I came across these old photos that I took when I stayed here. I am not sure if this place is still here (hope it is), but I remember it being a good place. The people who worked here at the time were friendly, the place itself was cute, the prices and the comfort level were fair, and this place was within easy walking distance of downtown and many local attractions. I have fond memories of being here and with my stay in Anchorage. read more

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I arrived at 8:30am (not check-in time), I was able to store my bag for the day which is great! Although, the sign says an ID needs to be present when picking up this was not the case, they just let me go in and pick my bag (different girl at actual check-in later that evening), so I could've just took whatever I wanted. The girl at the front counter in my morning experience, was helpful to an extent, she seemed way more worried about texting on her phone. I then waited in the lobby and she was on the phone with a boyfriend talking about how much she hated her life. Later that evening, I checked in around 10:15pm. I was told that my 6 person room was not available, I had booked a room via the internet with confirmation. She then told me there was a 4 person room available and I would still only have to pay the $25 rate...thats fine. Well when I get to my room the lady in the room is very irritated i'm there. She said she stays here a lot for periods of time. Then proceeded to talk about how hot the room was and how no one ever wants to stay in it. I then proceed downstairs and the girl goes and looks to see if their is any room in the 6 person rooms. She finds that their is. She kept saying she doesn't know if there is or isn't...i mean how do you not know your occupancy? I then move to the 6 person room where I'm told that there are no bunks available. So I have to go back downstairs to ask about it and the employee just says, i don't know, its first come first serve i guess. So i have no idea if i'm stealing anyones bed, i was just told "there was an asian girl there who hurt her back yesterday and she hasn't been here since the morning", ummmm okay, i'm super tired so i'm not going to complain, I just need a place to sleep for the night. I then have to go downstairs again to ask about towels, i wasn't given any direction on check out times, amenities NOTHING....She gives me a towel, thats great, thank you, I then will proceed to find wherever the showers are by myself. I find a women's private bathroom on my floor (2nd). It is pretty clean, especially compared to where I stayed the previous night for 6x the cost. It was great heat and decent water pressure (not the greatest but good enough), the lock worked (I read previous reviews that someone's didn't). It worked for what I needed, so points there. I then proceed to go and do laundry. It is $1.50 each wash and $1.50 for dry. As I sit in the lobby, I am listening to the front desk employee and long term residents talk. Resident (R): What time is it? Employee (E): 11:00pm, one hour to get out of this shithole, then tomorrow I have to start all over again, I can't stand this place..etc...goes on her soap box about how horrible her life is. Another conversation: R: Why can't I get a room to myself for more than 3 nights in a row. E: I try to help you out as much as I can. R: I make every person leave that I can to have privacy. This Resident is the same woman who wanted me out of her room. read more

I should always listen to my inner voice that says to reserve judgment. I read the few scathing reviews for Backpacker's Inn and almost decided to spend the big bucks and stay at the Sheraton. I am happy to say that I decided to give this place a chance first. I arrived at the Hostel about 2:30 AM and had no trouble gaining entry to my room which was on the first floor. I did have some difficulties getting my wide bodied self up onto the top bunk though. I found clean sheets and a towel up there waiting for me. They do offer private rooms and dorm style rooms. This hostel has three floors including the basement which houses the large kitchen, laundry, bathroom with shower and great common room with a TV, lots of seating, comfy couches, and games galore to keep you occupied. If you are really broke then there are some vending machines that have many options including Top Ramen! The first floor includes several his/hers and separate gender specific bath/shower rooms. I never had to wait more than a minute for access. If you have issues with germs just bring a pair of flip flops for the bathrooms. The top floor is much the same as the main floor except there is another sitting area. At each end of the floors is a little sink area with a microwave. Some of the rooms have TV's and all have a mini fridge with lockers. Guests are encouraged to leave their thoughts on the walls with any one of the many pens, markers, paints, or even chalks left around. I confess that I left a few lines for other to read. Some are very deep though and many fine artists have passed through here. There is an ATM machine and two computers in the lobby which offer free internet. If you bring your laptop/iPad there is also free wi-fi available. The kitchen is amazingly large and well equipped. I am not sure how anyone else was unhappy here. Out back there is a BBQ and a covered patio area for the smokers. Finally, the staff, including Anthony, are very friendly and quick to help out with anything I needed. From now on this will be my new home when I am in the Anchorage area. Really...can you beat $30 a night...anywhere? Motel 6 should turn the light off cuz I won't be staying there. But seriously - is this the same hostel that others reviewed because I see no resemblance? So yeah, it can be noisy, and did someone really complain the 'sheets were clean, but stiff with heavy starch'. What other nastiness do you want them to be stiff from?! read more

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Very nice place and people there for the days I was there lacey is a sweet nice person I appreciated the special locks for the door

If you're looking for an affordable, no-frills room in Anchorage, this is certainly your best bet. As one would expect, accommodations are pretty spartan, but are at least clean. The people running this place are friendly enough and check-in/check-out is a relatively painless process. Their Wi-Fi has been pretty much offline each time I have stayed here, but the free parking and relatively convenient location coupled with low rates compared to nearby hotels make it a pretty good deal, so long as you're not expecting 4-star accommodations. read more

This was certainly the lowlight of our two-week Alaska vacation, beating out even a soulless institutional campground on a chilly and rainy night. I'll stick to the facts, so I don't get too upset re-living the feeling of being a fourth-class citizen disturbing the desk staff over my outlandish preference for a clean bed: Booking a room was straightforward and pleasant. The location is good. When we checked in, the room's windows were wide open. We closed them without a second thought (whoops), and left for the day. On returning that night, the room smelled fiercely of smoke despite the harshly-worded warnings against smoking in one's room posted several places in the reception area. It was late and we figured we'd just have to deal with it. The bedding turned out to be just horrible, though, and after 20 minutes of trying to get to sleep, I finally went downstairs to swap out pillows. It was disgusting. The front desk worker, none too friendly but at least responsive, told me that no extra pillows were available, nor blankets, nor sheets, but that he could give me a second set of pillowcases into which I could put the pillows. I wound up putting the pillow in the far corner of the room and using my jacket inside two pillowcases. The next day, I approached the desk worker (the same one) gently, and suggested that the room really wasn't reasonably usable, and that perhaps they should do something about that. His exact words: "We'll take that under advisement." And then he abruptly turned back to his computer, dismissing me. Not "I'm sorry." Not "That sounds bad." Not even "Funny, we cleaned that room just last month." And certainly not "What can we do to make this right?" Just "we'll take that under advisement." Fellow traveler, take this under advisement: you can and should do better than to subject yourself to the Alaska Backpackers' Inn. I don't remember the last time I felt so utterly disrespected. read more

Meh. Here are SOME of the problems I had with ABI.... 1. The floor of our room had an unfinished look and feel to it, like it was under construction. I didn't want to even walk on it barefoot. 2. A torn fabric served as the curtain. 3. The sheets were stiff and dusty. (Maybe thats why I couldn't stop sneezing.) I think the sheets were last washed sometime in the Bush Administration or before. 4. The room smelled like straight up armpits. There was also NO AC or ceiling fan to get air in the room flowing. Had to hold my breath with every opening of the room door to avoid getting a big whiff of it. 5. Paper thin walls. Falling asleep was close to impossible with the non-stop symphony of slamming doors, footsteps, toilets flushing, water running, and people's hallway chatter/yelling. Definitely not music to my ears. Lets just say that it was not worth the price we paid, and 2 nights there were more than enough. I don't ask for TOO much in a hostel, but the very least I do expect is comfort and cleanliness. And this place unfortunately fell short of these basic accommodations. Never again. read more

