Sickening discovery at Yosemite's most iconic hotel throws summer trips into chaos

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Yosemite's most iconic hotel, known for its scenic views and high-profile guests, has been thrown into a chaotic scandal after several sickening and 'decrepit' discoveries were made.
California 's Ahwahnee Hotel has long been known as a destination hot spot in the Yosemite Valley, and an oasis in the middle of a beautiful nature-filled setting - but its reputation has changed.
A recent report by the National Park Service, detailing the hotel's 2024 annual performance review of Yosemite Hospitality, found that rodents, improper food storage, and overdue facility maintenance, have taken over the property.
Yosemite Hospitality, a subsidiary of the Aramark Corporation, received an 'unsatisfactory' rating - the lowest it has gotten in previous years, the report, obtained by SFGATE, detailed.
Officials found both food safety issues and rodent infestations in the hotel's bar and kitchen, and just last month, employees reported food contamination issues stemming from rodents living in the ceiling above the preparation area, per the report.
Rodents were also found lingering in the Ahwahnee Bar, which was shut down multiple times last year for that very reason, the report stated.
A number of staffers also got sick from the chemicals used to help control the pest problem at the bar, it continued.
By June 14, the bar was back up and running, but just six weeks later, health inspectors discovered a Food and Drug Administration violation caused by a leak in the kitchen in the Ahwahnee Bar.
The kitchen was then shut down by Yosemite Hospitality for some of the day to fix the pressing issue, according to the performance review.
On September 4, the bar was closed yet again after a video surfaced showing 'ongoing rodent activity within the facility,' the review documented.
By September 20, the bar was reopened for drink service only. Food was not served again until November 14, per the report.
Rodent infestations can bring on a serious and sometimes deadly disease known as hantavirus - the same illness that killed Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa in their New Mexico home earlier this year.
Humans can be exposed to the disease through rodent droppings, urine or saliva.
In 2012 - before Yosemite Hospitality took over the contract - hantavirus infected 10 people and tragically killed three, SFGATE reported.
Just last year, a store worker, who lived in on-site employee housing, was said to have contracted the disease, according to Bloomberg.
The report said Yosemite Hospitality has gone on to develop a 'hantavirus risk reduction program,' but even with the initiative, employees were not consistently trained.
For instance, workers at the Crane Flat Store - located on the property - did not receive the training until health officials visited the store during a routine safety inspection, the report said.
In response to the frequent rodent incidents, the hospitality company hired new pest management professionals and doubled the number of weekly visits to inspect properties in the park in October 2024, the annual report stated.
Several Yelp reviews also provide first-hand accounts from guests who dealt with similar situations during their stay there.
One person posted images of cracked and peeling ceilings and walls, adding that the 'hotel is inferior to the $10 youth hostels one may find in Europe.
'What a sad, decrepit facility this once great hotel has become... It's full of mold, leaks, broken walls and failed or failing appliances,' the user added.
'I really wanted to give this place a higher rating because of the long history etc of the Ahwahnee. But for over $600 a night you should get more. I think the overall problem is the result of decades of neglect,' another posted.
Other than rodent activity and deteriorating aspects in the hotel, Michael McEvoy, a recent guest who stayed there, said the hotel did not have electricity after a tree fell during a storm, cutting off power in the Yosemite Valley.
'The whole place was dark,' McEvoy told the outlet.
He had checked into the hotel to attend the Bracebridge Dinner, but when he entered his room, the light switches didn't work.
'I don't know how you put on a tux without light,' he added.
The highly anticipated dinner, which had just come back after a five year hiatus, was canceled due to the power outage.
McEvoy said a backup generator ended up powering a temporary kitchen but not the hotel itself.
During that time, he said he witnessed several people falling in the dark and an elderly woman struggling to navigate the stairs since the elevator was down.
The recent report flagged electrical issues throughout the park, including an employee tent that went up in flames and loose electrical wires on a thermostat in a hotel room.
Despite shelling out $1,100 for the dinner, plus $700 for the hotel room, McEvoy left and booked a room somewhere else, he said.
'We're looking forward to seeing it, and then to find all of the catastrophic, the cascade failures that occurred really pointed out to me that they've got a problem.'
Customers were reimbursed for both their tickets and hotel stays, Aramark spokesperson Weinstein told the outlet.
In response to the low rating, Debbie Albert, Aramark's senior vice president of corporate affairs, said the company is taking it 'seriously.'
'We take this rating seriously, and in working closely with the NPS, we have and continue to make improvements at Yosemite to ensure high standards are met for park guests,' Albert said.
A park spokesperson said: 'We work closely with our concessionaires to identify and address issues, and we expect them to take prompt action to resolve any problems.'
Despite their responses, hotel and park employees still don't feel safe or heard.
'At what point do you say, "This isn't right for the guests?" Someone could get sick. This isn't right,' an unnamed worker said.
'There has to be a limit where profit doesn't matter. Humanity matters more.'