Business-class hotels in Alaska: comfort, convenience, and unbeatable views.

• Author: Swann, Kirsten
• Position: VISITOR INDUSTRY

Alaska is well known as a world-class travel destination. The state's natural beauty and outdoor adventures draw tens of thousands of visitors

every year, and tourism is a major economic driver for communities across the state.

But it's not all for tourists. For those traveling on business, Alaska offers a wide variety of accommodations and amenities that continue to blur the lines between work and play.

There are rooms that reflect the state's frontier spirit and meeting facilities on par with anything that might be found in the Lower 48. Business travelers can find everything from upgraded sound systems in renovated conference halls to hotels that offer Alaska Airlines miles with every stay.

Southeast Suites

In Juneau, Aspen Suites Hotel General Manager Stephanie Weitman says guests are rewarded with 250 airline miles for every visit: a nice perk for frequent flyers whose business keeps them on the move.

Less than five years old, Juneau's Aspen Suites is one of the newest hotels in town and offers a twenty-four-hour fitness center, laundry facilities, and free Wi-Fi. Weitman says every room comes with a kitchenette--complete with a two-burner cook top--a large sized table, and a forty-inch flat-screen television. For business trips lasting more than just a day or two, the hotel's home-like accommodations are especially convenient.

The Juneau Aspen Suites also boasts meeting space that fits up to seventy people and a board room that can fit ten people--complimentary for groups and "used quite a bit," Weitman says.

But picking a place to stay often involves considerations besides just room size, price, or internet speeds. For many guests, safety is also a priority.

At the Juneau Aspen Suites, the building is locked and inaccessible to non-guests between midnight and 6 a.m., according to the hotel's manager. There are no late checkouts, she says, and that provides the hotel with an additional level of safety.

"One of the things I like about our property is how secure it is," Weitman says. "It's the most secure facility I've worked in, just because we've set those standards."

She says the hotel chain plans on opening a fifth Alaska location in Haines this summer. Its other hotels are found in Kenai, Soldotna, and Anchorage.

Anchorage Accommodations

The largest city in Alaska, Anchorage has no shortage of accommodations for people traveling on business, whether that involves a short commute and an overnight stay or an exhausting flight and...