I have stayed at hostels all over the world - Thailand, India, Nepal, Western Europe, Costa Rica...the list could go on and on. However, the only US hostel I have stayed at until now was in NYC. In general, I expect that US hostels, often costing 5-10 times more than foreign hostels, should be clean and well maintained. This place was like a crappy motel. The mattresses were probably from the 1960s - you could literally feel the springs digging into your back - it was like sleeping on a box spring. The showers were warm, but the bathrooms always smelled musty. The rooms were small concrete cells that I avoided for all but the most necessary of tasks, like sleeping. The floors had dirt, crumbs and other debris strewn about (is sweeping a luxury?!?). The sheets were clean, but stiff with heavy starch. The service was completely inconsistent, ranging from extremely incompetent to moderately competent. When we first checked in it took the girl almost 25 minutes to find our reservations, get us a room and send us on our way. Other front desk workers were better, but none exceptional. The noise was incredible. It wasn't wild, but someone was always slamming a door, banging pots and pans in the kitchen at 4am, or there might be two foreigners screaming at each other down the hall. Some positive aspects: free internet, fairly clean bathrooms, and sufficient common areas. The hostel is conveniently located, but given its negative aspects I would never stay here again, particularly given the $60 price tag. Do yourself a favor and stay at another Anchorage based hostel or bring a tent. read more

I stayed in this hostel about a year ago and still tell people the same story to this day about how staying here truly made my Alaskan trip "adventurous". My friend and I arrived at 1:30am because of our late flights and had a train to catch for Seward by 6am. We knew there was a common area and expected it to be pleasant so we thought we could just stay there until about 5 and then start heading to the train station. Now granted, I know this is a lot of time and I get that it was late. But I have stayed at other hostels where I've felt completely safe hanging out in the common areas, having conversations with and getting to know other travelers for hours until late. My friend and I entered the common room around 2am and to our surprise, there was a teen ripping a bong in the back of the room, a man passed out drunk on one of the moldy couches with stains all over his clothes, beer can in hand, and two other men watching what appeared to be some weird sexual horror movie. Long story short. We quickly learned that one of the men on those couches was a crystal meth addict who had been shot three times (and offered to show his wounds). He claimed to have partied with Bristol Palin (Sarah Palin's daughter) and told us how wild she is and then proceeded to offer my friend and I to smoke some laced meth with him outside the hostel. We politely gave him an "eh, not tonight". And when he left, we decided it would be safer for us to just sit on a bench outside somewhere downtown in a well lit area, which ended up working out for us because the Hilton security guard kept watch to make sure we were safe. We returned (and dreaded it) a few days later, as we had booked it in advanced not knowing the previous; this time equipped with box cutters, which we slept with under our pillows and took to the showers with us. Nonetheless, the experience made for an interesting way to strike up conversations at parties. read more

I've never stayed at a hostel before staying here...and I must say my expectations were much too high. Beds are $25/night...and when I say beds I mean if you pay that price you will be put into a room with six random strangers of either gender...does that appeal to you? In Columbus $30 will get you a night at Motel 6 or another discount motel with clean sheets, a big bed, and a private room. Given that it is Alaska and everything costs way more (Days Inn was $110/night...cheapest hotel in town) $25 isn't bad. If you're traveling with a buddy you can get a private double room for $60 which is $30/person...private singles are around $50. If you go the cheap route which is expensive for a hostel then be sure to bring your own lock...you do get a locker but no lock. Complaints...I don't know where to begin. They couldn't find us clean bedding...you had to make your own bed and clean your own room....bathrooms were dirty and scary (bring shower shoes). There is NO air conditioning at all and we stayed here in the summer...it was sweltering, even with the window wide open at night the small (probably 10x13') room didn't cool off. I don't remember any blinds or curtains for the windows. They have some parking but not a lot. Common areas are filled with tons of moldy couches and books. Like I said, this was my first hostel so I'm not sure if they are all like this but this was terrible, however, it is the cheapest place to stay in Anchorage if you're on a budget and don't mind creepy people (bring pepper spray). We were backpacking Wrangell National Park and trust me, if I could have stayed in my tent in the woods it would have been much better just no showers. read more

