Best Western Plus Chena River Lodge

Staff was excellent, friendly, always helpful. Breakfast was wonderful every day. The location was great for its proximity to the airport and other means of transportation. The hotel is due for a 'face lift' though it was perfectly good for our stay, save the notes below. I would be fine to stay again without a second thought. Consider before you book: no airport shuttle services. If you are willing and able to haul yourself and your bags up to the 2nd or 3rd floor .... you're great. However, if that isn't you; do one of 2 things. Either make certain you have a ground floor room OR book elsewhere. The elevator stopped working several times during our 5 day stay. It was an issue that canceled our Aurora viewing plans for that evening. Upon arriving, we found that our bathroom had not been fully cleaned. We took care of it and the rest of the stay in that regard was great. Our TV wasn't working for the first 2.5 days. Eventually either it was cured or replaced. Either way we enjoyed TV while we were at the room the rest of the time.

Front desk cordiallity and helpful with recommendations of places to visit, free shuttle service and breakfast included.

The hotel is ok for our stay. The problem was the shuttle pick up from the train station. We waited for over an hour. I called four times and she told me that she had received a call from the shuttle driver he was not available. So she called a cab. We waited and waited. I called again and she said they were on the way. We waited and i called again. She put me on hold and came back to say for me to call an uber, the cab company would not answer the phone. We had been at the train station with our bags waiting for well over an hour. One of the men working at the train station said this is a common thing. They dont have the shuttle and they dont want to use anything else so they only reimburse for the cab company. It was not a pleasant experience. We arrived at the train station around 7:30. We were picked up by our uber at 9:13. If you stay here and need a shuttle just know the routine. Dont wait an hour and a half on a shuttle and taxi cab. They are not coming.

The elevator was broken

The staff is excellent, they have a great lobby with drinks and snacks at all times which is super useful for late night or early morning travelers and also for those who are just wanting to hang out or waiting for rides etc. Rooms are not fancy and are a bit dated, but have all we need including fridge and micro, so we were comfy. My only issue was with the remoteness of the location. It is a problem for winter when you do not have a car and cannot walk due to the compacted ice and snow. Taxis are expensive and Uber is hard to get here sometimes. Perhaps you could offer a shuttle service to malls and other places like downtown for people like us who felt somewhat stranded . Even if this is for a fee, I think it would be useful for guests and one more plus for the hotel. Overall, we had a great stay here and would recommend it to everyone.

Staff was excellent, friendly, always helpful. Breakfast was wonderful every day. The location was great for its proximity to the airport and other means of transportation. The hotel is due for a 'face lift' though it was perfectly good for our stay, save the notes below. I would be fine to stay again without a second thought. Consider before you book: no airport shuttle services. If you are willing and able to haul yourself and your bags up to the 2nd or 3rd floor .... you're great. However, if that isn't you; do one of 2 things. Either make certain you have a ground floor room OR book elsewhere. The elevator stopped working several times during our 5 day stay. It was an issue that canceled our Aurora viewing plans for that evening. Upon arriving, we found that our bathroom had not been fully cleaned. We took care of it and the rest of the stay in that regard was great. Our TV wasn't working for the first 2.5 days. Eventually either it was cured or replaced. Either way we enjoyed TV while we were at the room the rest of the time.

Quiet an clean

Room was very clean

Well maintained facility however Cleaning staff should pay more attention to details room needs a good dusting microwave obviously not cleaned wall had stains shower stall had hair from the previous occupants could do with some good cleaning

The room was clean. The beds and bedding was comfortable!!

Great stay. Clean room and common areas, comfortable beds. AC worked great (it was 87°F in Fairbanks when we arrived). Clean hot shower. The breakfast was above expectations. Staff was friendly and helpful. We’ll stay here again next time we’re in Fairbanks.

I had a great stay at the hotel but the toilet smelled like urine. I left the fan on constantly with the door closed. Other than that, great stay.

Very Clean and quiet and it was easy to check in.

When I checked in the room was dirty. It had someone else’s nachos on the desk and the soaps had been opened and used and a towel was used by the sink. I let the front desk know but they didn’t really care.

Room under bed and behind dressers increadibly dirty. Bottles and cigarette wrappers and rotten berries under the bed and behind dressers and nightstands.

