Anchorage’s Highliner Hotel – Trendy and Fully Automated in Downtown

When you’re looking for an inexpensive place to stay in downtown Anchorage, you won’t find too many options, but the Highliner Hotel is for sure one of the best ones. Coming in at the lower end of the nightly rate spectrum in Anchorage, the Highliner is a nicely renovated building perfect for being a home base while exploring the Anchorage area. Since it’s just off downtown, it’s still walking distance to everything, but it’s a bit more quiet than staying at the Marriott or Captain Cook. We’ve got all the info to see if the Highliner Hotel is the right choice for your trip to Anchorage.

Have you been to Anchorage before and know where you want to be based? If it’s your first time, especially if you’re planning a lowkey visit, staying around downtown is ideal. You’ll see that the Highliner Hotel is a solid choice for not being too fancy and setting yourself up for a pleasant visit. If you have questions about spending time in Anchorage or planning your Alaska trip, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more!

Why Choose the Highliner Hotel in Anchorage

I really like that the Highliner Hotel is in a neighborhood but is still walking distance to everything in downtown Anchorage. If you need to be in Anchorage for several days or a week, I like that you can settle into Anchorage life quite easily here. Nearby you’ll find the K Street Market, which has the Fire Island Baking Co and That Feeling Cafe. Another few blocks away is the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail for walking and biking. The location really is why I like the Highliner so much.

If you’re considering the Highliner Hotel, I’m guessing your plans for your visit are more outdoorsy and exploratory than fancy spa-day, which is what makes this choice a good option. Being close enough to walk to meals and downtown activities, but separate from the busier parts means you can easily detach from city-buzz at the end of each day. And yes, in the summer there is definitely city-buzz in downtown.

Something else that I really like about the Highliner Hotel is its automation. You don’t have to interact with another human during your stay unless you want to. Everything is done through email and website interactions, which means that you’re on your own schedule and don’t have to pull together pleasantries at the end of a long day. There is Hightide Coffee and a small shop in the lobby if you want to engage, but you never have to.

Rooms at the Highliner Hotel

The Highliner Hotel is not a luxe property, but with very recent renovations, it’s quite nice. The rooms have a feel of polished industrial Alaska and the public space feels like a well-maintained vintage area. The theme is fishing in Alaska, so you’ve got decor with boats, the Alaskan landscape and interesting marine touches. I like the inclusion of Japanese industrial elements and products, giving a hint to the unique connection between the trans-Pacific locations.

The room options include both King and 2 Queen rooms, as well as a few 1 bedroom suites. Although the rooms at the Highliner Hotels aren’t huge, there is plenty of space to be comfortable and if you need to work out of your hotel room at all, you’ll have plenty of desk space.

When it comes to booking a room at the Highliner Hotel in Anchorage, you can either do it directly through the hotel or you can book through Expedia. Since it’s a small, independent property each of these options has its perks:

• Booking directly with the hotel puts more money directly into the small business and there’s no middleman
• Booking through Expedia earns you rewards and you have Expedia’s policies and guarantees backing your reservation

You decide how you want to book. If you are choosing to book through Expedia, you’ll just search for “Highliner Hotel Anchorage” and each of the rooms comes up for booking. It’s set up almost like how vacation rentals are built in the platform so that you can book your exact room/bed layout in advance.

Unique Features of the Highliner Hotel

Something special about the Highliner Hotel is its complete automation in terms of access and management. Yes, if you need somebody to assist you or if you have an emergency you can easily get in touch with a human, but with everything from reservations to arrival info to accessing your room and then departing, it’s all automated through emails. You’ll receive all of the information for parking, building access and room access in an email. In general the front door on K Street is open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, but if you need access outside of those hours you’ll have a code.

Highliner Hotel Parking

Parking is complimentary at the Highliners Hotel in Anchorage. You’ll access it from the backside of the hotel and there is an entrance from the lot. Spaces are limited and you don’t need to display a parking pass. If the hotel’s lot is full, there is plenty of street parking here in the neighborhood. It’s a pretty quiet block, so just be mindful of any parking restrictions and then street parking should be fine.

NOTE: there is NO ELEVATOR at the Highliner Hotel, so whether you park in the lot or the street, you’ll have stairs to go up or down to, depending on what you’ve booked.