Let's just say I spent some quality time here. Its just east of Downtown and full of people in summer. By late fall though, most of the tourist have left and the crowd changes. But there are nice people wherever you go, and I met some great people during my stay. They have a variety of pricing options depending on what room you get, what time of year (fall-early spring is cheapest), and number of days booked. The cheapest room only has 4 people in it and if they aren't super busy you could still end up with a room to yourself. Shared rooms are single sex unless you and your friends book together to get the room to yourselves. Rooms have bunk beds unless you are in a private. Some rooms have T.V.s and mini fridges (it seems like only the guys rooms or double occupancy dorms and private rooms have TVs...I've stayed in 4 different rooms) and all have lockers for storage (bring your own lock). Shared restrooms and a common area with a large TV, tables, and full kitchen in the basement, common area with bookshelves and couches upstairs. read more

Okay where do I start. Stayed three nights came in super late. They went out of their way offered a TV and brought it up to the room. They had a great lounge room downstairs with full kitchen and I love to cook. They provided all kinds of cutlery and pans, plates, strainers etc....every staff member we encountered was so nice and informative! Even made some friends among them. Very clean facilities for shared rooms and bathrooms!! The other cool part was the people they had in there where very relaxed and social it felt more like a dorm than a hostel or hotel setting which was great!! They made our experience the best it could have been on such a low budget and when I come back to anchorage there's no other place I want to stay I fell in love with this spot and I will Be back. THANK YOU SO MUCH BACK PACKERS IN IT WAS A BLAST! read more

This is for our stay in August 2014.I posted this review on Bookings.com on August 25, 2014. I've stayed at Hostel before so I knew it was going to be bare minimum but this was scary. We were in the "blue" building. The place is just old and not kept up very well. I was afraid to walk on the floors in my bare feet. There was no way I was going to use the shower. There were no towels provided and the floor just gave me the creeps. Words just don't do it justice. It needs to be knocked down and rebuilt. We met up with people in Seward who had also stayed there. One woman was covered in bed bug bites. Her arm had to have minimum 15 bites. I guess when you upgrade to a suite, it come complete with bugs. Bottom line, it was scary and I will be reporting it to the Hostel Association. On the plus side, it was close to the train depot. read more

I stayed at the Backpacker's Inn for 6 nites in July, 2012, and it was relaxed, friendly and there was a terrific commeraderie among the guests. I had a private room ($60/nite) with a TV (that didn't work) and a fridge (that did). Accommodations are simple with few frills, but the bed was comfortable and the staff seemed to go out of their way to assure my comfort. There's a kitchen downstairs of the Blue Building, adjacent to the TV room, a fun gathering place. With this experience under my belt, I needed a room for only one nite in July, 2013, and didn't think twice about calling ABI.I had the same room as a year ago (the TV still wasn't fixed, but not a big deal). This time, there was excessive noise from the halls and it was difficult getting to sleep. The courtesy from the staff was also lacking, and it just wasn't the same. It's true; you can't go home again... Still that one nite can't trump the wonderful 6 nites I had the year before, and I'm sure it was just a freak situation. I would stay there again; you can't beat the price! read more