The heating system was not controllable in the room. It was too hot for comfortable sleeping plus the fan was always on and very loud. Staff had no way of controlling it. Thermostats in the room didn’t function.

Dated and older. Lot of money for a shabby hotel.

This was a fine hotel in a convenient location, however the heat was broken in our room. It was 89 degrees when we woke up. Needless to say, not a good night sleep. They checked the heater and found it was missing a part; moved our room for night two. Why was that room rented to us? We usually sleep at 65-68 degrees. Nightmares. No compensation offered.

The front desk staff was extremely nice and very helpful. I don’t think there is any sound insulation in the walls or ceiling. It sounded like a basketball team was running around over us every night! The hotel was clean, especially our room, but the lobby floor had so much trash on it.

Never Again! I used to like staying here. However this past trip, I was put on the same floor as a firefighter crew and they made a lot of noise and heard doors slamming all night til I got up at 6am. I had called the front desk at midnight who didn’t even attempt to quiet them down. The morning staff came up and she told one of the guys that they need to keep it down cause of complaints, so I know I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. For the price I paid, I should’ve spent a little more to get a quieter or nicer hotel!

Myself and my husband has stayed at this location several times. We actually love the free breakfast and beds so we’ve come back even after having nights that ended up sleepless due to people being loud, heater not working, people outside being loud ect.. I let the service people know and they didn’t seem to care either time. This was the last time we attempted to stay. I’m pretty upset because if there wasn’t any weird sales going on between vehicles that stay running till 4am with cutoff mufflers I would have had a great anniversary but again it was a waste of money. From now on we will choose another hotel to have our monthly stays at.

The toilet lid/seat was only attached by one bolt and slid off when in use. Trim on base of bathroom door was loose and fell off causing me to trip. Thermostat was nonfunctional so room was too hot unless windows kept open. Otherwise room was very nice and in good location.

When we got into our room it was 80 degrees. Despite turning on the fan, it kept blowing hot air. We told the front desk, got a fan and said the engineer would come to look at it. So, we opened the window as a solution.

The bed was very comfy. I liked the in room fridge. Good black out curtains. Quiet at night.

The room itself was pretty clean. However the light was out inside the bathroom where the toilet and shower are, so we had to leave the door open in order to see. The smoke detector (or co2 not sure) was hanging off the wall and the curtain rods were crooked like they had been pulled too hard so they didn’t shut tightly. It seems like hotels these days should offer smart tv options, not just basic cable.

Nice place and very friendly staff.

The staff were very helpful on giving us info for the aurora viewing places, how to layer up . Special mention to Sherry. The location is convenient

Great staff, clean room, bed was comfort, good breakfast

Without checking the proper check out date the house cleaning manager threw out the foods and drinks kept in the refrigerator, took my suitcases and kept it down . The lady did not bother to get the correct room number. Em 201 was supposed to be cleaned and inspite of the cleaning boy telling her this is not the correct room she messed up. Threw all the laundry clothes along with new clothes When I spoke to her she just said sorry but did not really care. I raised the issue with duty manager on 6/3/2024 in afternoon and he dismissed it as something it normallly happens First the house keeping manager need to check the log book properly If other people are telling her that she is not correct she had thame arrogance not to listen The manager dismissed it being something that happens all the time I have been living in USA as a citizen for more than quarter century and nowhere it has happened except at this best western at Chena River lodge on 1255 TVSA pkwy Fairbanks Alaska The banger also threatened me to throw out of property as I spoke in a raised tone Obviously any one would be upset if their belongings are touched without permission when they are still in the room The manger’s unfit to do his job if he cannot educate his staff and manage them properly I filed a complaint through corporate for best western and they said the general manager would contact or the property owner None had contacted me so far Such is the service. Very poor experience

Everyone was great.

Never Again! I used to like staying here. However this past trip, I was put on the same floor as a firefighter crew and they made a lot of noise and heard doors slamming all night til I got up at 6am. I had called the front desk at midnight who didn’t even attempt to quiet them down. The morning staff came up and she told one of the guys that they need to keep it down cause of complaints, so I know I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. For the price I paid, I should’ve spent a little more to get a quieter or nicer hotel!

Great stay. Clean room and common areas, comfortable beds. AC worked great (it was 87°F in Fairbanks when we arrived). Clean hot shower. The breakfast was above expectations. Staff was friendly and helpful. We’ll stay here again next time we’re in Fairbanks.

