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
Starbucks - 3 min drive
The Highliner Restaurant - 1 min walk
Harbor Street Creamery - 19 min walk
Ray's Waterfront - 2 min drive
Woody's Thai Kitchen - 11 min walk
About this property
Van Gilder Hotel
Historic hotel in the city center
Consider a stay at Van Gilder Hotel and take advantage of an art gallery on site, a shopping mall on site, and a library. Guests can connect to free in-room WiFi.
Additional perks include:
Free self parking
A free area shuttle, express check-out, and tour/ticket assistance
Concierge services and luggage storage
Guest reviews say great things about the helpful staff
Room features
All guestrooms at Van Gilder Hotel offer amenities such as free WiFi.
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
Property 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
Frequently asked questions
Is Van Gilder Hotel pet-friendly?
No, only service animals are welcome at the property.
How much does it cost to stay at Van Gilder Hotel?
As of 2025/7/24, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Van Gilder Hotel on 2025/7/25 start from NT$6,530, excluding taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking at Van Gilder Hotel?
Self parking is free at this property.
What time is check-in at Van Gilder Hotel?
Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 9:00 PM. Late check-in is available during limited hours.
What time is check-out at Van Gilder Hotel?
Check-out is at 11:00 AM.
Where is Van Gilder Hotel located?
Located in the heart of Seward, this historic hotel is steps from Chugach Heritage Center and Seward Community Library & Museum. Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center and Alaska SeaLife Center are also within 5 minutes.
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Van Gilder Hotel Reviews
Reviews
6.2
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.More informationOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 87 out of 469 reviews
10 - Excellent
87
Rating 8 - Good. 110 out of 469 reviews
8 - Good
110
Rating 6 - Okay. 96 out of 469 reviews
6 - Okay
96
Rating 4 - Poor. 79 out of 469 reviews
4 - Poor
79
Rating 2 - Terrible. 97 out of 469 reviews
2 - Terrible
97
6.6/10
Cleanliness
7.4/10
Staff & service
5.2/10
Amenities
5.4/10
Property conditions & facilities
6.0/10
Eco-friendliness
Reviews
10/10
Wonderful and professional staff made our stay easy and enjoyable. Great location.
Michael
2/10
Location was great
Susan
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025
10/10
Very professional, friendly staff
Michael
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
8/10
Coffee area was lovely
Karen
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025
8/10
Interesting, historic hotel. Beds were extremely comfortable! No elevator. Great location - close to shops, restaurants and the water.
sherri
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
8/10
Old hotel
Chester
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025
4/10
The history was interesting.
Carol
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025
2/10
New name, hotel lysol, no hot water. Dump
Kevin
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
8/10
This is an historic hotel in the heart of Seward. As expected, it was old and lovely. Our rooms were clean and remodeled. The bed was comfortable and the rooms were good size. The hotel is walking distance from restaurants and the Sealife Center as well as the beach. The only thing that I would recommend is have more staff available. We often had to go find the front desk clerk to ask questions and to check in and out. We would recommend if you like old, historic hotels and we would come back.
Roberta
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025
8/10
What we like
Location
Staff
Room was ok
What we did not like
The hotel was to hot
The shower did not have cold water so water was to hot to take one
Juan
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2025
4/10
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
Carol
6/10
We enjoyed our stay except there is not any hot water in any of the rooms. I complained the first night and was given suggestions on how to make it hot. Nothing worked. Second night they allowed me to use a shower downstairs. Other guests had the same problem. When I say no hot water I mean expect it to be to be extremely cold . Like straight out of the glacier cold!
Tiffanie
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
2/10
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.
Ian
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025
2/10
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.
UTPAL
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025
6/10
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.
Mark
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025
2/10
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.
Susan
8/10
This property is hard to review because they are undergoing a massive renovation. The hotel is charming in the history and antiques of it, the price certainly fit our budget, and the staff was as accommodating as could be. However, there were obvious areas for improvement. They recently put in a new water system and for some reason, the hot water did not reach out unit. With a few changes and tries, we still couldn't make it work. But they did allow us to use the shower in a smaller room that was unoccupied at the time to accommodate our family. We also made good use of the front lobby room with the coffee maker and microwave to have breakfast each morning. The staff showed us the plans for the renovations which are beautiful and I love how they will preserve the historical element of the building. If we are fortunate enough to find ourselves in Seward again, we will most likely return to the Van Gilder.
Danette
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025
10/10
Fantastic location and very friendly/helpful staff. Perfect place to stay while exploring Seward.
Patrick
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024
10/10
Nice, old historical hotel, well maintained, antique settings in rooms.
Robert
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024
8/10
Very convenient location. Historic hotel.
Valerie
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024
10/10
A unique hotel and have a sense of history.
Wei
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024
8/10
Great location in downtown - cool historic hotel :)
Scott
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
10/10
Beautiful historic hotel. Wonderful atmosphere and parking was close by. Seward has a lot to offer. We stayed for two nights and loved the area.
Heather
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024
10/10
hotel was quaint, but old - had alot of history which was very interesting
Joanne
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024
10/10
Quint and historical building in an excellent location