The WORST hostel I've ever experienced! Advertised as more of an adventure type hostel experience, I knew when I booked a night at the Backpacker's Inn for the night of August 22nd, that things could be interesting. Having stayed in many hostels before, I knew that I wasn't going to get 5 star luxury accommodations, but usually a hostel is a clean, safe place to sleep and you meet some other like-minded travelers. What I wasn't expecting was a dirty, smelly, sweltering hot room that looked like it hadn't been cleaned throughly in years. Also, the sign posted reminding me that the hostel was not a place to do drugs was a little alarming. While I wasn't thrilled with the cleanliness situation, it was something I could deal with for the night since there weren't any signs of bedbugs in our particular room (although I was concerned). By the way, the common areas and kitchen were also very dirty so I wouldn't plan on hanging out in any of these areas either. The real adventure started around 1am, when my boyfriend and I were awoken by someone banging on the door across the hall. It turns out the hostel management (we believe) was kicking a woman out of her room. When she was told she needed to leave, she started throwing a fit and the management loudly called for back up staff and pepper spray in order to get this woman off the premises. Apparently she finally left after the police were called as things appeared to settle down after. It was quiet until about 3:15am when a couple of guys decided they needed to shower in the bathroom across the hall from us. That would've been fine except they thought it was acceptable to play rap music so loudly the walls were shaking. My boyfriend got up to look for hostel staff to enforce quiet hours, but no one could be found. Thankfully the guys were sober enough to turn the music down (but not off) when asked, but after events earlier in the evening, both of us were nervous about leaving the room and potentially starting a conflict. Long story short, the best part of my stay was leaving the inn at 5am that morning to head to Seward. Both my boyfriend and I agree that if we find ourselves in Anchorage during the high tourist season again, it'd be well worth spending the $250+/night to stay at a hotel in order to avoid this place. As horrible as our experience was, it sounds like we got lucky. At the hostel in Seward, we met a couple that were eaten alive by bedbugs at this Inn and the management didn't really seem to care. We definitely will not be going back. read more

Meh, at best. A double for $78 makes this the cheapest in Anc, but its still sad. Not filthy, but not sterile by any means either. A tv in our room, but it did not work, and ive travelled enough to know complaining about such things is a joke. Sheets are white and bleached clean, but the blankets over them are gross. I know even hotels don't wash the blankets or spreads every day, but these are ancient, and full of hairs and holes (I didn't dare to smell them & I hope it doesn't get cold tonight). Don't get me started on the mattress!! It's just springs and lumps and creaks. There is the plastic bedbug cover so that's comforting. The office staff was nice, so that's always a plus. The graffiti allowed on the walls just makes it feel scumier. The rooms are gray with awful murals, no hooks for clothes, one sad metal folding chair The basement 'lounge' is dank but there is a full service kitchen and a working tv there. Aside from the uncomfortable and loud beds (dont even think about having sex on them - it would be do loud you would wake bears in Denali) every noise in the hallways and common areas can be heard in your room (my room, sadly, by the front door). The front slams every minute all day & night. Footsteps above us, drunks out the window, guffawing from the hallway, the bathroom pipes sound like a marching band!! So - just come to sleep (with sleeping pills, earplugs and eye cover and make an appt with your chiropractor), and shower (bring flip flops and your own towel - the one they provide is a hand towel at best). My REAL advice - skip anchorage completely. Just do the nature stuff this 'city' has little to offer. Ps - I've stayed in hostels all over the world. read more

This seemed like a bargain to me considering the prices of other rooms I looked at. Not bad if you just need a place to sleep and shower. I was pleasantly surprised. I had my own room although it was open to another traveler, no one else checked in. The beds and bath were clean and the place was quiet. I left very early and felt well-rested. read more

I stay in the annex and I love it. The people are friendly and kind. The prices are reasonable. The common area is a relaxed social place. The a friendly k9 named Homer. He doesn't like to be petted by strangers but he is far from aggressive. You will see him wandering around and following his dad the owner of the annex. Theres a few other little critters too. Last but not least they are very clean here. So I hope you get to experience the Alaska backpackers annex soon. read more

Just plain HORRIBLE! The room smelled so bad that the housekeeping lady had to move me into another room so they can "ionize" the place. The old man with long hair and glasses clearly took pride in making the guest feel as uncomfortable as possible. Front desk staff was rude. Unless you like the thrill of staying in a bad area with creepy staff, STAY AWAY!! read more

Do not stay in The Annex. We arrived at midnight.. First room was a construction site. Mattresses up against the wall and paint cans on the floor. 2nd room had no electricity.. 3rd room was "okay", but still filthy. But, we met people along our travels and said that the bunks and dorms were good. So if you end up doing that, you may have a better experience. But, most people would agree - do not stay in the annex - read more

