Totem Hotel and Suites

We stayed at the Totem Hotel for 2 nights in June after taking the ferry from Whittier. It is in the heart of town and has a pleasant lobby and nicely decorated rooms. We were in a room with a small balcony. While you can see the mountains, the surrounding area is dominated by mostly by parking lots and other buildings. The central location is great...you can walk anywhere in Valdez within minutes. They had a washer dryer available....a nice option. The breakfast was fine...nothing amazing....but good enough. I wish the font desk team were friendlier. They seemed bored and uninterested in being helpful. A welcoming smile would have been appreciated!

We enjoyed our two day stay in Valdez at the Totem. My ten year old loved the small pool, and we were very happy with the modern room and complimentary breakfast. The hotel is within walking distance to pretty much everything in town. There is also an excellent laundromat right next to the hotel that has payment by app (key since we were halfway through our two week trip!).

Very nice hotel. Comfortable stay. The breakfast was top notch. Best hotel food I've had. The front desk employees are very friendly and helpful. Plenty of coffee at all hours of the day.

Rooms were nice & clean. The hotel pool was large and very useful for those with big parties of people. The gym itself was much smaller than was expected based on the reviews I read. The gym is only big enough to fit two people at maximum capacity, so it wasn't even worth going to. The hotel staff were friendly enough, but there were many who were unreasonably rude and vicious towards their guests. More hotel staff training would be appreciated here in the future.

Quiet, clean and great location! Five minute walk to harbor and the little town. Easy parking and proximity to main road out of town. Nice complimentary breakfast. Eight-minute walk to restaurants and shops. I’d stay there again if in Valdez.

Certainly an outstanding facility in many ways. Excellent breakfast with many types of meat, cereal, yogurt& fruit, juices and many more. Fresh coffee with a nice selection of creamers- believe me, most places we stayed in Alaska didn’t have that. Large, clean breakfast area. Room was large, clean with great WiFi and TV channels. Heating & AC worked as it should. Almost perfect with a score of 98 out of a hundred. Nice bathroom layout with large counter surface. Helpful staff.

Stayed here for work. Room was comfortable, large stand up shower was really nice to have after working all day. My only complaint would be how hard the doors slam when people don’t take the time to shut them properly. Service wasn’t the greatest but it is also the off season so staffing levels are low. Overall good place to stay, comfortable and from the top floor on a clear day you absolutely can’t beat the view.

Really have enjoyed our stay here. The staff has been great. The rooms are clean and modern and up to date. Amazing shower after being on the road for 10 days

What a pleasant surprise. The star rating on Yelp is very misleading because it reflects Totem before the fire in 2016. It has subsequently been entirely rebuilt and is a real gem in Valdez. Like all hotels in small towns in Alaska, it's not perfect. It's at the mercy of seasonal access or lack thereof to resources and adequate, properly trained staff. That being said, this is one of THE NICEST, MOST THOUGHTFUL modern hotels I've seen in Alaska. -plug ins for electric cars -rooms equipped for blind and deaf patrons -lights controlled by your keycard to save electric -very stylish, EXTREMELY comfortable rooms, with sanitary, comfy, water saving duvets -gorgeous, modern bathrooms with step-in showers which are much safer for patrons with physical empairments -a fairly large pool, which in Alaska is an ENORMOUS luxury -a 24 hour fitness room -a beautiful Alaskan themed breakfast room Only complaint was breakfast looked better than it tasted. I agree with Lardbelly... skip the sausage gravy and biscuits. The nice surprise was the apple Danish, which was clearly filled with homemade apple filling, not that gross canned shit. Absolutely wonderful! They also have coffee available 24 hours with 3 kinds of creamer. Alaskans are coffee FIENDS and this did not go unnoticed. Absolutely recommend, especially off-season- the price is significantly less.

What a surprisingly nice and comfy place to stay. I usually stay at the best western because it's easier to book through an online app but there wasn't any rooms available so I decided to try the Totem. The remodel is beautiful. My bed was super comfy, the room was quiet, the shower was huge and clean. The hotel decor is nice and simple yet classy. There were a lot of breakfast options available. Some were not the greatest but they were a lot more fresh than a lot of other places I have stayed. The potatoes were cold and the juice was a bit warm but that's about it as far as things that jumped out as slightly negative. The pool is a great bonus!

The staff is friendly at the front desk and the building is very neat and clean. Our room was pretty clean and the only reason I'm giving them four stars is specifically because the swimming pool was very cold and $300 of the night you should not be looking at a trashcan. They did move us when we requested so we weren't looking at the trash cans. The breakfast was very good and coffee fresh. They had pancakes eggs sausage and toast and cereal. Orange juice cranberry juice and milk. Very good breakfast. Please heat your pool.

