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Van Gilder Hotel

2.5 star property

Photo gallery for Van Gilder Hotel

Lobby
Reception
Restaurant
Reception
Shower, free toiletries, hair dryer, towels

Reviews

6.2 out of 10

Popular amenities

  • Housekeeping
  • Free WiFi
  • Parking included

Explore the area

View map
308 Adams Street, Seward, AK, 99664
  • Place, Seward Waterfront Park
    ‪4 min walk‬
  • Place, Alaska SeaLife Center
    ‪4 min walk‬
  • Place, Seward Boat Harbor
    ‪2 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Suite, 2 Bedrooms

1 bedroom, free WiFi, bed sheets

Suite, 2 Bedrooms

  • 2 bedrooms
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

View all photos for Classic Room, 1 Queen Bed

1 bedroom, free WiFi, bed sheets

Classic Room, 1 Queen Bed

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room

Room | Bathroom sink

Room

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for One Queen & 1 Twin

1 bedroom, free WiFi, bed sheets

One Queen & 1 Twin

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Twin Bed

View all photos for 2 Full Beds

2 Full Beds | Room amenity

2 Full Beds

  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

View all photos for Annex 1 Queen Bed

1 bedroom, free WiFi, bed sheets

Annex 1 Queen Bed

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Apartment Annex

1 bedroom, free WiFi, bed sheets

Apartment Annex

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Classic Double Room

  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

Similar properties

Interior detail
Breeze Inn
  • Pet-friendly
  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant
4.1 out of 5, Very good, 1,006 reviews
The price is AU$243
includes taxes & fees
18 Oct - 19 Oct
Breeze Inn

About the area

Seward

A stay at Van Gilder Hotel places you in the heart of Seward, within a 5-minute walk of Seward Community Library & Museum and Chugach Heritage Center. .This historic hotel is 10.7 mi (17.2 km) from Kenai Fjords National Park and 0.2 mi (0.4 km) from Seward Waterfront Park.

What's nearby

  • Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Seward Waterfront Park - 4 min walk - 0.4 km
  • Alaska SeaLife Center - 4 min walk - 0.4 km
  • Seward Boat Harbor - 2 min drive - 1.6 km
  • Lowell Point State Recreation Site - 9 min drive - 4.5 km

Getting around

  • Kenai, AK (ENA-Kenai Municipal) - 139 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪The Breeze Inn Restaurant - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Firebrand BBQ - ‬16 min walk
  • ‪Ray's Waterfront - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Highliner Restaurant - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪The Cookery - ‬3 min walk

About this property

Van Gilder Hotel

Victorian hotel in Seward with free parking
Van Gilder Hotel offers 20 accommodations with complimentary toiletries. This Seward hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Bathrooms include showers. Hair dryers, change of towels, and change of bedsheets can be requested. Housekeeping is provided daily.
Make yourself at home in one of the 20 guestrooms. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms feature showers, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.
Make use of convenient amenities, which include complimentary wireless internet access and concierge services. Guests can catch a ride on the complimentary shuttle, which operates within 25 yards.
Featured amenities include express check-out, luggage storage, and a library. A bus station shuttle is provided at no charge, and free self parking is available onsite.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Free area shuttle up to 25 yards
  • Free bus station shuttle
  • Free self parking on site

Things to do

  • Art gallery
  • Library
  • Shopping centre

Family friendly

  • Free area shuttle

Conveniences

  • Limited-hour front desk
  • Luggage storage
  • Shared microwave
  • Shared refrigerator

Guest services

  • Change of bedsheets (on request)
  • Change of towels on request
  • Concierge services
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Outdoors

  • In the mountains

Accessibility

  • No lift

More

  • 3 floors
  • Built in 1916
  • Designated smoking areas
  • Victorian architecture

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer (on request)
  • Shower
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste (on request)
  • Towels provided

More

  • Heating

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 9:00 PM
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM
Express check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 24 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation
If you are planning to arrive after 7:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation

Renovations and closures

The property is closed between September 10 and May 14.

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

Pets not allowed (service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees)

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Payment types

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Safety features at this property include a smoke detector

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms

Property is also known as

Van Gilder
Van Gilder Hotel
Van Gilder Hotel Seward
Van Gilder Seward
Van Gilder Hotel Hotel
Van Gilder Hotel Seward
Van Gilder Hotel Hotel Seward

Van Gilder Hotel Reviews

Reviews

6.2
Rating 10 - Excellent. 99 out of 521 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 121 out of 521 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 109 out of 521 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 88 out of 521 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 104 out of 521 reviews

6.6/10

Cleanliness

7.4/10

Staff & service

5.4/10

Amenities

5.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

6.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Eric

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

Historic hotel in Seward.

