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Van Gilder Hotel

2.5 star property
Historic hotel in Seward with free parking

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The Van Gilder Hotel blends historic charm with modern amenities in the city center. Guests can enjoy the on-site art gallery, shop at the nearby mall, or relax in the library. Free WiFi, self-parking, and an area shuttle make exploring easy.

Reviews

6.2 out of 10

Popular amenities

  • Housekeeping
  • Free WiFi
  • Parking included

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 8 of 8 rooms

View all photos for Suite, 2 Bedrooms

Free WiFi, bed sheets

Suite, 2 Bedrooms

Highlights

Heating
2 bedrooms
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • 2 bedrooms
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

View all photos for Classic Room, 1 Queen Bed

Free WiFi, bed sheets

Classic Room, 1 Queen Bed

Highlights

Heating
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for 1 Queen - Shared Bath

1 Queen - Shared Bath | Bathroom sink

1 Queen - Shared Bath

Highlights

Heating
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for One Queen & 1 Twin

Free WiFi, bed sheets

One Queen & 1 Twin

Highlights

Heating
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Twin Bed

View all photos for 2 Full Beds

2 Full Beds | Room amenity

2 Full Beds

Highlights

Heating
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

View all photos for Annex 1 Queen Bed

Free WiFi, bed sheets

Annex 1 Queen Bed

Highlights

Heating
Daily housekeeping
Located in an annex building
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Apartment Annex

Free WiFi, bed sheets

Apartment Annex

Highlights

Heating
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
Located in an annex building
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Classic Double Room

Highlights

Heating
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds
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About the neighborhood

Map
308 Adams Street, Seward, AK, 99664

What's nearby

  • Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Seward Community Library & Museum - 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 - 1 min drive - 1.6 km

Getting around

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

Restaurants

  • ‪The Cookery - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Firebrand BBQ - ‬16 min walk
  • ‪The Breeze Inn Restaurant - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Ray's Waterfront - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Highliner Restaurant - ‬1 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 concierge services
  • Luggage storage and tour/ticket assistance
  • Guest reviews say great things about the helpful staff
Room features
All guestrooms at Van Gilder Hotel offer amenities such as free WiFi.
Other conveniences in all rooms include:
  • Showers and free toiletries
  • Heating and daily housekeeping

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  • Housekeeping
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Property amenities

Internet

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

Parking and transportation

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

Things to do

  • Art gallery
  • Library
  • Shopping mall

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 elevator

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
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

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 is parking?

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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Reviews

Van Gilder Hotel Reviews

6.2

6.6

Cleanliness

8.6

Location

7.4

Staff & service

6.2

Eco-friendliness

5.4

Property conditions & facilities
Rating 10 - Excellent. 100 out of 522 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 121 out of 522 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 109 out of 522 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 88 out of 522 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 104 out of 522 reviews

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean, friendly staff.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Claude

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Love the old style hotel, staff was very nice
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ann

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved the historical memorabilia and stories as well as the friendly atmosphere.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jason

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful property
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

Jasmine

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Bathroom was clean. If you just need a place to stay, this place gets the job done. Staff was friendly. Needs some updates, but I was safe and slept peacefully.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Michael

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

2/10 Terrible

Susan

Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location was great
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

David

Van Gilder Hotel

The place is a little run down but our stay was fine. Love the architecture, quiet and in the center of town an easy walk to everything. If you want a 5 star hotel this isnt for you but my wife and I liked it a lot. If we ever come back to Seward will definitely stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The decor at the location was amazing. Feels like you're in the early 20th century.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Karen

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

6/10 Okay

Susan

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Hotel is a bit rough around the edges but very convenient and a fair value for the money. I was intrigued by the history and happy to find the free shuttle bus stop right across the street. The hostess was lovely and very helpful even loaning me her raincoat for the evening. I would stay again.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful old building. Pictures around building talking about its history. Great location. Friendly staff. And hot chocolate in the lobby, not just coffee!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Michael

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

6/10 Okay

Derek

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The hotel is dated with part of the charm being haunted for those into that. My wife didn't like the haunted part and we both would have appreciated things more maintained. The location was awesome, with walking access to the best restaurants and water.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Neat, Cool, Historical

Very neat, cool, and interesting place to stay. Historic and interesting stories. Definitely different, but in a good and enjoyable way. Staff (Sash!!) was helpful in accommodating our late arrival.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Chester

Liked: Cleanliness
Old hotel
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jamie-Lyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Bed was comfy. No A/C. Rundown and kinda dirty but sheets were clean.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Valerie

Liked: Staff & service
We love the Van Gilder. It is an historic building and therefore has some physical shortcomings but it makes up for it in customer service and location.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

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

Holly

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

10/10 Excellent

Nancy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
An old hotel with an enormous amount of charm. It was very clean and the shower was great! The bed was wonderful and I had a perfect night sleep. Yes it’s old and the floors creaked. You would too if you were over 100 years old!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

sherri

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

4/10 Poor

Erin

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Property was run down outside, the inside was clean with a comfortable bed but tvs didn’t work and room was way overpriced.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

Carol

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

8/10 Good

Kelsi

Disliked: Staff & service

The Haunted Hotel

The Van Gilder gave me spooky Haunted vibes but I thought it was great as an experience because of the hauntedness. It would have been better if I was able to check in early and check out later so I didn’t have to carry my bags around Seward. Overall conveniently located lower end of town. Very close walk to waters edge, aquarium, coffee shop and other restaurants and stores. Also the Free Shuttle stop #9 is just outside and across the street.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025