Fairbanks - extremely early morning arrival - advice needed

[JeanneEDW]

We (two Floridians) are arriving at the Fairbanks airport around 1:00 or 1:30 in the morning on August 31.  Our cruisetour hotel reservation at the Westmark is for August 31. Of course we aren’t going to be able to check into our room until much, much later that day.
Our bodies will think our arrival time is our normal Florida time to get up.  So, we don’t want to spend $500 on a different hotel room that we will use for only a very few hours. (That was the cost of a hotel room I reserved and then canceled after having buyer’s remorse)
Can anyone advise if there is a safe place to “layover” at the Fairbanks airport for a few hours during those wee early hours? Or, if there are places near the Westmark (cafes, coffee shops) that are open all night? And, does the Westmark have a baggage holding service?  We hope to take the Discovery Steamboat excursion which begins early in the day. 
Any advice would be appreciated. 

[Northern Aurora]

You really need to book a hotel room for August 30 and warn the facility that you will be arriving early the morning of August 31.  I just checked a major booking site.  The LaQuinta is closest to FAI and is priced at $359 on August 30.  Pikes Waterfront is also very close to FAI ($288).  Best Western Chena River is a little farther from the airport ($399).  The Clarion Hotel & Suites is very close to the Westmark ($339).  The Bear Lodge is across town ($259).

 

I have no idea if the Fairbanks Airport actually totally closes during the period between the last early morning flight arriving around 1:30 AM  and the first flights departing about 6 AM.  Even if you could "hang out" for a few hours you would have no food offerings and limited seating (lots of seating past security but limited if the baggage claim area).  And there are no places near the Westmark that are open all night.  

 

The Westmark is a full service hotel.  I would be very surprised if they did not offer secure luggage storage.  Contact them to confirm.

 

And just so you are not disappointed, the Riverboat Discovery is a sternwheeler, not a steamboat.  

[JeanneEDW]

Thank you very much Northern Aurora!  You went to a lot of trouble to give me that information. 
 

I have made a reservation at Pikes Waterfront and can now relax and quit worrying. Their check in time is anytime between 4 pm and 4 am, so they must get a lot of people who are arriving on late night planes. 

Appreciate your clarification about the Riverboat Discovery being a stern wheeler!  Hope we can do this excursion! 
 

Again, many thanks!

[Northern Aurora]

6 hours ago, JeanneEDW said:

Thank you very much Northern Aurora!  You went to a lot of trouble to give me that information. 
 

I have made a reservation at Pikes Waterfront and can now relax and quit worrying. Their check in time is anytime between 4 pm and 4 am, so they must get a lot of people who are arriving on late night planes. 
......

 

Actually, I quickly checked one national hotel booking website and then confirmed on the Westmark Fairbanks website that the date you needed was indeed sold out.

 

The check-in times on the Pikes Waterfront reflect their definition of a "day" at the hotel.  This information is often buried in the fine print of a hotel website.  The arrivals into Fairbanks after about 1:30 AM are delayed flights.  FAI has only two baggage carousels.  Even in the summer there are very few, if any, scheduled arrivals arrive after those last early morning flights. 

[GTJ]

16 hours ago, JeanneEDW said:

Can anyone advise if there is a safe place to “layover” at the Fairbanks airport for a few hours during those wee early hours?

The main area of the airport is open 24 hours daily, but the secured area of the airport does not open until two hours prior to the time of the first scheduled flight. http://dot.alaska.gov/faiiap

 

A favored website responding to inquiries of your type is "Sleeping in Airports." The report states:

 

What to Expect

Fairbanks Airport (code: FAI) consists of a small but modern terminal. There are a couple of eateries and newsstand/gift shops located on both sides of security. WiFi is available to help pass the time. There are no private lounges at this airport.

 

Sleeping in Fairbanks Airport

We do not yet have any recent sleep-related airport reviews. Past reviews described airport staff as friendly and accommodating to overnight sleepers. There were reportedly several sleeping options, including comfortable seating throughout the airport, and assorted quiet nooks. Look for a corner nook near the big stuffed grizzly bear.

 

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/guides/fairbanks-airport-guide.htm

 

While it might be more comfortable staying a few hours in a hotel room, with television as entertainment, I do understand the reluctance to pay so much for relatively little. I would seriously consider passing the hours of darkness at the airport, as suggested by the website, and getting a bit of shuteye. Sunrise is at 6:27 a.m. that day, and so after daylight breaks, head to the Westmark to drop off your baggage. It is a full service hotel, so you should have no problem with leaving your baggage there. You'll then have the day to yourself.