I stay in hostels ALL the time. Calling yourself a hostel is not an excuse for the disgusting and disturbing conditions this place charges an exorbitant amount for. This is an SOR building for transients, vagrants, homeless people, etc. As a woman I did not feel safe with the shady men lurking outside constantly. Our mattress did not fit on the bed. It was a full size mattress on a queen size bed, so the springs were exposed on either side. We didn't get a key until our second day because the machine was broken. Our second night there was a disturbance including a man yelling at the police for 2 hours; he swore and kept saying he had a gun. The police eventually arrested him, but I was up. In the morning, the staff didn't even apologize. DO NOT STAY HERE! Spend the extra few bucks and stay just about anywhere else. read more

This is not a hostel, this is an SRO. Multiple people clearly living here full time, mattresses are covered with bed bug covers. Spent two minutes standing in the room before deciding to leave, was told that we could not get our $100 back because the owner was very strict about no refunds. Requested the owners info and was given a defunct email. You'd be better off camping, there'd be fewer bugs. Total scam. read more

For the price that you pay for a night at the hostel, you can't beat it. Just a couple minutes walk from the heart of downtown anchorage and a friendly staff, it's definitely worth it if your planning on just staying there a night or two. Although not exactly the most luxurious place, it accommodated all of our needs, (hot showers, clean restroom, cordial staff) The only concerning issue I could see is that it's not exactly the cleanest place. While the room looked clean, the smell presented was a bit foul. But as I said earlier, for 30ish bucks a night and if you can adjust yourself to the smell... You can't beat it! Btw, if you get Sean as your check in guy... Your in good hands! read more

I thought this was a good hostel. The owner was incredibly helpful and accommodated every request. They even carried my luggage. The bathrooms were clean and HUGE. I thought the security was (building and room locks) was standard and sufficient- bring a lock for your in-room locker. The kitchen was really big, the common areas were comfortable. The location was great, between downtown and the train station, staff helped me find my way around. This is a typical hostel experience, and an awesome price in Anchorage. Perhaps it's under new management since the last reviews? I was never dismissed, I was put in an all female room- and they even book rooms to separate the locals and the travelers- nice touch. read more

I'm just gonna come out and say it: This place feels more like a homeless shelter rather than a hostel. At first glance, I knew there was no way I was staying in this graffiti-ridden, cigarette den. I am not a high-maintenance person, and I don't require a lot. I normally don't mind staying in hostels at all. But I felt totally uncomfortable here, and un-welcomed by the rude staff. Let's just say the "Please don't do drugs here" sign is up for a reason. read more

DO NOT STAY HERE- SAFETY CONCERNS. Not only is the hostel dirty (rooms obviously not cleaned tenant to tenant), bedding and carpet concerning filthy, and general vibe more sleazy motel then hostel or "inn", you might get robbed. After swapping a blanket covered in someone else's hair at the front desk, I walked to back to a throng of people by my room. They had just had a man walk into their room- for the second time in three days attempting to rob them. When it first happened, the front desk was entirely nonplussed. When I returned to the front desk to let them know the second time and ask for my key code to be changed, I had the same reaction. No call to the manager. No call to the police. Refused to even change my door lock code. While there is no way to prove it, the unconcerned gentleman at the front desk appeared to be working with the thief. We canceled our reservation on the spot. I am lucky- I was staying with my boyfriend. But the young, college age girl staying next to us had been by herself the last few nights. And a strange man entered her room around 2:30am the night before. Fortunately, she screamed and scared him off. But do not put yourself in this situation. Do NOT stay here and expect safety (or cleanliness). read more