This review is for the breakfast, not the hotel. This place has the old-school Alaska trifecta: Kitschy-taxidermy decorations, knick-knacks for sale, and dinner-style food. That said, they do dinner-style food well. They've got an assortment of hashes/skillets/omelets, there's something for everyone. Service is very friendly. No idea what the hotel is like.

Staff was friendly and attentive. We enjoyed our stay! The front desk worker was very polite and kind. Thank you!

Holy moly, what an upgrade a fire brings. I stayed here three nights and fell in love with the bed and pillows. I also took full advantage of the big bathtub. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this place had a pool or I definitely would have jumped in. I tried to get a swimsuit at the Prospector, but they didn't have my size on sale, and I wasn't about to spend $60 on a new suit. The staff from check-in to check-out to morning vittles makers were great. I would definitely recommend.

Beds are comfortable but hotel is very loud. You can hear people walking by, talking in the room next door, and above you. To many issues for me and would not go back. Nice breakfast and close to the water.

Nice (new) hotel. The breakfast is awesome and simple. Always have fresh hot coffee. The hotel would receive 5 stars if my room was clean when I was there. If there waS not room service wish they would of told me that at check in. HowEver I did get clean towels after the second night. But they didd not emptY the tea ash or give me new cups.

Hands down the best hotel in Valdez. The rooms are clean, the facility has been recently updated, the employees are always pleasant. There is no where else worth staying here. The only thing is they don't have a restaurant on site but it's Valdez, you can walk anywhere in town to grab a bite. Free continental breakfast is served til 10. Totally the place to stay!

If I could break up my star review I will get four stars for the staff who are all amazing Dash from housekeeping to the front desk people to the maintenance for the kitchen people - all incredibly friendly and hard-working. As some have noted the hotel is only about a-year-old is this was rebuild after a fire destroyed the original. The big advantages it has over the best Western is it it's newer, the breakfast is more substantial,and the beds are more comfortable. But the noise buffering is still the same - poor - housekeeping leaves a lot to be desired. I had to have my room totally be cleaned today after I got there as the carpet was filthy and there were grease marks on the doors. But the main reason for a 2 star review is even after all this cleaning, I still got bug bites over a couple of nights today. I don't know if there's a spider nest or fleas or something in the room but I got several bites that were quite itchy and very unpleasant. They are not bedbug bites - and I did check the bed the covers etc. for about that - but some kind of creatures living in the room that like to bite people. Ad the manager is rarely on site in the morning I was not able to talk with her, so I hope they passed on the information. I think the room needs a good steam cleaning, taking apart the beds and vacuuming for spiders and fleas. In fact the room could probably use a good fumigation. All that said the staff is really pretty great and friendly and helpful they just aren't empowered to do much.

Came to visit husband working in Valdez. We came with my son and mother-in-law. The place is modern and nice, however a few things could be improved - customer service from the front desk was disappointing esp during check out. The breakfast buffet was cold. Thorough cleanliness could be improved as well. Our bathtub had some dog hair when we arrived as well as dirt marks on the bathroom floor.

This new hotel is amazing! I might be a little biased because I'm the grandson and nephew of the owners but it's pretty amazing! 24/7 coffee! Hot breakfast buffet! a POOL!!! Nothing can get better than the Totem here in Valdez!

Awful Awful Awful! The room smelled so bad & was so rundown. It felt like the cheapest, worst quality, OLD OLD OLD college dorm room one could be in... We stayed in one of the stand alone "cottages" (such an insult to the word)... Perhaps the deluxe suites would have been nicer but I would not spend anymore money than we did... We got out of that dump as quickly as we could and we will not return. Ever...

Greasy Spoon; I have eaten here twice and both times found the food to be a bit greasy. It wasn't bad just loaded with grease. I will need to eat oatmeal for a week to get this stuff out of my system.

The room was nice, New and clean. They are still under construction so entire stay was noisy, the parking lot was being asphalt so you had the noise and vibration shaking your bed as they packed the parking lot. If you are a coffee drinker forget it. We had one package of coffee the first morning of our stay an could not get another pack for the next three days of our stay. They did supply coffee you just had to get dressed an go to the lobby to get it. Man on staff overnight was friendly but not so much on the rest of the desk staff.

