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Alex Johnson Hotel
Categories: Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Restaurants Hotels, Restaurants [Edit]
523 6th StRapid City, SD 57701
(605) 342-1210
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Classy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for Alex Johnson Hotel
Review Highlights
22 reviews in English
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Review from Karin D.
1/2/2012
I was very pleased with the value of my hotel stay here. The hotel is historic and beautiful. It has been maintained well. While it does not have a pool or hot tub or gym like many hotels do, it does have beauty, proximity, and shops going for it. Just inside the hotel, there is a Seattle's Best Coffee, a Paul Mitchell Salon, and a great gift shop that actually has reasonable prices.
The rooms themselves are furnished with gorgeous, high quality furniture. The beds are covered in fluffy pillows (not just two but four plus a body pillow). The bath tubs are deep and slanted for ergonomic comfort. The bathroom floor is tiled in shiny black and white tiles, and all of the fixtures are beautiful. The room was of decent size (we opted for the cheapest with two double beds in it), and it was cleaned for us every day we were there (not just swiped at, but cleaned). My only complaint about the room at all is that we would have to hold down the handle the entire time of attempting to flush the toilet. (All they will need to do to fix this is install a smaller chain. The arm thingy wants to bolt up above the counter that stops it. WIth a smaller chain, the entire problem would be solved.) Oh, and another complaint that just came to mind is that there isn't a fan in the bathroom. More than once I had to flee the room after my husband's morning coffee.
Our room also came with his and her robes. They were not all soft and fluffy like some fabric softener would have made them, but they weren't as stiff as line drying either. It was nice to have a robe there, because I never would have been able to fit one in my carry on to bring with me.
There are many potential fees you should be aware of. Normally, when I'm signing all the papers at check-in, I don't pay much attention, but this time I did, and it's a good thing, because I am sure I would have wracked up some fees. Here are some examples:
1. There is a fee for opening the window. Apparently, because the building is so old, the way that the windows open is considered dangerous. I am glad I read this before going in my room, because I am a window opener and surely would have ended up spending $30 on that.
2. There is a fee for wearing the robe outside the room. I'm pretty sure I would have incurred this fee as well, because what's more awesome than going down to get coffee in a big, comfy robe?
3. There is a hefty fee for smoking in a non-smoking room. This would not have applied to me, because I loathe the smell of cigarette smoke.
4. There is a fee for having a pet in a non-pet room. No surprise there.
I can't remember any other fees at the moment, but my advice to you is to read what you are signing, because despite how friendly and helpful the gal checking us in was, she didn't point any of those out. I had to discover them on my own.
The proximity of this hotel puts its patrons in walking distance of all kinds of great things. There are many shops, fabulous restaurants, a movie theater, and two health food stores. I can't imagine that I would have been happier staying anywhere else in Rapid City, and for $44 per night over Christmas break was a steal of a deal.
This will definitely be our hotel of choice when staying in Rapid. -
Review from David N.
Sartell, MN
5/1/2012
I travel to rapid City frequently for business, and before being introduced to the Alex Johnson I would stay in all the usuals (ie. Holiday Inn express etc.).
This place is the best! It's like a boutique hotel without the price. Free shuttle to and from the airport, BOGO coffee @ Seattle's best downstairs, Free drink in the on-site Irish bar (not the best bar in town). Free wifi. Great beds with nice bedding. Cool old hotel without the creepy nasty feel of some of some of the "historic" hotels. I've never had any of the problems that other Yelpers have had.
The negatives: Small bathrooms. That's it!. But hey, I don't sleep in the bathroom.
I'm going to get my free drink! -
Review from Jeff H.
Gustine, CA
9/23/2011
Rooms are pleasant and comfortable. Hotel is historical and centrally located.
Now for the downside. Staff is incompetent! We came in a bus with luggage service paid for prior to arrival. They wouldnt help with luggage because they failed to make sure they had staff to do it. Then they said we didnt call so they didnt know ee were coming. But they were already paid.
We reserved two nights (PREPAID) and on arriving tonight after a day touring, none of our keys worked to open our rooms and as of 6 PM our rooms had not been cleaned or prepared. Again the excuse was not enough staff. Any hotel should be ready by 2 or 3 at the latest. One gentleman was checking in for the night and reserved 2 weeks was told to wait another hour. He had been waiting since 2 pm. Not good service at all.
I spoke to the manager who apologised then got snotty when I told her that they need to fix their problems and even said the problems were our fault!
You have other choices in this town. Please use them -
Review from Liz B.
