Aloft by Marriott Anchorage

Everything was good but all plumbing make unbearable noise during day and night we couldn’t sleep consistently Avoid room 117

Everything was good but all plumbing make unbearable noise during day and night we couldn’t sleep consistently Avoid room 117

I dont even know where to begin. Ive stayed here a few times and each time gets worse. For starters, the rooms are not family friendly. Bathrooms basically have no privacy and the last two stays, the sliding doors to the toilet didn't work. Housekeeping is minimal even if you ask to have room freshened up. Normally my stays are a week or more. And the only reason I stay is so I can spend time with my daughter’s family in the pool. My grandsons especially. My stay over Thanksgiving was ruined due to the pool and spa being too cold to use. And being closed at random times with no explanation as to why. I asked several times about the temps but usually the only answer was a shrug of the shoulders. My stay at Christmas started out with the pool being closed. No explanation again. The boys had suited up only to be disappointed again. Front desk personnel said it would be open in a few hours. A few hours later, I was told it would open the next day at noon. Noon the next day, pool is still closed and it would be another 24 hours. Front desk offered to send us to a sister hotel to use their pool. Went to that hotel and that pool was closed as well. I went back to Aloft to see if they could set up a different hotel and then I had my first encounter with the assistant manager. (For perspective, he acts like Fenton from That 70’ Show and looks like Otho from Beetlejuice.) When I saw him he just said “WHAT?” I said the only reason I stay here is to use the pool and I’d like to go swimming”. He brusquely said, “go swimming then!” I asked if the pool was open and he rudely said it was. Got the family suited up again and headed for the pool. Pool temp was about 81°, spa temp was 93°. I was not feeling well so I just hung out and then noticed how dirty the pool was. Lots of dirt and hair on the bottom. Pool deck had big chunks of dirt scattered around and trash under the lounge chairs. And lots of hair. Big clumps of hair. One looked like a wig had been left behind in the shower area. The spa itself looks like it hasnt been cleaned since the hotel was built. Just a big dirty ring above the waterline and lots of “debris” on the bottom. You can’t tell how dirty it is when the spa is turned on except the bubbles are brown. So I took some video and went out to speak with “Fenton”. I figured after a 24+ hour closure, that pool would be spotless. He assured me in no uncertain terms that his engineers had cleaned that pool and he had watched him do it. I asked him to come take a walk through the pool with me and he adamantly refused. Pretty sure I heard him huff “Good day” as I walked away in disbelief. I ran into his engineer and asked him a few questions about the pool cleaning protocol and his answer was “the spa temp is set at 105°.” Thats when I realized he didn't speak English and had little to no experience with pools. The next day, I took more video and checked the temps again. Pool temp was 78°. Spa temp was 81°. Same dirt in all the same places. “Wig” still laying on the floor by the shower. The next day and the day after, same thing. Day 6, got the boys suited up again. Pool still dirty. “Wig” looks like it crawled a few feet away from original spot but was still there. More clumps of hair on the deck. Kids did not have a good time so we called it a day. Fenton saw us walking through the lobby and gave us a big Cheshire Cat grin knowing full well what had happened . So then we had words. Not polite either. Day 7 was more of the same. Still the same dirt in all the same places. Contacted the hotel manager and expressed my concern about the abrupt closures with no explanation, cleaning and temperature issues. His response was to babble on about how the Illudium Q-36 space modulators were not designed for Alaska pools. He informed me that he had a hottub, and when he lived in Oklahoma, he went swimming so he was more than qualified to maintain the pool equipment himself. Then he said he sees my address is in Texas and that “things are different in Alaska”.. (I’ve lived and worked in Alaska for over 50 years. I have an Airbnb in Texas that has a pool. My “guess” is that pools in AK and TX are pretty much the same. Except AK has mostly indoor pools). He also said its the “ coolest pool” in Anchorage. My understanding is that there are a lot of late pool parties there. So maybe the drunks don’t mind a “little” dirt. I responded to his email with more questions concerning the filthy, brown bubble spa with a ring around it and how often they clean up the biohazards from the pool deck and lounge area. Still have not received a response to that. Housekeeping also came into my room while I was in a delicate position after being told I was still in the room. And somehow, when they shoveled snow on the day I checked out, it was all in a pile by my drivers side door. And after 10 days, the pool still hadn't been cleaned. So don't complain, Fenton doesn’t like it. Would not recommend this place under the current management.

The room was clean.

The room needed some small repairs.

Clean and quiet

The bathroom/ toilet. Don’t like the doorway. Doesn’t really give a whole lot of privacy

The staff were friendly and professional

I'm an elder and I wish that I could have been closer to the elevators.