Denali Bluffs Hotel

You will read that the rooms are dated. We can’t attest to that, some of the buildings were built 20-30 years ago. We were in an upper building on the end with a king-size bed with two huge windows and a wrap around balcony. Spoiler alert; you cannot see Mount Denali from any rooms as the hotel manager informed us, but there is a trail behind the hotel in which you can hike a couple miles and see Denali on a clear day. The next day we took a flight to Denali on one of the most clear and windless days you could ever ask for and saw both the north and south faces from the air. One of the best days of our lives. The room was clean and, yes, the walls are paper thin. They trucked in water when we were there in late May as there were issues with water at the water filtration plant due to spring runoff of fine silt into the river which precluded using osmosis for filtration. The water in the room tasted good and was just fine, FYI. Our room required Billy Goat abilities if you are mobility challenged. This hotel is not very suitable for people who don’t do well on stairs. The view from our room was spectacular and we sat out on the deck and took in all that is Alaska. There were some front desk service quirks as it is still early in the season. There are restaurants nearby, but the best value we found (and the best souvenir grabs) is at the Princess Hotel across the highway (you can go to all their restaurants and shops without being on one of their cruises). The shops and additional restaurants are located behind the main building. The restaurant in the Bluffs was warm and personalized like a cabin in the woods with lots of genuine historical artifacts. We had a minor food issue which was quickly corrected during their “soft” opening. The luggage situation is a bit quirky. You put your luggage out beside your door before 9:00 a.m. on the day you leave and they bring it to the train station. Checkout is at 10:00 a.m.; not very user friendly as our Alaska Rail train did not leave until 4:00 p.m. We were stuck hanging out for six hours. We rated the hotel 5/5 because it’s a beautiful property, clean, and the restaurant people were great.

Let me start off with stating that everything in Denali is expensive, so I won't talk about price. The hotel itself has a very courteous staff that addressed anything we asked for. The rooms are small. The bathroom is small and of the variety where the bathroom sink is outside of the bathroom. The shower pressure and temperature of the water was good. The television was as small as my computer monitor back home and had poor resolution. The walls are paper thin. You can hear everything going on in the room next door. It is also a little disturbing that when someone next door slams a door, the walls in your room shake. There was really not much of a view from our room - just a copse of trees between the hotel and a loud highway. It is nice that they have a shuttle that runs to the Denali visitor center and Denali downtown (it took me a little while to realize that "down town" was a strip mall and a gas station). In summary, if I come this way again, I won't be staying at the Denali Bluffs hotel.

We had originally been booked at the Grand Denali, but due to a water problem there, we were moved to the Bluffs. The staff did an awesome job accommodating all those who had been moved. Check in was swift and our rooms comfortable. We ate all our meals at their Mountaineer Grill. Food was very good and service was outstanding. A shout our to Cayman, our very skilled and friendly server. We enjoyed ourselves here and highly recommend staying at the Bluffs.

We stayed here as part of our Vacation by Rail trip. Great location with easy access to shops, restaurants and Denali Visitor's Center via shuttles. The room was comfortable w great views and they di keep an aurora notification list.

Spectacular views of Denali area. Nice daytime shuttle to Denali visitors center, RR Depot, & Bluff restaurant. Helpful staff. Peaceful. Nice room.

The Bluffs is a beautiful hotel located next the park! So convenient! Beautifully decorated & updated cabin like rooms. Very spacious rooms with AC or heat. Very comfortable beds, linens, pillows, towels. Spacious bathrooms with great water pressure. Breakfast restaurant is a plus! Loved our stay here!

Employees were great! They were friendly and very helpful! Hotel was clean. The room was spacious and the view was beautiful! I enjoyed my stay and recommend this hotel. I will definitely stay there again!

First of all, it is beautiful, that I cant deny. However, people should know that it is very much not handicapped accessible. My sister, uses a motorized scooter due to diabetes issues with her feet and legs. They put us down a steep hill and left us to figure out how to navigate her down and back up again. We saw other rooms at a much more level area. Then, the room, being "handicapped" was horrible. The bed was on the floor. I had to pick her up every time she needed up. She could not navigate this on her own. Then, the handicapped bathroom has a horrible design. The walk in shower has a slant that makes the shower water exit and flood the entire bathroom. Making it then, dangerous for anyone to walk on.
Next, they trap you to eat at their restaurant. With no way to leave the hotel after 7pm. No problem, except we are a party of 6 and they do not accommodate party's over 4. So, according to the host, (a very rude young man with zero personality) we had to wait for many tables to leave before we could eat. So, after watching guest after guests get seated for 1 1/2 hours we FINALLY decided my husband and I would forget dinner and let the other 4 in our party get seated. I planned on ordering take out from there and eat in my room. But, sadly, no. My pasta was so salty I could not eat it. My husband tried it and agreed. The restaurant manager was nice, but crazy overwhelmed and could not explain to us why they can't seat 6 people. I have traveled a lot and normally, they push 2 tables together and we are good. But, no, the host said they cant because that would leave 2 empty seats. What????!!!!!

The Denali Bluffs was terrible. Rooms were in disrepair, they closed their restaurants 2 days prior to closing the hotel for the season leaving us no onsite food, they tore up the driveway 2 days prior to closing the hotel which caused traffic and shuttle issues and then stopped the shuttle all together forcing us to walk into town for meals. The staff dining room was also closed 2 days early so staff was hungry and not happy to be there. Management could had kept the restaurant open through Saturday night and the deli open for breakfast on Sunday, the day they closed. The driveway could have been started 2 days later and not disrupt the guest. I would never stay there again!

The staff were great with helping with our luggage

Quite a comfortable property with very convenient hotel shuttle all day to go around.

The room was nice. Not worth the money we paid but decent. Bed was okay, but a king needs more than 3 pillows.

So, this property is up on a hill and not a part of Denali village like we thought. They offer shuttle service I think but we just used our car. Parking up top is limited, maybe 10 spots. They have overflow about 100 yards down the hill which isn't great late at night. Also, while they will help you get your bags to your room, we chose to do it ourselves. Depending on the building you end up in, this could be a pretty good walk with heavy bags. Luckily the weather wasn't bad while we were there.

Just disappointed considering how much the property cost us for two nights.

Close to park.

The restaurant had a very small very expensive menu. The rooms had no microwaves. Parking was limited.

S

Ashley gave us an outstanding reception! Very nice property-

Good view in room

We were switched by Princess as part of their Alaska Cruisetour at the last minute. We were supposed to stay at their Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, but was moved to the Denali Bluffs Hotel. It was a night and day difference between the two properties (we were able to walk to the Princess Lodge and compare while realizing all the amenities we were missing out on). The Bluffs Hotel (hotel is a misnomer, is more like a motel) has dated, small rooms. The bathroom has to be one of the smallest I've ever seen, and the sink is outside where the bed area is. The TV is smaller than most PC monitors, probably was 24 inches. The walls are paper, can hear the toilet flush and shower from next door, in addition to voices. Every step can be heard from the room above. The on-site restaurant has a very limited menu and is overpriced.

Enjoyed, the Service and Polite interactive staff. The Mountaineer Grill & Bar was relaxing and food exquisite. Brussel Sprouts and Chowder were filling

The room was fine. The bedspread was dirty. The cafe was minimal. The front desk were ver personable on check in day. The next day was not as pleasant. We were concerned about staying the 3rd night because of snow on roads. The staff member was not understanding and told us to enjoy where we were. We had been enjoying Denali very much, so this felt rude. We checked out a day early and are still hoping that we will be reimbursed for the third night since we left due to weather.