The Explorer Hotel

Light fixture in the kids lower bunk didn’t work and was missing parts and was a safety issue. Safe was held together by duct tape. Kids were entertained by all the paint that was pealing off the wall which is hopefully not lead paint. Front desk is not shocked by any of this. Expect a poor experience in these areas.

More or less the first building you see coming in from the airport, the Explorer Hotel is a welcome sight. I stayed here several years ago on my first and only visit to Yellowknife. Not knowing quite what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by the establishment. All the amenities one would expect and not a terribly far walking distance from the downtown core.

I found the Explorer Hotel to be a nice place to stay. The king bedroom I was in was very large, with a seating area as well as a desk to work off of, which was very nice. The room was also very clean. The room did look a little dated, but that type of thing does not bother me. The views from the window were very nice. Would love to see what the view is like in summer. They offer a shuttle to the airport which is also helpful.

Beautiful hotel and great location for walking to many town restaurants and shops. We loved the art and polar bear exhibit in the lobby. Friendly staff and great food in the restaurant. The air conditioner didn’t get as low as we prefer for sleeping but it was fine.

Five star review 👍, good work welcoming us. Rooms are clean, well supplied and quiet. Service from all hotel staff including the restaurant was top notch, you can't go wrong staying here. Get a lake view room.

The room was clean, well-maintained, and equipped with all the essentials for a comfortable stay. Housekeeping was prompt and consistent, and the front desk staff were courteous and helpful throughout my stay. Overall, the service exceeded my expectations and contributed to a relaxing experience.

Nice hotel, a little dated in some areas. Great rooms, very comfy. Helpful staff. Only downside is no laundry services on site. Walking distance to restaurants coffee bar and stores. Will stay here again

I've stayed at The Explorer numerous times and have always had a great experience. I had a few issues with my reservation this time around but, William, who works at the front desk was amazing. He helped figure out some errors with my current and future reservations, explained everything to me and fixed it all. Thank you, William. Your assistance and friendliness was greatly appreciated. You really are great at provider exceptional customer service.

Outstanding hotel, the best in Yellowknife. Close to everything and the friendliest staff.

The hotel was to pick us up at the airport and the bus left just as we exited the airport. I called the hotel, who did not pick up the phone. So we took a taxi to the hotel and I informed the front desk I would like to talk about the bus, he very rudely said I do not want to talk about the bus and walked away from me. Breakfast was supposed to be to be prepaid but the restaurant refused to acknowledge this and made me pay for every day so far. Tonight only one elevator worked, I personally could not recommend this hotel to anyone! And they do not care they were rude or anything, I've complained to my travel agency to no help at all. Enen knowing our trouble they still did not provide service to the airport upon their departure!

It honestly was fine. It's down the street from a market, and comes with hot kettle, fridge, keurig and microwave. Everything is a little beat up but what do you expect in a rustic town? We didn't eat there, the kitchen was undergoing renovation. The staff weren't rude but also weren't very friendly; I'd call it taciturn. Knocking off a star because the night before check out I did the online checkout indicating we were leaving at 11 am. I awoke in the middle of the night and secured the door with the provided door lock, that latch thing that gets flipped over. Imagine my surprise when housekeeping knocked and one second after knocking tried to open the door. Good thing the lock was still latched or we would have had visitors. I was disappointing they didn't read the checkout info they asked for.

Nice experience at the hotel. The shuttle from airport to the hotel was seamless. It had complete amenities and the heating was sufficient. The breakfast line to get a seat can get quite long (probably due to insufficient workers or not enough tables). It was definitely the best hotel in town.

honestly a hotel that is giving hotel vibes good service, good house keeping, safe feels, but watch out for when they do maintenance on the elevators, you'll have to walk down the stairs with luggage to check out. then checking back in you carry your own luggage right back up, after they unlock the stair doors for you of course. also house keeping kept a broken condom on the floor for the week I mean ppl should throw their own garage like that but come on house keeping that's your job clean up that condom too.

Hotel location is nearby the supermarket... one block down! Clean and nice view! They have a very beautiful decor restaurant and a lounge with delicious chicken wings ! Must Try Free shuttle bus to airport !

Overall a nice hotel. The staff was always friendly. The bathroom featured a great shower with lots of hot water. The breakfast buffet was only okay; it had excellent bacon, but wet and runny scrambled eggs. I can't give 5 stars because of two things. One, steam from taking showers set off the fire alarm in our room more than once. Also, the Wi-Fi only worked intermittently.

Love the Explorer!! Super friendly and helpful staff that will go above and beyond to help you out. Cosy rooms with really comfortable beds.

