Accommodating Guests and Events
A number of hotels provide attractive meeting facilities along with guest accommodations. The Anchorage Marriott Downtown, for example, has 14,000 square feet of meeting space and 392 sleeping rooms. The hotel is two blocks from the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and three blocks from the Egan Center.
Also in the heart of the downtown area, the Hilton Anchorage Hotel offers more than 18,000 square feet of meeting and function space, including a new 6,000-square-foot conference center. Many of the 600 guest rooms have views of nearby Cook Inlet or the Chugach Mountains.
Downtown Anchorage’s Hotel Captain Cook has 547 guest rooms. It offers 14 meeting rooms, including a 288-square-foot library and a 9,000-square-foot ballroom.
For smaller groups, downtown’s Westmark Anchorage Hotel has five meeting rooms totaling about 3,000 square feet that are suitable for boardroom-size events or medium-size banquet groups. There are 198 sleeping rooms.
The Sheraton Anchorage Hotel is also conveniently situated, a mile from the Egan and Dena’ina centers and a little over two miles from the Sullivan Arena. It offers 375 guest rooms and over 23,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.
The Millennium Alaskan Anchorage is located between the airport and downtown on the shores of picturesque Lake Spenard, which is frequented by float planes. Its seven meeting rooms have 6,000 square feet of flexible space and are ideal for small conferences, large general sessions and receptions for up to 300. Guests are served by 248 rooms.
For an out-of-town option, the Alyeska Resort, 40 miles from downtown Anchorage, functions as a year-round destination resort. Along with 307 guest rooms, it offers some 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
Easily Accessed
While Alaska may hold the image of being far away from the rest of America, it’s more accessible than many might realize.
“We’re 18 hours or less by air from anywhere in the world,” Halcro said. He noted that some have dubbed the region “the air crossroads of the world” and that the already healthy number of direct routes is being increased. Travel by land can also be an option.
“While it’s fairly easy to get here by air, it can also be the destination for a beautiful scenic drive,” Halcro said.
Despite the region’s mystique, exploring the state may be less challenging than many visitors envision.
“Alaska is still such an enigma to a lot of people,” Halcro said. “They know how big it is, but often don’t realize how easy it is to get around. You are literally 10 to 20 minutes from the heart of Anchorage to world-class salmon and other wildlife.”
Another advantage is friendly people. Halcro noted that although everyone can make that claim, locals realize it’s especially important for hotel staff and others to earn positive word of mouth.
“It’s not a bargain vacation destination,” he said. “They know they have to go that extra mile.”
The result, he said, is an especially helpful attitude with meeting planners, as well as visitors to the city.
Spotlight on Anchorage, Alaska
Location: South/Central Alaska
Access: U.S Route 1, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
Major meeting spaces: Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, and Egan Civic and Convention Center
Hotel Rooms: 2,300-plus
Offsite Venues: Sullivan Arena, Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Anchorage Museum
Contact Info:
Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
907-272-2401
www.anchoragechamber.org