Rapid City, SD
8/3/2011
My husband booked the "get away" package for our 2yr anniversary. We paid $285 not worth it.
Pros--- we had to reschedule and they made it happen.
--- package came with chocolate dipped strawberries and raspberries, bath robes, roses and champagne.
Cons-- room smelled like cat pee, small, old our AC made a weird noise, bath was although renovated still small and creepy. We had a free room service breakfast but the wouldn't deliver until 0800. I called the desk to find out if we could eat at the restaurant thy provided the service but the lady who worked the reception desk literally told me she doesn't know and no one else knew what i was talking about. She didn't even know the number for the room service! This wasn't worth what we paid we didn't even see any ghosts. -
Review from Abbie V.
Seattle, WA
6/8/2011
A lovely surprise. On the road from Chicago to Seattle, we weren't too excited about South Dakota. However, the Alex Johnson Hotel changed our minds. Most of the hotels along our route were the typical fare -- Comfort Inns and Motel Six, etc. Not the Alex Johnson.
It's a beautiful, lovingly restored hotel. The lobby looks like a National Park lodge with dark wood and quaint design. I wanted to curl up in one of the chairs after our long drive across the plains. The hotel is dog friendly -- a HUGE bonus for us since we had our golden retriever. The room was comfortable, and the bed was soft. The price was surprisingly low (around $100-$120ish).
Another plus: the Irish bar on the first floor. Local beers. Good live music. A young, lively crowd. Thank you, Alex Johnson. -
Review from Paul H.
Nashville, TN
5/8/2009
Just a weird experience.
The building is beautiful, from the outside to the lobby. Everything else, however, is a little worn around the edges.
The rooms have paper thin walls, I could hear the puncuation in our neighbor's conversations. The bathroom is tiny, peeling, and too many shades of brown. The beds are not comfortable, and the curtains did nothing to keep the sun out of my face at 6AM.
But there is a lot of potential here, and I certainly wouldn't discount the Alex Johnson. It's got some charm, it just needs a little TLC. -
Review from Emily M.
Baton Rouge, LA
8/30/2010
Hotel Alex Johnson is a fun hotel smack in the middle of Rapid City. It's cool because:
- It's Downtown, so there are many shops & restaurants to explore, right outside your door
- The staff are just the friendliest folks ever
- The rooms are recently renovated--a bit small, but cozy nonetheless. Large beds, flat screen TVs. Win.
- The Seattle's Best on the left side of the lobby keeps everyone caffeinated and happy in the morning; the Irish Bar (Paddy O'GenericIrishName's) on the right keeps everyone liquored up and happy at night
- It's just a skip to all the touristy places you know you're in Rapid City for: The Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, Sturgis, the whole lot.
- It's historical! Check out the framed photos in the lobby! Check out the lobby! Check out its floors! And its ceilings! Cool!
With reasonably priced rooms and a whole lot of charm, you should check out the Hotel Alex Johnson. It's a great way to get a taste of the local culture. -
Review from Tanya H.
Catheys Valley, CA
4/20/2009
I have stayed at the Alex Johnson several times and I have never had an experience like the reviewer below me -- Jamen L -- had.
The Alex Johnson is not circa 1950. It's more like circa 1920's. The first time I stayed here was after watching "The Shining" for the first time and it REALLY reminds me of that film. I was waiting for the two twins to show up in the hallway and for Jack Nicholson to cut the door up with an axe . . .
I love the history of the Alex Johnson but of course there is a seedy underside to it that the locals will tell you, but that is beside the point. I still find it to be the best hotel in Rapid. If you stay here in the winter you get a discount and they've waived the pet fee for me each time I've been there. But seeing as I was a South Dakota resident, I may have gotten a few perks. As far as taking dogs with you to the Alex Johnson, it's not an extremely dog friendly place. There really are no lawns or grass to speak of around the hotel as it's in downtown RC. I'd rather stay in one of the hotels near the mall and the interstate that have good spots for pets. The parking garage is also a little bit of a walk from the hotel, but hey, it's the heart of the city so what do you expect?
My fave bar (Paddy O'Neills) in Rapid is located next to the holel (actually part of it, I believe) and my fave restaurant (The Firehouse) is right down the street so it's perfect me. There's also a lot of stores and such right around it.
If you like historic hotels instead of cookie cutter chains, the Alex Johnson is definitely the place to stay.
PS Never had a problem with the water temp and I've stayed here in the middle of winter several times. -
Review from Keelin C.
