The Ahwahnee Hotel

My husband and I recently stayed in the Ahwahnee hotel on the floor of Yosemite Valley. It was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood and is a premier example of National Park Service rustic architecture. It was designed to blend harmoniously with the nearby cliffs. The interior design was influenced by Dr. Phyllis Ackerman and Arthur Pope.

The hotel was constructed from 5,000 tons of rough-cut granite, 1,000 tons of steel, and 30,000 feet of timber. I discovered that the siding of the hotel is not actually wood as it appears, but was formed of stained poured concrete poured into molds to simulate a wood pattern.

A roof garden and dance hall were converted into a private apartment in 1928 after the dance hall failed to draw an audience. Personally, I think this was because of Prohibition. Once the private dining room was converted to the El Dorado Diggins bar, I bet the dancing would have made a comeback.

In 1943, the US Navy took over the hotel for use as a convalescent hospital for war veterans. The interior was repainted, chauffeur and maid rooms were converted into guest rooms, and the original porte-cochere was enclosed.

There are 99 rooms, each one decorated with original Native American accents, since the meadow was originally inhabited by the Miwok tribe.

Parts of the hotel in Stanley Kubrick's movie The Shining were modeled after the Ahwahnee's interior, including the lobby and great lounge.

Ahwahneechee means "People of Ahwahnee," the Miwok's name for Yosemite Valley. Ahwahnee meant "mouth" because the way the mountain walls open up to reveal the valley resembled a giant bear's open mouth to them.