TooLongDidntRead: Mold in the co-ed shower, human hair all over my floor in my room (someone shaved?), and a mattress from 1970, receptionist booked WRONG ROOM, keycard didn't work and walked to front desk in my underwear after a shower upon arrival. When asked if I could switch rooms, even though there was another room open, she said no because another couple would be arriving later to fill that room. I asked if I could have that room and the other couple could move into mine; the answer was 'no, because you're already here'. If you're considering staying here, rent a full size van at the airport and park it by the river, sleep in the van and take a cold swim in the morning. If you're expecting accommodations better than that here, you're mistaken. I'd like to start by saying that I've stayed in many hostels in my day, Thailand, Mexico, Cambodia, you name it and I've been there. This however was the worst hostel I've ever stayed in. Hands down. I'm floored at these other reviews; granted it only has 2 stars on google, but others rate it closer to 3. Don't let this fool you, its a 1 star, at best, on a sunny day. I booked a double private room for 3 days, simple right? No. I arrived and they had booked me in an 8 person dorm. I waited for 30 awkward minutes in a dead silent and dark lobby while the receptionist "found" me a private room in a hostel that was "fully booked" according to signs out front and their website. The room he 'found' is 7x9 roughly, with two beds inside, leaving roughly 10sq/ft of space to put my things. The window is stuck open, my keycard didn't work. I toughed it out for one night with about 2 hours of sleep. After a day of adventuring I came back and asked if I could switch rooms because my window was stuck and my bed was too small for me (I'm 6'1'' and they gave me a twin bed... my feet hang off the edge). The answer was, "sorry we only have one room left and a couple is filling it up soon. After having exhausted all of my other options, and being informed of their STRICT NO REFUND policy, I asked if they could simply switch me into the open room and give the couple the room I have now. The answer was no. When I asked why the answer I got was "because you're already here". I even offered to make up the room myself and pay for the wash, still no. I'd post pictures here but I cant, and you wouldn't believe me if I did, my room looks like a WWII POW jail, but with a window. read more

We canceled our last night here after when checking in for our second night our room reekedof smoke. A worker went and checked our room and told the the front desk that the smell was "food". Cigarette smoke is not easily confused.mthe second room they provided us with looked liked a large party had taked place the night before and had obviously not been cleaned. When we approached the desk again about this again we were not apologized to but were just told to come back later. Again, these are things that can happen anywhere. However, hostels are supposed to be more friendly, you are supposed to feel like a member of family there. This hostel is a disgrace to that. Horrible customer service. Very disappointed. read more

Reaching deep in my heart I give this place 2 stars for trying...but this place has some problems! from an hour to check in (inefficient, inexperienced staff) to smelly rooms that feel like homeless shelters, to threadbare sheets with cigarette burn holes, this place grossed me out. The only reason for staying here is if you get into town at peak summer season with no reservations and just don't want to spend a lot more for a nice hotel. Plan ahead and find a b&b with owners who actually care. The only reason I gave it 2 stars is that you can meet other travelers here, there is a kitchen, and there is internet access. Maybe if the owners replace some carpets and buy some new sheets and beds this could be a better than average hostel. I stayed in a single room with a double bed that looks nothing like the pictures on the hostel webpage. maybe the dorm rooms are better? I'd rather be camping even if it is raining. read more

I cannot say enough great things about this place. I just visited Alaska for my spring break- not the wisest choice since there isn't too much to do in Anchorage when everything is covered with snow and you don't have a car! However, my stay at the Alaska backpackers Inn made it all worthwhile. The price was terrific, especially for the best service I have ever received. This was my first time staying at a hostel and first time staying anywhere on my own. At all times I felt completely safe and taken care of. The staff was wonderful- friendly and accommodating to my every need- including supplying me with an extra coat and handwarmers when I didn't arrive prepared for the cold. There were three huge fridges and a full size kitchen with every utensil needed to cook stir fry or just heat up a pizza. This meant that my friend and I could travel even cheaper by preparing our own food. We met several interesting characters that more that made the trip worthwhile, in my opinion. The location was perfect- a short walk from downtown anchorage, a grocery store, and a few good restaurants. There was a great used book store down the street that offered some great deals. If I ever get the chance to return to Anchorage (and even if I could afford a big fancy hotel) I would choose to stay at ABI! read more