7/11/2010
If you are looking for the historic side of Rapid City, the Hotel Alex Johnson is the ticket. This hotel has been recently renovated with historic detail and comfort in mind. I have been to the hotel several times for events and love what they have done with their ballroom. If you are looking for a place to have an event this ballroom is beautiful and has character that is often lacking in more modern hotels.
Along with the lobby and ballroom the guestrooms got a face-lift recently and though they are smaller, the beds are new as is much of the furniture. If you want to stay in the heart of Rapid City this is the place. Give it a try. It may surprise you! -
Review from Stephanie H.
Calabasas, CA
8/23/2009
This hotel feels like a step back into time (into the 1920s), not in a good let's experience history way, but in a falling apart rundown way.
On the website, the lobby looks bright and open...in reality, it is dark and dingy and a bit creepy. The carpet in both the lobby and the rooms are worn so thin, I could almost see the flooring underneath. The elevator was quite small and I was a bit nervous that it would give out at any moment.
Our rooms were basic..not very impressive. I think the rooms are more motel - 1 star ratings than what they advertise.
I don't remember anything great or awful about the service, but the fact that you see a ton of complaints on Traveladvisor and no management response is a testament that management does not care about customer service anyways. -
Review from Maren P.
San Francisco, CA
6/29/2009
I don't even know where to begin writing about the Alex Johnson Hotel. Let's get the good out of the way first:
-downtown location and walking distance to a lot of shops/restaurants
-historic building with an interesting story
Everything else - sub par. I booked online, and they did not have it in their system, thus the suite we had booked (already more than we wanted to pay) was not available in non-smoking. The king room they offered me was horrible (thank goodness, I asked to see it first). It was small, dark, dank, depressing with a horrible and sad sinky looking bed. Long story short, we paid 170 the first night and 150 the second night for the .... drum roll please....Bridal Suite. This was all they could offer us. So, we paid a lot more than planned for a very average suite. Yes, it was spacious, but it was old and out-dated. And, when i checked out, they 'accidentally' charged me 170 for both nights, and I had to haggle with them to adjust it to the agreed upon price.
The staff wasn't very nice, and they weren't very helpful. We got a 5 dollar parking ticket for parking on the wrong level of the garage. Super annoying. The building is seriously old, and it needs a lot of upgrading. No bell service, and we had to haul our own luggage in, through the narrow corridors, up in the elevator and to our room.
Now, to the elevators - horrible. Old, slow and....my poor companion got stuck in the elevator on his way back after parking the car. Luckily he was a good sport about it - he had to call the front desk from his cell phone to ask them to get him out!
The restaurant in the hotel was not open, and there seemed to be a pub that was open with a few random people hanging around.
All in all, I would NOT stay there nor would I recommend it. -
Review from Yvonne L.
San Diego, CA
8/7/2009
The staff is good looking but completely useless. They couldn't even switch rooms for us so we could have a good night's rest.
We couldn't sleep at night because the walls are so thin you can hear conversations from the people next door. CONVERSATIONS. no, they were not being loud... it's the damn hotel's problem. Maybe this place is just too old to have soundproof wall technology.
did i mention it smells like urine when u walk in the lobby? if you're not going to invest in bell service, at least get a proper carpet cleaning. -
Review from Justin G.
Minneapolis, MN
4/7/2010
A lot of the reviews on here are way to old.
The hotel has been totally renovated. For better or worse they have card keys now. We stayed several nights and our room had a big flatscreen TV with a remote. I did not smell any urine anywhere, lol. The location is great. It's in the best area if your a tourist because it has a lot of shops and restaurants around there.
We had a fantastic time, and compared to any of the chain hotels in the area the Alex Johnson has much more to offer. -
Review from Team Pfeiste X.
Saint Louis, MO
11/28/2009
Pros:
1. Right in the middle of downtown Rapid City, close to everything
2. Very cheap- something like $39 per night in November.
3. Old-school; unique, historic, REAL KEYS (which always work- I'm looking pointedly at you, plastic card key)
4. Internet connection was fine and no code necessary
5. Very easy to find.
6. There are free parking passes, so if you get a ticket, it is not due to their negligence.
Cons:
1. Easily the most uncomfortable bed ever.
2. Scary elevator.
3. Um, generally kinda creepy- we're pretty sure someone was murdered there.
4. No remote control for the tv.
5. Much of the building is under construction, but we didn't know they'd be constructioning right outside our room in the morning.
If you get a good price like we did, the Hotel AJ is worth visiting. Just don't have high expectations. -
Review from Pam D.
Tinley Park, IL
8/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
A beautiful historic hotel. JP at the gift shop was very helpful in directing us to some great places to eat. Great location.
