Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite — Hotel in Oakhurst

My husband booked us a trip to Yosemite for the New Year and we were so excited to stay at this hotel, but from the moment we arrived we had some really strange experiences. As we pull up to the hotel lobby curbside, I'm pleased to see all the staff helping people unload the cars to help make check in easier. As we pull in, not a single person offers to assist us. Weird, given they were literally jumping to help the other customers just moments before we pulled up. Moments pass by and we start getting our luggage. No less than five minutes later, someone finally comes towards our car. A bit late, but I'm still grateful for the upcoming help, I think to myself... except he's not coming to help. He literally looks at us and nonchalantly asks my husband, "Are you planning to stay here or will you be moving your car?" ...Huh??? So much for coming to help. My husband just tells him we're checking in and the man doubles down "ArE YoU sUrE yOuRe StAyInG iN tHe WeSt WiNG???" I have to stop myself from losing it with the guy and very directly tell him "We actually are trying to check in, not one of your staff actually came up to help us, hello and good evening to you as well." He's taken aback and then walks away finally leaving us alone but never offers to help. Okay.... good start.

But, we move on because we're here to have a good time just like anyone else. We check in, the room is clean and we're ready to eat dinner as we're starving. After waiting an hour, our table is finally ready and I order the fish. It comes back raw in the middle and some of my potatoes aren't fully cooked. I didn't notice until it was too late but I showed my husband and our waiter who both agreed this was raw and "shouldn't have happened." They do take it off the bill at least, but my appetite is pretty much gone. I was pretty immediately sick after and didn't get much sleep that night. We let the staff know the next morning, and ask for plain bread, but no one seems to be able to help us with this, only offered bread with cheese. You'd think the kitchen could accommodate with some plain bread but the staff falls short and doesn't seem to be able to translate this to an actionable remedy. We're forced to leave the hotel where I find someone simple in town, but my stomach doesn't settle until another day which unfortunately soured our trip. My husband brought this up to the kitchen, front desk, and management, and no one offered a solution, just a lot of "I'm sorry."

To add to the weird nature of this place, my husband gets in the elevator and takes a picture of the yoga poster as he knows I'd love to take a class. Just at that moment, another person staying at the hotel offers him their own experience where they had a really "bizarre" experience with the yoga instructor who put them in "extremely compromising" poses, "kept bringing up other cultures in derogatory manners and expressed xenophobic sentiments" and even forced them to "salsa dance" at the end of class. What a creep??

Never mind the fact that the walls are incredibly thin and if you're looking for a nice weekend in the mountains, forget it, because this place is loud, and feels quite frankly like a cheap experience. You're better off camping for higher grade stay.

I look forward to never coming back here again. They clearly didn't want us there to begin with. The staff don't understand the first thing about hospitality. At worst, this establishment is indisputably racist and non-inclusive and at best, their accommodation and service is tasteless...

I couldn't get a reservation in Yosemite Valley, so I looked at the places outside of the national park. Tenaya was pricey, but looked so nice and is so close to the park that we bit the bullet and made a reservation for 3 nights. This was the best 3 nights of our national parks trips! What a beautiful resort, with all types of lodging. We chose to stay in the main lodge hotel. Our room was a long distance from the hub of activity, which was both good and bad. The room was secluded and quiet, but we felt like we were on a cruise ship walking the whole distance of the ship to get to the restaurant. Good for burning extra calories. The room was so spacious and modern, really nice! We even had a balcony! It was big enough for a circular table and 4 chairs. The king size bed and pillows were so comfortable! We slept well after being out in Yosemite all day. The lounge has comfortable seating and a beautiful fireplace that was always on. The pool/hot tub area was our favorite spot. We came back each day after being in Yosemite and relaxed in the hot tub to soothe our feet and joints, then relaxed in the lawn chairs or swam in the pool. The pool has a kid friendly area as well. In the evenings, they light the fire pits on the lawn and provide ingredients for s'mores. There are kids games and corn hole for playing on the lawn, as well. There are lots of activities available, but we spent the bulk of our time in the national park.||The restaurant in the hotel is full service - bar, indoor seating, outdoor seating, breakfast buffet, etc. The menu is limited and pricey but the food and service was good. There are TVs on in the bar and a fireplace in the main dining area. There's a fire pit near the outdoor patio seating. I was told there's a pizza restaurant on the property but it's a 5 minute walk from the hotel. After all the walking in Yosemite, we didn't want another hike for dinner. The other food option is the little market store next to the restaurant with some fresh fruit, some frozen foods, and prepared, pre-packaged sandwiches, fruit cups, etc. You can pick up anything you need for lunch or snacking throughout the day. They even have fresh pastries, muffins, and coffee if you're not really a breakfast person. ||The staff goes out of their way to make you feel welcome, from the front desk to the housekeeping staff. There are two small gift shops, if you're looking for clothing or trip mementos. This is more than a hotel. It's truly a resort. We loved staying here and would choose it again, even though it's very pricey. The price of the room was different each day, getting more expensive the closer we got to the weekend. There are also 5 different taxes and fees that added over $82 per day to our bill. So it's not cheap. But it's really nice and the only nice place we saw to stay this close to Yosemite's...

Dear Tenaya Lodge Management,

I am deeply disappointed to write this complaint, especially as someone with a background in Food Services. Our recent visit to your restaurant on September 2nd was nothing short of a disheartening experience, and it has unfortunately marred what was meant to be a pleasant conclusion to our trip.

As a family tradition, we have always made it a point to stop at Tenaya Lodge for a meal on our way home from Yosemite. This time, however, the experience fell far below our expectations. Our party of 4 adults and 6 children was seated promptly, and while the host and our initial waiter seemed pleasant, that was where the positive aspects of our visit ended.

We placed our order, including appetizers and kids' meals, with the expectation of a timely service given the restaurant's sparse occupancy. To our dismay, we waited for over two hours with no end in sight. The appetizers, which included onion rings and chicken wings, took an hour to arrive, and when they did, the food was lukewarm, clearly not up to standard.

As if that wasn’t frustrating enough, the kids' meals, which we had requested to be served first, arrived a further 45 minutes later, with one child still waiting. Throughout this ordeal, we requested drink refills multiple times, but none were ever provided. When the remaining meals eventually arrived, they were still served cold, with the exception of a few plates that were simply hot to the touch.

We were left wondering if our order had been lost or if our party size was too much for your staff to handle efficiently. If this was the case, a warning from the host about a potential long wait would have been appreciated. Instead, we were subjected to poor service and subpar food, leading to a sour end to our trip.

Additionally, the bill was handled poorly. We intended to split the bill, with another party covering the tip. However, the original check did not include an automatic gratuity, leading us to remove it from our portion due to the extended wait. I hope that the amount charged to my credit card aligns with the signed copy of the bill.

To add insult to injury, there was little to no apology for the lengthy delay and inadequate service. Given the circumstances, a sincere acknowledgment of the situation would have been the least we could have hoped for.

This experience has regrettably made us question our future visits to Tenaya Lodge. We were hopeful for a pleasant meal, but instead, we were met with inefficiency and a lack of consideration. I hope this feedback is taken seriously and leads to improvements in your...