Stayed 3 nights at Silverbow Inn in June 2008. Had booked online direct with the property many months previously and given a credit card number so that they could deduct a deposit. We received an email offering any assistance they could give for our stay in Juneau and also an email saying we were welcome to leave our luggage as we were arriving early.

We arrived at 7am (early flight) much to the surprise of the person on the desk. She simply said you can't check in yet it's too early but made no effort to check if the room was actually booked the previous night. We checked in about 11.30am and were given a 'no-smoking undertaking' form to sign, no other paperwork.

On the day prior to our checkout an invoice appeared in our room which indicated that they had taken the balance of our account from our credit card without even asking how we wanted to pay. In addition they had added a $10 per day surcharge for electricity generator as the town had had an avalanche a couple of months previous which cut the power - this hadn't been mentioned to us previously. On checkout the manager/owner was at the desk and I questioned what they had done, she said they had taken the amount from my credit card. I challenged why I hadn't been given the courtesy of asking how I would like to pay as I had intended to pay cash and also this is the only place I have stayed where they have taken the payment prior to check out. She was quite rude and said they do final settlements the previous day in case people want to leave early, but on the other hand she said the desk is staffed 24 hours a day so why didn't I come and see them when I received the invoice. She checked with the person who settled the account but was advised that the payment didn't go through but she would check it with her credit card provider. I also challenged the additional $30 charge and she said there is a sign here at the desk but when she went looking couldn't find it, I also asked why I wasn't given a registration form where I could select my preferred payment - no response to that. I paid the account in cash and she assured me that she would fix it if there was a problem. She deducted the $30 generator charge.

Whilst travelling I checked my card details to find that the charge had indeed be taken out by Silverbow Inn so I subsequently emailed the manager but it took three emails before I got a response and then she eventually did recredit the money. At no time did she apologise for this and in fact was quite rude to us during our discussions, not a very welcoming front for a B & B.

The room was small but okay except for the block out curtains which literally didn't cover the windows. They offered happy hour in the evening and we thought this would be a good opportunity to chat to the people who run this place about the local activities etc but not so, they left two bottles of wine and nibbles on the table and although they were hovering around made no effort to stop and chat. I do wonder why some people are in the hospitality industry.

Two nights were great. Front desk is laid back and you may have to buzz the intercom to get someone as they also work over in the bakery right next door. Staff is friendly. Like any tourist town they have a few new faces who may take a bit of time to find what you need. Euro walkup style rooms were clean and well maintained, beds comfortable. AC is opening a window. (not usually an issue in Juneau) Hot tub on deck is great.
It appears two rooms have window opening onto the deck at floor level so may not be the best rooms to have.
Location is perfect to access all the Tourist type ammenities and tours. Parking is an issue downtown. We walked and took taxis so didn't figure out how to work parking.
The 5pm wine tasting is great to meet your fellow travellers and to get the inside scoop on where to eat and what to do.
Good coffee! Breakfast was toast, bagels, waffles ,cereal and quiche. there always was food available through out the day to munch on.

After reviewing hotel offerings in Juneau, I was surprised to find few decent looking hotels. There seem to be nice B&B's but not a lot of hotels. The Silverbow is a cross between a B&B and hotel. Think of it as a hotel with B&B amenities. Our room was clean with a modern decor. It was small, but we did not spend much time in it. The lobby has a dining area complete with waffle maker, fresh bagels (baked on site at the bagel/coffee shop next door), fruit, yogurt, cereal, and fritattas in the morning. The food made for a great way for our group to start the day and a way to meet other travelers.
The location was ideal in the downtown Juneau area. We could easily walk to all the downtown (tourist) shops and restaurants. We used taxis to get from the airport and Mendenhall Glacier area.
I would recommend the Silverbow and would stay there again.

Our experience at the SilverBow Inn was disappointing. Although the location is great and the purchased bakery sandwiches or breakfasts were delicious (but quite expensive), it seemed to us as if the hotel is suffering from a lack of management and staff training.

The breakfasts included in the room charge were available in an open room behind the check-in desk. These breakfasts were disappointing to the degree that we purchased our breakfasts at the bakery. As for pastries, the few bagels and slices of bread provided the days we were there were unappealingly presented and we weren't sure what was fresh and what was not, as some items seemed to be there for more than one day. Waffles can be made assuming the staff remembers to make up a batch of mix which didn't always happen. On other mornings, the refrigerator contained a bottle of apparent waffle mix of dubious age. On the plus side, the refrigerator also included various flavors of cream cheese and these were labeled with dates. Apples, bananas, coffee and a great variety of tea bags and hot and cold water were always available.

Here are a couple of examples of additional problems we encountered with the guest breakfast area: There was a half-empty bottle of skim milk in the refrigerator, which I suspect most people were afraid to drink, because four days later the bottle was still there. The frittata was made, I was told, at 3:00 AM in the bakery and sat out all morning with no attempt to keep it warm. Guests were instructed to reheat it in the microwave. Keeping an egg dish at room temperature for five or six hours or more did not seem healthy to us. In the breakfast area there was a tiny table on which to stack dirty dishes, but no attempt was made to clear these away or wipe the table all morning.

Staff attitudes varied enormously, with some being friendly and helpful and some being uncooperative bordering on hostile. There is a need for customer service training, especially in a hotel charging $200+ a day. The odds of finding someone at the front desk were probably on the order of 1 in 5. There is a "press intercom for service" system, but even then we waited at least ten minutes just to check in.

Security and privacy can be a concern with the room we stayed in. The window in our room opened on the roof patio where the hot tub is located. When we came back to our room after it was cleaned (room maintenance was excellent but sometimes didn't take place until late in the day), the windows were left wide open. Anyone could have entered the room from the roof "garden." When someone was on the patio we had to keep our shade drawn and this made the room seem even smaller than it was.

The limited parking is the main reason we never would stay at the Silverbow again. There are three parking spaces at the hotel which were shared by bakery customers. A fourth space is intended for the bakery van. We found the hotel/bakery van parked taking up two spaces on one occasion. When I asked the desk staff to at least align the van correctly, they were resentful. The basic answer you get from the staff is to park on the street. Unfortunately, Monday through Friday street parking within any reasonable distance from the hotel is limited to one hour from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Parking on the street across from the hotel during the night is not possible all nights due to street cleaning. The closest self-pay parking lot is three blocks away down a hill, and parking there is limited to a maximum of four hours. This restricts hotel guests’ activities if they want to explore the town due to the need to keep moving a car.

All in all, it seems a shame that a hotel which in the past has had such excellent reviews may be deteriorating in service and quality.