Latest news with #YosemiteHospitality
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Sickening discovery at Yosemite's most iconic hotel throws summer trips into chaos
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.'
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Yosemite contractor slammed for hospitality failings, including rodents at Ahwahnee bar
The company that manages the hotels, restaurants and other enterprises at Yosemite National Park has long struggled to provide decent accommodations for park visitors, with a record of shoddy food service, unkempt facilities and dangerously overdue repair work This past year, things only got worse, according to the 2024 performance review of Philadelphia-based Aramark, obtained by the Chronicle. On multiple occasions documented last year, the bar at the prestigious Ahwahnee Hotel had to be shut down because of rodents. At another time, faulty kitchen equipment spread foodborne illness at the park's food court, Base Camp Eatery. In another incident, an employee was injured at Yosemite Valley Lodge after tripping on stairs that had been tagged for fixing. On several occasions, the Curry Village Store was ransacked by squirrels and ringtails. Aramark, which operates as Yosemite Hospitality at the park, was given a rating of 'unsatisfactory' in the 2024 review. It's the lowest mark the company has received in nine mostly unfavorable evaluations since being awarded Yosemite's multi-billion-dollar concessions contract nearly a decade ago. A recent change in how the reviews are done ensured that poor performance would result in an unsatisfactory rating. The score, according to the review, is grounds for the park to terminate the contract with Aramark. Yet, as problematic as the company has been, Aramark is unlikely to lose the job. Prior evaluations found similar faults that justified termination, and still little has changed. In a letter accompanying the latest review, park officials say they'll continue doing business with the company: 'We value the partnership with Yosemite Hospitality and look forward to working together… to continue improving the visitor experience at Yosemite National Park,' wrote the park's then acting superintendent. Aramark's tenure at the park has also been colored by a handful of startling incidents with employees, including at least two workers charged with sexual assaults on colleagues. This spring, an employee died of an injury at an Aramark-run staff dormitory that authorities have described as 'suspicious' and that remains under investigation. Additionally, the company, which runs concessions in more than a dozen national parks, has been plagued by stumbles elsewhere. Last year, it lost its contract at Crater Lake National Park because of performance problems. Aramark officials declined a request for an interview with the Chronicle but emailed a statement, vowing to do better at Yosemite, as they've done after past reviews. 'We take this rating seriously, and in working closely with the NPS (National Park Service), we have and continue to make improvements at Yosemite to ensure high standards are met for park guests,' said Debbie Albert, a company spokeswoman. The National Park Service said in a statement it was hoping Aramark would turn things around. 'Yosemite Hospitality has shown a commitment to improve its operations,' the emailed statement said. 'We are committed to closely monitoring performance and working with our business partner to meet the high expectations of quality services our visitors expect.' While lucrative, the concessions contract at Yosemite is not an easy one to execute. The agreement, which is the biggest money-making contract in the National Park Service, requires the concessionaire to perform a range of often niche duties, from maintaining and operating a dozen lodging properties and 14 food and beverage sites to running bus service, backcountry camps and a ski slope. More than 1,000 workers are part of the effort. The difficulty finding another company qualified for the job could be part of the reason that Yosemite hasn't made any changes. 'If the park service says we're going to kick Aramark out and they can't find anyone to do it, what are we going to do?' said Jonathan Jarvis, a former director of the National Park Service. 'The concessionaire has the park service over the barrel.' Furthermore, Jarvis said, there's little motivation for the concessionaire to make improvements since it has a built-in customer base at the park. 'If Aramark gets a bad rating, it doesn't mean they're going to have fewer people staying in the hotels or eating in the restaurants,' he said. Another reason that Yosemite might be sticking with Aramark is vacancies at several top jobs within the park service, meaning there are fewer people to make tough decisions. Yosemite is currently without a permanent superintendent, and the Trump administration has yet to appoint the agency's permanent nationwide director. In California, Yosemite is the only national park that Aramark operates in, but the company has contracts with state parks and last year took over concessions at San Francisco's Oracle Park. Aramark provides services at sports stadiums, universities and hospitals globally. The company's 2024 review at Yosemite, which was obtained by the Chronicle through a public records request, details a pattern of contract breaches and blunders, similar to prior reviews. According to the document, the upscale bar at the Ahwahnee Hotel was closed at three different points last year, two because of rodent infestations and one because of a persistent leak in the kitchen. The first closure in June followed reports of an employee getting sick because of 'issues with chemical safety and unaddressed rodent contamination.' The Ahwahnee is the most venerated of the park's properties, having hosted U.S. presidents and British royalty. Rooms can run for $1,000 a night. The hotel is currently wrapping up extensive seismic work. The dining room at the historic Wawona Hotel and Base Camp Eatery were also shut down at various times last year to address 'imminent health hazards,' which included rodents. Park officials, in their review, drew special attention to a complaint that was filed with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration about Aramark. The filing said Aramark employees were removing dead rodents and roaches without being properly trained. The workers, according to the review, were exposed to 'various health hazards.' Park officials said they had not been notified of the complaint, as required by the contract. Yosemite has sought to take extra precautions around rodents since three people died at the park from the mouse-driven hantavirus in 2012. The performance review cited other problems with wildlife, too, including improper storage of food and trash at several sites, drawing in hungry bears, as well as the invasions of squirrels and ringtails at Curry Village. Another repeated complaint was Aramark's failure to maintain park structures. Problems ranged from frayed carpet at the Ahwahnee to loose electrical wires at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, where on one occasion a wire sparked and generated smoke. The guests staying in the smoky room were moved elsewhere. Park officials said the concessionaire too often responded 'reactively' to maintenance issues rather than doing routine upkeep. In addition to performance problems, part of the reason for Aramark's low rating last year is a change in the way concessionaires are scored. Under the new terms, the concessionaire can't receive an overall mark above 'unsatisfactory' if it is found to be below "satisfactory" in three of the six categories that the review is based on. The rating system consists of four tiers: superior, satisfactory, marginal and unsatisfactory. Aramark's overall score the prior two years was 'marginal. The company has been below 'satisfactory' five of its nine years at the park. Aramark got the concessions contract in 2016. The contract was initially for 15 years but has since been extended by at least two years because of the Covid pandemic. The company replaced Delaware North, which failed to win another contract after a high-profile trademark dispute with the National Park Service over who owned such place names as 'Ahwahnee' and 'Curry Village.' The concessions contract generates revenues of well over $100 million a year. The park service receives a percentage of the receipts.