This family-style local hangout is not bad = good for Valdez. The clam chowder (on Fridays) is very yummy with bacon and lots of clams. The beer-battered shrimp are rather too battered. Shrimp fettucini is better. Coffee is not bad. Next time I would probably just go for chowder and coffee. + points for local charm - points for a very loud and very trashy TV

After getting off the Alaska Marine Highway on our way to McCarthy, we stopped at the Totem for lunch. I can't vouch for the rooms, but the brunch options were amazing. The griddles are huge (it's a shame you can't order a half-size one) with potatoes, eggs, peppers... and some of the options include reindeer sausage (!). The wait staff was friendly and helpful and we all left full and satisfied. The decor lives up to the name of the inn, with totem carvings around the restaurant along with a taxidermy mountain goat. The gift shop in the lobby of the restaurant/inn has an excellent selection with prices ranging from reasonable for jewelry and postcards ($0.25 each) to in the high hundreds for scrimshaw and walrus ivory. The only reason I'm not giving this a higher review is because the Valdez economy doesn't need any more help than it already has, being the terminus of the oil pipeline in Alaska. Bring on the reindeer meat!

The pancakes were good sized, thick, fluffy, and delicious. The a la carte options were rather expensive for the portion size (specifically the hash browns). Otherwise breakfast was delicious and the staff was friendly.

4 stars for the breakfast at the restaurant. 2 stars for the hotel. Starting with the good - ate breakfast almost every morning in the hotel during my stay and it was always great. 4 stars. I didn't eat any other meals there. And now the not so good. I don't have high expectations for hotels in smaller Alaskan communities so this place seemed adequate. The bathroom tiles and counters seemed new which was nice. My big complaint is the housekeeping. I'm not sure what (if any) housekeeping they did other than smoothing the bed covers every day. They took away dirty towels (even those hanging on the rack) but never brought me any clean towels during my 4 day stay. I had to go get clean towels myself from the front desk. I would have understood if they left me the towels hanging on the rack as many places do to help the environment, but they kept taking them and not bringing me any replacements!

I was surprised, the room was nice in the orca building. They said these rooms are to be remolded soon which should make them even better. The one thing I didn't like was being given an actual key to the room.

The Totem Inn Restaurant is good for a big ol' Alaskan breakfast. Pancakes and sausage or the breakfast skillet are recommended. Also tried lunch here, but it is nothing to write home about. Prices are moderate for Alaska.

The food here is beyond salty.. almost like they pack it in salt to preserve it. Our server, Hannah, was polite and apologetic.. first ribeye was overcooked. I had the roast beef.. eh. Did I mention the food was salty? My tongue is still numb.

Room was perfect. Everything was clean and set up well for us. Had internet and good tv. We appreciated a fridge in the room and the great restaurant and gift shop. The restaurant was delicious for both dinner and breakfast. The servers were awesome. I loved the country fried steak. Gravy is delicious too. I will keep this place on my return list.

The owners of the establishment have no regard to anything but themselves. We had a family member go into hospice at the last minute and when we tried to cancel they still tried to charge us $400. No sympathy, understanding or human decency. Worst business experience I have ever witnessed.

I stayed here out of pure laziness since it had one of the few restaurants in town open in the fall. The rooms were OK. The food was typical diner type food. Not great, but not horrible. Watch out for cougars on the prowl if you go to the bear's den in the back!

Stopped in here for food when we got into Valdez pretty late one evening. I think I had the mushroom swiss burger, but it wasn't as greasy as I was expecting. I subbed fries for a raspberry viniagrette salad which was pretty good as well. The service was very good and helpful. If you want to see some stuffed animals from the taxidermist, come here, as they have a wolf, bear, and a few other things.

one if few full service restaurants in Valdez...food good by Alaska standards and service excellent: however, I ordered the Cioppino (fish stew)... menu stated it came with baguette bread for dipping: arrived with two small toast points, which was OK with me - when I asked the waiter for more toast, I was informed it would be charged as side order... I realize that Alaska restaurants are seasonal and need to make a buck while they can; but this level of cheap is, not only an embarrassment to Alaska, but to the service industry in general... enough said

Restaurant only - we came here twice for breakfast before our kayaking trip. The first time we were in a rush so we ordered to go and it took just over 10 min, just like he promised. We got an omelette and other std brekkie items: eggs, pancakes, bacon, etc. all was perfect and the pancakes and eggs were very fluffy. The hash brown was very crisp and we didn't even need to ask. We came again the following day to sit down and also got quick and polite service! I had the captains cruiser which I highly recommend!! It was a different take on breakfast, but still hardy and delicious! The shop inside is a little crowded, but cute with enough to offer :)

This review is only for the restaurant. We were grateful to get a wholesome breakfast here during the busy derby season. We had their vegetarian omelets with hash browns, bread and french fries. The service was pretty quick and our server was a doll. They also have a good collection of soft toys and handicrafts for sale at great prices.