Well located historic building in downtown Seward. Historic means no AC, small shower. Nice staff, sitting rooms with coffee and tea.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

sherri

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Interesting, historic hotel. Beds were extremely comfortable! No elevator. Great location - close to shops, restaurants and the water.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

2/10 Terrible

Kevin, DeBary

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
New name, hotel lysol, no hot water. Dump
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

4/10 Poor

Scott

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pillows are original to the room and this place is old!!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

4/10 Poor

Bernard

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Old and it shows almost everywhere

This place is a historical monument, but not kept up well at all. The outside walls and front steps are crumbling. The building next door looks to be condemned. Places in the interior show buckled walls. Most of the interior looks very old and shabby. Our second floor room took several minutes of running water before it would be hot. The faucet in our sink was very loosely attached. If you try to bend your head down near the sink you have to be careful not to hit the storage shelf above it. There is no elevator, so you carry your luggage up and down stairs if not on the first floor. Parking is a gravel lot a half block behind the building connected by a gravel alley, so there is no to surface where you can roll your luggage to or from your car. Either carry them or drop off in front and park later.
Front
Crumbling steps
Lack of maintenance
Buckled wall
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

Phil, Findlay

Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

2/10 Terrible

UTPAL

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This hotel should be shut down by the city of Seward, AK. The condition is terrible, definitely worse than a cheap Motel condition. The room smelled badly, dirty all over the place, no AC, door, window conditions are bad, hallway dirty & bad smell. Expedia should refund my money and de-list this hotel from Expedia site.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Holly

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

perfect location, old historic building

We had a good stay. The Van Gilder is a historic hotel with some age and issues, but was clean and relatively comfortable. The location was definitely the reason to stay here! It is within walking distance of everything in Seward, with amazing views of the water and downtown.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

2/10 Terrible

MITSUTOSHI

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness
Very professional, friendly staff
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Wonderful and professional staff made our stay easy and enjoyable. Great location.

2/10 Terrible

Nghia

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Chester

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Old hotel
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

6/10 Okay

Hayden

Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

Carol

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The history was interesting.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

Carol

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very dilapidated old hotel with peeling paint inside and out. Creepy old windows without screens. Ran out of hot water during a short shower. The staff were very nice

2/10 Terrible

Ian

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Didn't like - property condition extremely poor, no hot water at all during stay, no TV for first night but was fixed. Did like - bed, sheets, towels Recommend avoiding this property in its current state.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

2/10 Terrible

Susan

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children, Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location was great
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

2/10 Terrible

Susan

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children, Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Property is obviously very old, which we were hoping would bring charming character. Instead, it was just not well maintained. We had no hot water for the duration of our stay, not even warm. Front desk would only offer a 10% (!!?!??!) discount off of our stay in return. All we wanted after a long day of traveling was a shower, we couldn’t even get that.

6/10 Okay

Mark

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The rate was fair for the value received. This place could be so much more but I suppose then the rates would be so much more. In all fairness the bedroom and bathroom were clean and it wasn't that bad. The biggest negative is the radiator would not turn off so we had to keep both the bathroom and bedroom windows open at all times. If you are looking for an inexpensive place in Seward this will work. Just don't panic when you first pull up to the place.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025

6/10 Okay

Rob

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort

Overall very enjoyable

Really cool and historic building right in the middle of Seward. We walked every where. We stayed downstairs. The bathroom was fristrating. Recommend staying upstairs with a shared shower
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

2/10 Terrible

Cleo

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness
The shower head barely had any water coming out. The hotel parking was a way to carry luggage from your vechile. No parking out front to unload luggage. Rooms were quiet and lots of antique furniture in the hotel. Carpet had a few sticky spots on it
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Karen

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Coffee area was lovely
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

6/10 Okay

cameron

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
The hotel is old and the floor is squeaky. We had to check in and out after and before the office hours. Feel bad for
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

6/10 Okay

russell

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was not in as good shape as the pictures indicated. It was VERY hot and stuffy in our room. The water was cold, NO hot water at all. Electrical outlets would not hold a plug(an easy fix). Curtains do not completely cover windows. It was like outdoor camping with a toilet and sink.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025