Alaska has always been an expensive travel destination, but prices of lodging and cars haven’t been this high in memory.
Last week, a room at the Silverbow Inn in Juneau was going for more than $550 for the three-night required minimum, plus tax. It was the only hotel in the Capital City with any room available midweek, and if you wanted it, you’d pay the $550, even if you were staying one night.
In Juneau this week, the Four Points by Sheraton, a moderately nice hotel, is going for $559, while the Ramada and the Baranof Hotels are north of $200 a night.
Hotel rooms in Anchorage are $300 a night or more. One night at the Hilton Garden Inn next week will set you back $587 this week, the Hotel Captain Cook is $550, and the Hampton Inn in Midtown is $389, according to Hotels.com. The Inlet Towers is going for $281 a night.
The Denali Princess Lodge is booked most nights this summer but there are a few rooms on select dates for $229 a night.
Kenai has lodging prices through the roof this week: The Kenai Airport Hotel is $399 a night, and the Main Street Hotel is $325. In Soldotna, the Best Western is $349. Very few rooms are left at these prices on the Kenai Peninsula.
Maybe you’ll rent a car while visiting the great state of Alaska: A rental car at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport starts at over $200 a day this week, and Juneau and Fairbanks are also over $200.
For a car and a hotel room, visitors are paying in excess of $500 a day in most major Alaska destinations this month, and that doesn’t include filling up the gas tank, which will set them back another Ben Franklin: The average price of gas in Anchorage is $5.51 a gallon, and it’s $5.36 per gallon in Valdez, $5.21 in Juneau, and $5.62 on the Kenai Peninsula.
Seattle prices are also high. The Radisson by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has rooms for over $299 (plus $38 tax), while the Red Lion is still value-priced at $141 a night. Car rentals are starting at under $100 a day.
(Must Read Alaska scoured numerous booking websites for the information in this story. Prices may vary according to the travel service you use.)