We really enjoyed our week at the Best Western Plus Chena River Lodge. The staff was incredible. They were helpful, kind and courteous. They truly made us feel we were at home. Special shout out to Rufus, and Joshua. For us, this was a five star experience.

When I checked in the room was dirty. It had someone else’s nachos on the desk and the soaps had been opened and used and a towel was used by the sink. I let the front desk know but they didn’t really care.

Staff great, easy off highway,

The staff were very helpful on giving us info for the aurora viewing places, how to layer up . Special mention to Sherry. The location is convenient

Very convenient location near the airport, shopping, and my son's house. Nothing fancy (that's a positive thing), just clean, quiet, modern, and all the conveniences. (Fridge, microwave, keurig coffee maker, ... ) And the super human staff took very good care of us.

Excellent location, good breakfast, very clean and comfortable

Staff was excellent, friendly, always helpful. Breakfast was wonderful every day. The location was great for its proximity to the airport and other means of transportation. The hotel is due for a 'face lift' though it was perfectly good for our stay, save the notes below. I would be fine to stay again without a second thought. Consider before you book: no airport shuttle services. If you are willing and able to haul yourself and your bags up to the 2nd or 3rd floor .... you're great. However, if that isn't you; do one of 2 things. Either make certain you have a ground floor room OR book elsewhere. The elevator stopped working several times during our 5 day stay. It was an issue that canceled our Aurora viewing plans for that evening. Upon arriving, we found that our bathroom had not been fully cleaned. We took care of it and the rest of the stay in that regard was great. Our TV wasn't working for the first 2.5 days. Eventually either it was cured or replaced. Either way we enjoyed TV while we were at the room the rest of the time.

Decent hotel. In good location. Some rooms seem to need basic revamp and updating. But the staff is nice and helpful. Good breakfast included is a positive.

Very close to the airport

Quick and easy access to the airport. Good breakfast.

Convenient to the University

The staff is excellent, they have a great lobby with drinks and snacks at all times which is super useful for late night or early morning travelers and also for those who are just wanting to hang out or waiting for rides etc. Rooms are not fancy and are a bit dated, but have all we need including fridge and micro, so we were comfy. My only issue was with the remoteness of the location. It is a problem for winter when you do not have a car and cannot walk due to the compacted ice and snow. Taxis are expensive and Uber is hard to get here sometimes. Perhaps you could offer a shuttle service to malls and other places like downtown for people like us who felt somewhat stranded . Even if this is for a fee, I think it would be useful for guests and one more plus for the hotel. Overall, we had a great stay here and would recommend it to everyone.

Staff great, easy off highway,

Comfortable.Great breakfast

Great breakfast

Great breakfast offerings

Excellent location, good breakfast, very clean and comfortable

Staff was excellent, friendly, always helpful. Breakfast was wonderful every day. The location was great for its proximity to the airport and other means of transportation. The hotel is due for a 'face lift' though it was perfectly good for our stay, save the notes below. I would be fine to stay again without a second thought. Consider before you book: no airport shuttle services. If you are willing and able to haul yourself and your bags up to the 2nd or 3rd floor .... you're great. However, if that isn't you; do one of 2 things. Either make certain you have a ground floor room OR book elsewhere. The elevator stopped working several times during our 5 day stay. It was an issue that canceled our Aurora viewing plans for that evening. Upon arriving, we found that our bathroom had not been fully cleaned. We took care of it and the rest of the stay in that regard was great. Our TV wasn't working for the first 2.5 days. Eventually either it was cured or replaced. Either way we enjoyed TV while we were at the room the rest of the time.

Great staff, clean room, bed was comfort, good breakfast

Nice clean hotel. Beds and pillows super comfortable. Great breakfast.

Great stay. Clean room and common areas, comfortable beds. AC worked great (it was 87°F in Fairbanks when we arrived). Clean hot shower. The breakfast was above expectations. Staff was friendly and helpful. We’ll stay here again next time we’re in Fairbanks.

Quick and easy access to the airport. Good breakfast.

The breakfast was fine. Not too many options. We were disappointed that breakfast was served very late in the morning one day due to a staff call-in. Cold breakfast items weren’t even available during this time.