Our server was great! Attentive and accommodating. The food was just ok and expensive. Some of our meals were decent however 2 of our meals had to be sent back. My husband and I both ordered their salmon dinner and both our filets were woefully overcooked. Our server was very understanding and took the meals back to be recooked. We could here the cook's annoyance about our dissatisfaction. We understood this wasn't our server's fault so we spared her our annoyance. She brought us new meals, promptly enough. We cut into these filets and these filets were woefully undercooked - cold and raw in the middle. At this point we were done. We continued to be courteous and polite; our server made it right by removing our meals from our bill and offering other options for free.

I had the 2 egg breakfast with sausage and o'brien potatoes, boozy coffee and shared cookie dough pancakes with my friend-AMAZING breakfast. Everything was perfectly cooked and plentiful. I highly recommend eating here-you won't be disappointed.

Their "Famous Totem Inn chicken fried steak" dinner is one of the greasiest, nastiest, overpriced meals I have ever eaten. After seeing decent reviews, I expected a decent meal. Service was great, that wasn't the problem. The kitchen is obviously oblivious to the crap they are putting out OR they just plain don't know what the hell they are doing.

After a long day of fishing, we were sort of in the mood for Mexican but got turned away from Ernesto's because there was a power outage and the waitress didn't know how to make change (???) so we wandered on over to the restaurant at the Totem Inn and were pleasantly surprised by the home-cookin' there. The cadillac margarita was pretty good and my chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes hit the spot after a long chilly day of fishing for silver salmon. Get the mushroom caps as an appetizer -- even the waitress said they were her favorite thing on the menu. And we shared the big chocolate cake for dessert. I'll go there again when I'm in Valdez and in the mood for some comfort food.

I'm sorry to say I was another victim of the cabins out back. Had an odd smell for sure but you got used to it in a short time. My cabin wasn't as dirty as some of the other reviewers. It could really use a new mattress, but I have had worse. You can not take a shower without getting water on the BR floor as the curtain is not long enough. When I made reservations I ask about Internet as this in important for me since I'm here on work. In the room I had almost nothing, when I ask about it I was told to bring my computer to the restaurant as the cabins don't get it much. I brought my computer to the restaurant and it was like SLOW dial-up at best. At $170 a night I expected much better. No wonder they have so much empty rooms. I walked across the street to the Best Western and ask them about price and they are about the same. It looked like Best Western quality too so I will check them out on my next trip. I marked No Internet on the radio button below because it was not available from my room.

Heard about the "Big Alaskan" breakfast here, but we weren't impressed. 3 small pieces of average french toast, one reindeer sausage, some very overdone home fries and 2 coffees for $23. Not worth it. They have free wi-fi in the resturant. They also have a nice selection of hand carved Alaskan items in the gift shop.

Yuck! Disgustingly filthy. This place should be closed down. Cabin floors were black. Hair embedded in sludge in corner by shower. Medicine cabinet was so dirty it could not be used. Lights burnt out in kitchen. Management was non-responsive to requests for a phone call and numerous e-mail messages following our stay. We filed a complain with the Better Business Bureau. A very sad story. Look elsewhere. Require a look at your room before being charged. Expect nothing after you have been charged.

Disgustingly filthy cabin. Don't stay here. Management was non-responsive to requests for communication after we had checked in. Ask to see the room before you check in.

Stay at your own risk! The rooms smell of tobacco and filth. We were duped - no email confirmation was sent after we booked and then a smoking room was given to us despite us having reserved a non-smoking room! The management response- zero!!! No offer for room change, no apologies!

Very disappointed with our stay at Totem Inn! I called two weeks ahead to reserve a room. They gave us the option between the cabin and the suite. We chose the cabin. After checking in we were greeted at our door with a sign that said they will be painting the cabin during a certain time. Our cabin (which I would rather call a shack) was wrapped in plastic with paper lining the door. We could not see out the windows and the walls were paper thin, making it easy to hear the workers outside. It had a horrible smell and it was super run down looking. The next morning we woke up to have breakfast. We walked to their restaurant to find a sign that said they are "closed, sorry for any inconvenience." Not once were we warned of their painting project or their closed restaurant (not when I called ahead to reserve or when we checked in). For the amount of money we paid, it was definitely not worth it. Next time we will stay at the best western.