Van Gilder Hotel

This historic hotel has a certain charm that matches its manager’s personality. They’re were trying to complete renovations, so not everything worked perfectly. However, we loved some of the original design elements and furnishings they incorporated. The place was clean, convenient to downtown and quiet. Because it was built that way many decades ago, a few of the rooms aren’t able to have their own shower, but those rooms are lower priced too. Now if they can just get better controls on the radiators, it will be great. The staff were all polite/friendly and very helpful.

Hotel located in downtown Seward, it is a good and convenient location

Free bus shuttle right across the hotel which is a best thing. The hotel internal and external is old and torn. It needs renovation and updates. The carpet is dirty and smell.

It was fun staying in 110 year-old hotel with old furnishings. The bed was quite comfortable, and the staff was very welcoming.

They definitely could maintain the property a little bit better, given the history. Their rooms were clean, definitely a musky smell which did bother my allergies, but we slept with the windows open. Aside from that the cleaning was good. The bathroom was clean, the sheets were good, but they could definitely overhaul the top blanket, it’s very old gross looking, those need to be replaced. I would definitely stay there again and would recommend it if you want to stay in a fun little old hotel with some great history right in the center of town. It’s close to all the shopping, restaurants, bars, and sea life Center.

The location is perfect. Step right outside and there’s shops, restaurants, bars, etc. so much to do! The building is cool because of the history, but it definitely needs some updating. Floors were super creaky. Everyone shares a communal fridge in the lobby and a communal hair dryer which always seemed to be in use.

I've seen a lot of people razz on this property. Yes it is old and could use some maintenance. It does have character and was very comfortable for us to stay overnight. I would go back again. If you can't lug your luggage up a couple flights of stairs, maybe you should hit the gym. Have an adventure.

Cute old hotel with some problems because it is an old building - but cute and staff helped us work around the problems.

The building looks like is falling apart and the inside could use a renovation touch.

The main positive is the location—especially if you’re taking a cruise, since it’s conveniently nearby.

Not much really. Very old building, room is old with almost broken shower heads, no staff onsite most of the time. I did not really like much of the hotel. Old but very expensive.

The building is very run down. Cannot get a good temperature for the water and the electricity is iffy.

I didn’t stay there, there was mold in room

Overall good stay but the location is too old and doesn't smell good.

Good location, near restaurants . Historical feel and decor. No elevator

Great historic hotel. Of the two rooms we booked, one room's shower was barely big enough to stand let alone take a decent shower! Anytime you ran the microwave in the common area, the breaker tripped and you had to wait for the staff to reset it. Overall, this is a great hotel near all the restaurants.

Staff person at check in quickly went through memorized speech, which was not helpful--it was just a quick list about things like "hair dryer in the cupboard in the hallway...". Water in sink in the room and the shared shower on our floor did not work. However, the history of the building, the location, and the coffee service available all day were very good. Stay here for the historical experience, not amenities.

average

Great place to stay.

Clean room The building is in rough shape. The ceiling in the bathroom of our room was water stained and cracked. The shower water temperature was extremely inconsistent - it would go from burning hot to cold in 30 seconds. Minimal sound insulation between rooms.