after my apologizing for being upset about the situation, but insisting that I get into a room that was clean and comfortable. (Which I did finally get into.) But seems like my rooms keys just couldn't stay active either, keys deactivated on me at both rooms. And breakfast was kind of disappointing too. Had to ask for the juice machine to be turned on - which was obviously an inconvenience to ask the clerk about. Bagels were stale. I used to stay here back in the early 2000's, thought I'd give them a go again. Nope. Never again.

My special needs son was on a fishing trip with (friends) who dropped him off at the airport a day ahead of his flight , unexpectedly , us being in Colorado we panicked ! We called the puffin inn and spoke with Tooley at the front desk who was incredibly helpful and went totally beyond her job to help with this situation! I'm so grateful for her !! she had the shuttle driver go over to the airport to grab him and get him there ASAP , the level of relief was beyond words , so thank you so very much Tooley for everything you did !

Only one person handling check in and also answering phones. Line was 8 people back. Took forever to check in. Lobby could be a lot more cleaner. Haven't been in room yet and expectations not high. Would not stay here again

This motel is best for its location convenience to the airport. It's an older building, but it seems that they have renovated little things here and there like the bathroom and lighting fixtures. It is located within walking distance to a gas station, Subway, and a few local restaurants (Jinmi Korean, Capri Pizza, and Fukumaru Teriyaki). Chyna at the front desk does her best to offer great customer service and I have to say that she works well under stress. The brown bear taxidermies in the lobby are a nice touch! Overall, I would only recommend this motel for a one night stay before or after flying at the airport.

Our check in time was at 3:00 PM and the room was not ready so we were asked to give them another 30 mins so as to get the room ready for us. After giving them the asked time, it was still not ready so we finally got the room at 4:00 PM. We had booked two rooms and 3 of my family members were going to reach in the evening. The receptionist was not willing to give me the room key for the second room until the other family members were there and they had to provide an ID as well. This is a very bizarre requirement if this is coming from the management. If I booked the room on my name and if I provide you credit card for authorization & deposit, why do you need the the ID of the remaining guests as they are coming in a later flight. Mind you we were traveling from California and after flying for that long, the receptionist whose name was Chyna was rude and arrogant to us. When asked to talk to the manager and she mentioned that the manager was out on vacation and cannot be reached. No wonder !!! A note to management: If you have a requirement to have ID of all the guests staying in the room, you need to communicate it to the guests well in advance and not SURPRISE them when they are arriving at the time of check-in. This is anything but Hospitality and you are in the wrong business.

This hotel ripped me off on 11-27-2019 in the amount of $69.89. I contacted Expedia to get a better rate that day after, setting up a reservation (with the understanding that I would pay the hotel rate once I checked in). Well, once we arrived at the hotel and began the process of checking in I was notified by the hotel clerk that I was not going to be allowed to stay there because of some sort of history of a problem (had no idea of what they were talking about). I was concerned about the situation but, decided not to get into a big debate with the clerk. After we heard what she was saying to us we turned around and began to walk away. Once we got to the front entry way to leave she (clerk) stated that we should try the hotel across the street. We acknowledged her and continued out the door. Well, today 12-10-2019 I was going through my credit card and noticed a charge from Puffin Inn posted today. I contacted the hotel and actually spoke to the lady who was working that night we attempted to check in. She indicated that she informed us to contact Expedia to cancel our reservation online that very night. Both my girlfriend and I never one time heard her make that comment. When I made contact with her she also stated that it was Expedia who charged my card not them. She said we needed to get ahold of Expedia to straighten it out but, she didn't think they would reimburse my card because I didn't call them that very night. I did just that and Expedia indicated that it was not there actions that led to the charge on my card but, the hotel "PUFFIN INN". I again contacted the hotel only to be treated with disrespect and informed it was because of a no show and that Expedia had charged them for the one night reservation. In closing, the hotel new I never stayed that night but, still chose to charge my card. Whatever there policy is regarding the justification in charging me for a night I never stayed there is absolutely ridiculous. They are ripping off the public by there sneaky business practices they apparently get away with legally. So funny how they treat people in the beginning vs. the way they treat you once they have your card information. Never Again PUFFIN INN

If I could leave the most negative review I would. Highly recommend not to even waist your time. Pay the extra or just sleep in your car you can thank me later

