Review: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Upgrade and Benefits at Marriott Anchorage Downtown

As the hotel’s name suggests, Marriott Anchorage Downtown is in downtown Anchorage. So it’s convenient to enjoy all the restaurants, brew pubs, and entertainments in central Anchorage, including the Coastal Trail access and Anchorage trolley at the visitor center. The hotel is also within walking distance to the train depot station.

Lower your expectations regarding getting an upgrade at Marriott Anchorage Downtown. 

• The hotel does not have premium rooms or suites for Marriott Suite Night Awards.
• Guest rooms are either Mountain or Turnagain Aarms Water views. 
• Marriott Platinum Elite and above members are placed in guest rooms on the Concierge Lounge level. 

As a Marriott Platinum Elite member, I received the upgraded room to the 19th-floor Concierge Lounge level room with a view of Anchorage Mountain. The Concierge Lounge level is located on the 20th floor. 

 

Therefore, when deciding which room you prefer at Marriott Anchorage Downtown. It’s a matter of Water or Mountain views that you want. It did not bother me with either view, so getting a Mountain view is still as beautiful as the water view. 

As a Marriott Platinum Elite member, I received an upgrade to the King Guest Room with the Concierge Lounge access on the 19th floor. There are 20 floors at Marriott Anchorage Downtown, and the Concierge Lounge is on the 20th floor. 

The guest room I got assigned to is categorized as a Concierge Lounge level room, and I like that it’s on the high floor. 

The guest room is nice and spacious. The king bed is very comfortable, though the pillows were too low for my liking. 

I specifically loved the chair by the desk where the TV was hung. The interior design of the room is lovely. By the huge window, there’s another lounge chair that looks inviting. The large window offers a park and mountain views surrounding Anchorage downtown. The nice and lovely views make the lounge chair a perfect spot to enjoy inside the room. 

I stayed on Saturday and Sunday, so the Concierge Lounge was unfortunately closed on Saturday but reopened for evening service on Sunday and buffet breakfast on Monday. 

As a Marriott Platinum Elite, the room key has free access to the Concierge Lounge, and you can enjoy breakfast and evening service during lounge operating hours below:

• Monday – Friday
• Breakfast 6 a.m. – 10 a.m.
• Sunday – Thursday 
• Evening Service 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

The Concierge Lounge is on the 20th floor, offering the Anchorage iconic Turnagain Arms water view. There are quite a few seats inside the lounge. It also has a buffet station, a business center, and sofa seats for watching the television. 

Complimentary drinks are offered inside the lounge, but liquors and alcoholic beverages are not complimentary, and the price is a bit steep. 

Here’s the full review of the Concierge Club Lounge at Marriott Anchorage Downtown:

Conceirge Lounge Review

• Review Concierge Lounge at Marriott Anchorage Downtown For Marriott Bonvoy Elite Members & Concierge Lounge Access Rooms

As a Marriott Platinum Elite, I was asked to receive 1,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points or a $10 food and beverage credit during check-in. I chose the latter. 

Also, I was provided a breakfast voucher because I was there when the Concierge Lounge was closed on the weekend. I’ll talk about that voucher more below under breakfast. 

I chose the $10 food and beverage credit for the elite welcome amenity. The credit can be used for dining expenses at the on-site restaurants and bars, including the breakfast upcharge for elite members. More below. 

As a Marriott Platinum Elite member, a complimentary buffet breakfast can be enjoyed inside the Concierge Lounge on the 20th floor. However, the lounge is closed on the weekend, so when that happens, Marriott Anchorage Downtown gives elite members a complimentary Continental Breakfast Voucher at the on-site Cafe Promenade restaurant. 

Here’s a quick rundown on how the elite Continental Breakfast at Marriott Anchorage Downtown works:

• The voucher can be used for continental breakfast, aka cold breakfast items like yogurt, cereal, etc.
• There is a $6 cost per person to upgrade to the hot buffet.

I asked the front desk if I could use the Marriott Platinum Elite welcome amenity of $10 food and beverage credit towards the breakfast $6 upcharge. She said yes, but it did not go well at the Cafe Promenade. The waiter insisted that we could not use both vouchers on the same day, but it made no sense to me because no terms and conditions stated that, and I already verified this with the front desk staff at check-in. After I told the waiter that this was confirmed at the front desk, he finally allowed us to redeem the food and beverage credit for the breakfast upgrade. The whole experience was unpleasant, and the waiter did not return to our table to refill drinks. That was uncalled for. 

The moral of the story is, for a nice brand, MARRIOTT, why do they bother to charge a petty $6 for elite breakfast to begin with. I didn’t mind paying for that $6 upcharge, but the principal is a $10 voucher for food, and no terms anywhere state that we can’t use it for “breakfast food.”

Marriott Anchorage Downtown has the following restaurants on site:

• Cafe Promenade
• Great Room/Restaurant
• Lobby Bar
• Direct Link to Marriott Anchorage Downtown Restaurants

Marriott Anchorage Downtown is not a resort; thus, there are no resort fees to worry about. 

Valet parking only, $35 per night

Unfortunately, pets are not allowed at Marriott Anchorage Downtown. 

Yes, free Internet is available for Marriott Bonvoy members who book directly, and free Premium Internet is available for elite members. 

Yes, it is provided at check-in. If they forget to give you, just ask for them at the front desk because they are not provided inside the room. 

The regular check-in time is 4 p.m. As a Marriott Platinum Elite member, I was able to check in early, around 2 p.m. 

Early check-in for elite members is subject to availability. 

The regular check-out time at Marriott Anchorage Downtown is 11 a.m. The front desk staff proactively asked me if I would like to utilize the late check-out benefit for being a Marriott Platinum Elite, but I declined as I did not need one. 

Marriott Anchorage Downtown does not have a spa.

Yes, it is located on the lobby or ground floor by the swimming pool. 

None

None

The pool at Marriott Anchorage Downtown is a generic typical hotel pool. There’s nothing to write home about it, and it smells full of chlorine. I didn’t use it as it did not look inviting, and children were using it.

• Phone: +1 907-279-8000
• Email: [email protected] (owned by the Columbia Sussex Corporation)
• Website: Marriott Anchorage Downtown