The food at hotel is good. They do have computer room for guest. They have bus can pick you up and drop you off at airport, like 10mins drive. you can see the aurora in your room if aurora is active. We saw three days in the row.

This is probably one of the best places to stay in Yellowknife. It's a great hotel that has a nice restaurant on the ground floor. The rooms are spacious and clean. You can't beat the great Polar bear in the lobby. The location is also good as they are easy to get to from the airport and you can easily walk around the downtown from the hotel.

Pros: Free shuttle to/ from airport Great location in downtown (close to the grocery store too) Free fast wifi (can stream netflix) Rooms clean and pretty big Gym (didn't use) Rooms have microwave, fridge & coffee machine Most of the tour companies will pick up guests from this hotel Cons: No free bfast Staff could be friendlier I'd stay again if I visited Yellowknife

There aren't many options in Yellowknife when it comes to hotels, and the Explorer Hotel is most certainly the largest. On par with any decent 3.5-star hotel in urban centres. The rooms won't win any design awards, but they get the job done. Very comfortable pillows. A desk and fast wireless Internet access. And in-room control of the heat -- you can take it from air conditioned (though, in Yellowknife, why?!) to very warm. A couple of things didn't make the stay perfect. Beware the shower! The temperature can fluctuate instantly and drastically. One second you're enjoying a refreshing lukewarm shower, then, without warning, you're nearly scalded by very hot water. I had to jump out of the water's way several times. Asked on check-in for a late checkout (2pm instead of 1pm) and was told that would be fine. But when I confirmed it the next day, was told the policy was for 1pm strictly and they had someone booked into the room (who was arriving right at 1?!). I ended up staying until about 1:45 p.m. in the room and there didn't seem to be any problem. (Or any guest looking for their room, for that matter.) Though the hotel has conference rooms, I found the A/V support quite lacking. Asked ahead of time to provide a wireless lapel microphone, we arrived to find only a handheld mic available. They ended up havin to go to the local A/V production firm to get one; it arrived too late for the first session. We also had to ask for a VGA extension (another thing they'd been advised to have there, from what I understand). From the same provider, they proudly brought a long cable -- but not an extension cable and without the right "ends" to plug into the projector. {sigh} Both of these affected the presentations. The room service menu is varied, though nearly no dinner options for vegetarians (hope you like salad! again...). A few false starts with the staff -- brought soup but no spoon, brought fries but no ketchup, etc. -- but the food itself was fine. (Although who puts smoked salmon in a club sandwich?!) All in all, a comfortable stay, and about what I had expected from a city of Yellowknife's size. I'd hoped to be pleasantly surprised, but I wasn't. Just adequate.

This is a great hotel conveniently located close to all amenities in Yellowknife. The restaurant is top-notch although a little pricey ($21 appetizers, average entree $40). Still, you get what you pay for with wonderful food (try the lobster & prawn cakes and spicy carrot and orange cheesecake) and a beautiful decor with huge windows. The rooms are clean and comfortable, including accessible rooms for those using wheelchairs or differently-abled. You'll have no regrets booking here.

Probably THE best hotel in Yellowknife. Very clean, good wifi, great restaurant downstairs, and free shuttle to the airport! Staff could be a bit nicer but all in all, no complaints!

The best hotel hands down in Yellowknife. I've stayed at worse hotels in San Francisco - this was comfortable, clean, and had lots of great amenities like really nice wifi, 2 great restaurants - Traders Grill or Trapline Lounge. Also room service until 9pm! That came in handy when you are exhausted from day activities and the restaurant and lounge is full. You need to make reservations, especially for that Sunday brunch buffet which is pretty good! Snow crab legs, roast station, and all sorts of other things. The Explorer is a part of the free shuttle service to and from the airport, which is only about 10 minutes away by car. We spent $14 for a taxi when we arrived not knowing about the free shuttle. Still not bad! Housekeeping is good too. This hotel is central to downtown, and only about a mile walk to old town or the snow king ice castle, which translates to about 20 minutes. Along that walk, you will pass by some great shops, breweries, and the famous Weaver and Devore as well as Bollocks Bistro. The tour companies work hand in hand with the hotel - everything was so organized with the drop off of our rental winter gear. Also there is a fitness center, and in room safe, microwave, mini fridge, and coffee maker. There isn't any conditioner if you need that - it's a combo "conditioning shampoo". I will definitely be back. Oh and Prince William and Kate stayed here on their first visit to Yellowknife. :)

Didn't stay at the hotel, but visited the Trapline Lounge, as we heard they had great poutine. OMG was it good! Also enjoyed some great local beers. We had the friendliest bartender.