Second worst hotel I've ever stayed in. Abysmal customer service - and apparently the front desk and housekeeping don't communicate - we were given the key to our room only to get there and find the door open, beds stripped, nothing clean. Located a housekeeper who told us she was on a 20 minute break, had to eat to have "energy" to finish the job. Asked us to return in 45 minutes. We did, to find the TV left on and a non-working remote still in the room that the housekeeper said she'd replace when we saw her earlier. No soap, not even for hand washing. We were told to either find a housekeeper or come to the front desk to get it ourselves. The room felt grimy and when we returned after it was made ready it smelled strongly of chemical cleaner. The window did not open. Pillows and bedding were of the low class motel variety. Carpets stained, linoleum in the bathroom spongy and cracked. All night the room was uncomfortably hot - with weather in the 60s outside. Since its Alaska there was no A.C. and it was very hard to sleep. Overall, a very unpleasant and distasteful experience. Oh, and the elevator smelled strongly of stale mold. Go elsewhere - anywhere else should be a better option.

This place is increasingly offering less. Yes, good location to the airport but so are many others now. Price, for what they provide, is too high. We have come here for over 20 years now and decided to try some other accommodation in the future.

Lost this repeat customer due to nasty room, and after i wrote 2 different letters to managers with no responses, i decided to leave my review with pictures. There are better options in anchorage.

Normally I don't write reviews but his place deserves one for future travelers. Internet does not work, air conditioning does not work, place was filthy and not sure I actually had clean sheets. One heck of a way to start my vacation.

Shady hotel...unprofessional staff and unexplainable extra charges. I would choose a chain because they have customer service standards that Puffin is lacking.

So disappointed, at least we got a full refund but we checked out with in three minutes of entering the room. One bed was missing sleeping pillows.

They could not take a credit card at the front desk (check-in). They demanded cash. With no credit card on file they locked us out of using the room phone, even for local calls (they did not mention that at check-in). The room temp was stuck at 75F+ , could not sleep, (not hot weather, snowing outside). Could not open the window, the mechanism to open it was trashed. Could not open the front door due to rancid air quality outside, (cigarette smoke and diesel fumes). Every deadbeat with a pack of smokes was camped outside the door. Hot sweaty room with no access to breathable air. Semi tractor repairs going on outside my room. The same Semi tractor was started up about 2am and left running all night until I got dressed and complained at the front desk. TV screen went blank or froze about every 20 seconds. $200 a night to stay in a run-down dump. I would dispute the charges, but the had already extorted me for cash up front. No satisfaction at the front desk at check-out. I departed early with a pounding migrane from the smoke and fumes in the air. In my opinion this borders on criminal fraud. NEVER STAY AT THIS DUMP.

Although it's not like a high end hotel it's a great hotel. Last minute I needed a room and I paid half the price of others at Puffin Inn. It does the job and the staff goes above and beyond. Taz the manager should get a tremendous pay raise. She was so professional, kind and just the best. If you you're in need of a hotel I recommend Puffin Inn.

Please don't even consider booking this hotel! The moment we arrived, there was this stench in the lobby and as I got closer to the front desk I soon realized that the horrid stench was coming from the front desk girl, Chyna, who greeted me with a nasty look and not even a hello. We wanted to check in after a long day of traveling and they said that they're short staffed so our rooms won't be ready by check in so they suggest that we wait. We decided to drive around for 2 hours only to come back and for them to tell us that the rooms still aren't ready because they are so short staffed. Outside of the hotel, there are prostitutes and druggies. We finally got checked into one of the three rooms that we booked and the moment that I walked in, it reeked of pot and cigarettes. I then proceeded to go to the front desk and cancel our booking as the room was filthy AND the other rooms still weren't ready and it's been 3 hours past the time we were supposed to check in. I asked nicely only for chyna to erupt and start raising her voice at us which honestly shocked me as I didn't realize that she would be so offended that we wanted to cancel. She got bright red and looked like she was about to beat us up! Side note, wear a mask when you come to this hotel, not because of Covid, but because of Chyna's horrendous breath which smelled like sewer. Anyway, long story short, they refused to cancel our booking as they are scammers and even the manager refused. Save your time, energy, and money and go book elsewhere!

Stayed during the summer season. It was expensive for just a bathroom, tv, coffee maker and bed. We were in the older building, the rest of the place was remolded. It was cozy and clean. We just needed a bed. It was a little loud being by the road. Breakfast was simple: coffee, cereal, bread, canned fruit, and waffles. The staff was friendly and helpful.