Alaska hotels get major renovations: upgraded amenities charm tourists and locals alike.

• Author: Sommer, Susan
• Position: VISITOR INDUSTRY

Remember when having Wi-Fi access at a hotel seemed exciting? Or when the idea of using your hotel towels more than once felt almost as if YOU weren't getting your money's worth? The times and traveler expectations are changing, and Alaska's hotels are meeting the challenge head-on.

Amenities that just a few years ago seemed like luxuries or oddities are today expected among business as well as leisure travelers: free Wi-Fi, modern business centers, fitness equipment that doesn't creek and groan along with our aging bodies, fiat-screen TVs in each room, and energy efficient fixtures and practices. Alaska's hoteliers are also paying attention to the value-added aspects of a hotel stay such as culinary classes, spectacular views, or on-site gardens that provide flesh produce for the kitchen.

Many hotel renovations are in full swing around the state or are just being completed for the 2013 visitor season and include updating the basics like carpet and bedding along with the more mutable aspects of the hospitality industry such as customer service, seamless technology, and educational offerings.

Here is a region-by-region smorgasbord of what's happening in Alaska's hotel renovations:

Southcentral

The Millennium Alaskan Hotel in Anchorage is undergoing a $5 million four part renovation with the first phase almost completed. Phase I consists of a refresh of the restaurant, bar, and lobby including lighting, carpet, wall covering, new furniture, and more. According to Jack Bonney, public relations manager for Visit Anchorage, "the lobby looks incredible and they now have a first-class neighborhood bistro restaurant." Phase II began this spring, with new carpet in guestroom corridors, wall covering, lighting, and furniture. The Millennium also plans to remodel the deck overlooking Lake Hood, which is the busiest seaplane base in the world. Phase III will be the remodel of banquet facilities this summer. Bonney says that all three freshly renovated conference rooms will be done in time for the busy fall meeting season. Beginning this fall, the hotel will begin a complete remodel of all 248 guest rooms to include new bedding, carpet, wall covering, linen, air conditioning, televisions, cabinetry, and bathrooms. All of the upgrades are planned for completion by spring of 2014. In addition to its scenic location on the shore of Lake Hood, the Millennium is famous for being the Iditarod Trail Committee's headquarters during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog...