Formerly: The Majestic Yosemite Hotel (2016–2019)
Yosemite National Park, California · Founded 1927 · Building: 1927
Yosemite Valley’s 1927 grand rustic hotel, built for affluent park visitors and later converted into a Navy hospital during World War II.
The Ahwahnee formally opened in Yosemite Valley in 1927 as a grand hotel designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood to attract affluent visitors to Yosemite National Park. Its monumental rustic architecture combines granite, timber, concrete, and expansive public rooms. From 1943 through 1945, the U.S. Navy converted the hotel into a convalescent hospital before it returned to hotel use in December 1946.
Construction begins on The Ahwahnee in Yosemite Valley, designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood.
Source: National Park Service, "The Ahwahnee"; National Park Service, "Securing Tomorrow: Transforming the Ahwahnee Hotel for Generations"
The Ahwahnee formally opens to the public under Yosemite Park and Curry Company management.
Source: National Park Service, "Yosemite's World War II Hospital"
The U.S. Navy commissions the U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital Yosemite National Park at the Ahwahnee.
Source: National Park Service, "Yosemite Naval Hospital during WWII"; Naval History and Heritage Command, "U.S. Naval Special Hospital Yosemite"
The first Navy patients arrive at the Ahwahnee convalescent hospital.
Source: National Park Service, "Yosemite Naval Hospital during WWII"; Naval History and Heritage Command, "U.S. Naval Special Hospital Yosemite"
The Navy decommissions the Yosemite convalescent hospital after treating nearly 7,000 sailors.
Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, "U.S. Naval Special Hospital Yosemite"
After reconditioning, the building reopens as the Ahwahnee Hotel.
Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, "U.S. Naval Special Hospital Yosemite"
The Ahwahnee receives National Historic Landmark designation.
Source: National Park Service, "Securing Tomorrow: Transforming the Ahwahnee Hotel for Generations"
A trademark dispute leads to the hotel’s temporary renaming as The Majestic Yosemite Hotel.
Source: Atlas Obscura, "The Ahwahnee Hotel"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The Ahwahnee influenced the design language of interiors in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, but it was not an on-location filming site for the film. The movie’s exterior footage was filmed at Timberline Lodge in Oregon, while its interior sets were created elsewhere.
Multiple historical and architectural accounts identify The Ahwahnee as a major visual influence on Kubrick’s Overlook Hotel interiors. This supports an influence claim, but this pass did not independently verify every often-repeated detail about particular rooms, carpets, or elevator designs.
The Navy leased the hotel in 1943, commissioned the U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital Yosemite National Park on June 25, 1943, and decommissioned it on December 15, 1945. The hotel returned to guest service on December 20, 1946.
The Ahwahnee opened as a hotel in 1927, but the U.S. Navy leased and converted it into a convalescent hospital from 1943 through 1945. It resumed hotel operations in December 1946.
Interior scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining were filmed inside The Ahwahnee.
The Ahwahnee influenced the film’s interior design, but it was not used as an on-location filming site. The film’s exterior footage was shot at Timberline Lodge in Oregon, and interior sets were created elsewhere.
Source: Atlas Obscura, "The Ahwahnee Hotel"
The Ahwahnee has operated as a hotel continuously since 1927.
The hotel served as the U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital Yosemite National Park from 1943 to 1945 and reopened to hotel guests in December 1946.
Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, "U.S. Naval Special Hospital Yosemite"
The Ahwahnee remains Yosemite’s defining grand hotel because its design, setting, and public spaces were purpose-built to make the park a destination for longer and more luxurious stays. Its history includes a major change of use during World War II rather than uninterrupted hotel service, but National Park Service stewardship and continued concession operations have preserved its architectural and cultural role.
The Ahwahnee formally opened in Yosemite National Park, California, on July 14, 1927. Designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood as a grand hotel for Yosemite visitors, it was converted into a U.S. Navy convalescent hospital from 1943 to 1945 and reopened as a hotel on December 20, 1946. The National Park Service now recognizes it as a National Historic Landmark.
No. The Ahwahnee opened in 1927 and is not a verified claimant to California’s oldest-hotel title. Its importance is architectural and cultural: it is one of the country’s most significant National Park Service rustic hotels and remains open year-round in Yosemite Valley.
Yes. The National Park Service states that The Ahwahnee is open year-round, with a 24-hour front desk. Dining and lodging availability can change seasonally, so guests should confirm reservations and current visitor access before traveling.
1 Ahwahnee Dr, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389
(888) 413-8869
The hotel is open year-round; confirm lodging, dining reservations, and current public-area access before your visit.