After a three-week shutdown to allow for extensive renovations to be completed, the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park has reopened. Restaurants, shops, public spaces, and most of the guest rooms are again available to the public.
The hotel actually reopened March 17, 2011, but a monster snowstorm on March 19-20 knocked out power to the park and closed all roads. Power was restored March 26 and the roads reopened.
The complex project was a collaborative effort between the National Park Service and DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., the park’s primary concessioner. Multiple restoration, renovation, and upgrades to the historic structure were scheduled to be simultaneously completed during the compressed shutdown period for the hotel.
Specific work completed at the Ahwahnee included an upgrade of the fire detection, alarm, and suppression system. Other completed projects included new flooring in the kitchen, upgrades to energy efficient appliances, completely redesigned public restrooms, staining of the wood in the guest registration area, and a refurbishment of the wood flooring in the Great Lounge.
Additionally, specific areas were repainted, historical artifacts were refurbished, and restoration work was completed on historical furniture.
DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. took the opportunity to replace carpeting throughout the halls of the hotel. Other work accomplished included new bed covers, new window treatments, many new beds, and upgrades to some of the guest rooms. Exterior work included a completely new guest walkway to the hotel lobby.
The Ahwahnee Hotel is widely regarded as the crown jewel of national park
lodges. Completed in 1927, the hotel is a registered National Historic Landmark.
It was commissioned by Stephen T. Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service. Mather felt that a grand hotel in Yosemite National Park was necessary to host dignitaries and influential people that would support Yosemite and other national parks throughout the country.
Work will continue on the fifth and sixth floor suites and they will reopen in mid-April of this year.
For more information about Yosemite, visit the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/yose/ .
From www.oldwestnewwest.com