-
Review from Julie S.
Washington, DC
11/29/2010
We stopped in Rapid City while driving from SF to Washington DC, and the Alex Johnson Hotel was such a pleasant surprise. We had planned on crashing at a Motel 6 outside of town, but decided to stop in and see how much the Alex Johnson was when we saw Rapid City's cool little downtown area.
It turned out to be only about about $15 more than the Motel 6 rates for a room with two people. For that $15, we were able to walk to Firehouse Brewerie for dinner instead of hitting up fast food on some highway exit, and stroll around the downtown area looking at all their statues of presidents. Rapid City seems like a cool little town, and we were really happy that we had an evening to check it out.
Also, yes, the hotel is old (*historic*, actually), but I didn't think it was run down or in need of renovations at all. Everything worked fine for us. The rooms are smaller than in big chain hotels, which is not particularly surprising given that the hotel was built in 1920.
PS - the hotel is supposedly haunted, but we did not see any evidence of this. It wasn't creepy or scary or anything. -
Review from Peter M.
Nashville, TN
4/21/2009
The biggest problem may have been my expectations: I had been in Rapid before and had admired Alex Johnson from the outside. For South Dakota, it is architecturally signifcant. It is 10 or so stories with long red letters reading Alex Johnson Hotel floating above the building and the downtown in a rustic/regal sort of way.
There is some decent history inside as well in terms of the old-timey lobby and historic photos on the walls chronicaling the history of the Alex Johnson. The deeper you get into the hotel, however, it gets a little grungey and depressing. The rooms themselves are pretty dumpy, and the tiniest bathrooms ever, almost like an airplane bathroom.
Here is what the Alex Johnson needs to do:
The restuarant is closed during the off-season, but they could use a hotel bar year-round (there is a typical little pub connected to the hotel, but a bar in the hotel would add atmosphere and revenue). There is a small seating area for the restaurant which spills into the lobby in a weird little space partitioned off by a depressing 80's glass and brass railing half-wall. This space needs to be bar.
Then the rooms: invest in some quality black-out curtains and new comforters. Also, some big comfy pillows to disguise the ugly headboards and make it possible to sit up in the beds. Add some complimentary newspapers, maybe the Wall Street Journal, would help.
Granted, the off-season prices are low, and depending on when you are booking sometimes a very low $49. However, I have stayed in many a 2 star hotel nicer than this. -
Review from Incognita B.
Los Angeles, CA
7/1/2011
We got stranded in the Rapid City Airport and unexpectedly had to stay overnight. The Hotel Alex was very cool with its retro sign and beautiful foyer. We had drinks in the outdoor patio on the roof of the hotel. Great wines with even better prices. I'd definitely stay here again.
-
Review from Mary Kay P.
Tualatin, OR
7/8/2011
I love historic hotels and the Alex Johnson did not disappoint. For a family of 4 we scored a 2 room suite (1 King and 2 Full Beds connected by an adjoining bathroom). Everyone slept soundly on comfortable beds with good pillows. Great restaurants just steps from the hotel. Irish pub, new roof top bar and Seattle's Best Coffee on premise. I highly recommend!
-
Review from Jamen L.
Gillette, WY
3/14/2009
Cons: This is by far the worst hotel experience ever, they claim that it's "historic". Historic is fine by me, but what this really was is a very expensive getaway to the year 1950. I hadn't used an actual key for a hotel in a very long time, if ever. The room had one outlet, the television was 14 inches (widescreen thank goodness). The bed was ok, I'm not that big on comfort. The water in the sink/shower honestly took 20 minutes to warm up and on "hot" it didn't get past body temperature. Also if you're in need of a good replacement for a sandblaster, use the shower here. It cleans and exfoliates, not in a good way. Don't forget to bring your own shampoo and conditioner, None available at the front desk. No pool. $25 pet fee. The closest parking is on the street, and now I have a parking ticket.
Pros: I can say their Internet connection is good 5Mb/1.5Mb. -
Review from Chris D.
Austin, TX
10/20/2010
Stayed the weekend at this historical hotel downtown. Room was comfortable and quiet. Bathroom was tiny and outdated. Probably overpriced for the room. Plenty of good restaurants close by. Free parking. Only criticism is they need to update the place.
-
Review from LK T.
Raleigh, NC
6/10/2010
Wonderfully renovated. Rooms and elevators are small, but well worth it. Lovely over all. Wish they had raised the shower heads during renovation. Wonderful location to walk historic downtown Rapid City and home base for exploring Rushmore and Black Hills.
