During our Spring 2019 visit to Yosemite, Susan and I had the pleasure of staying in the Ahwahnee Hotel. Built in 1927 from granite, wood and steel it is a masterpiece of what is called “parkitecture”, National Park structures designed to blend in and compliment their surroundings. Designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood to look rustic while still offering opulent and luxurious accommodations, the Ahwahnee Hotel is situated in the Yosemite Valley meadow below the Royal Arches rock formation. The hotel design features three residential wings offering good cross ventilation, natural sunlight and park views from all rooms of either Glacier Point, Half Dome or Yosemite Falls.
Unlike other National Park grand hotels, the Ahwahnee was not a WPA (Works Progress Administration) project but planned as a luxury hotel from its inception. This gives it a different flavor from the more rustic and craft inspired hotels like the Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood where various government workers skilled in wood carving, weaving and iron work fabricated all building materials on site. The Ahwahnee’s luxury is evident in the Grand Lodge and the Grand Dining Room where a feeling of opulence and formality exist to this day.
If you have the good fortune to visit Yosemite we definitely recommend staying at the Ahwahnee Hotel. The hotels premier location offers great hiking trails, beautiful scenery with public transportation throughout the valley only steps away. Combining a luxurious visual esthetic with comfortable surroundings there is no better place to stay in the Yosemite National Park.