Travel

Yosemite's Tenaya Lodge celebrates a milestone

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Tourist season is the lifeblood for hotels outside of Yosemite National Park with thousands of people visiting the park and surrounding areas.

FISH CAMP, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tourist season is the lifeblood for hotels outside of Yosemite National Park with thousands of people visiting the park and surrounding areas. One local resort has found a way to keep that momentum going for the past 25 years

Nestled among the pine trees, Tenaya Lodge sits in an ideal spot to bring nature and tourists together. Kerry and Tammy Deto traveled thousands of miles from Long Island, New York to Fish Camp, California. They chose to stay at Tenaya to relax and take in Yosemite National Park for the first time as a family.

"We saw El Capitan and it was great," said Kerry. "We had a good time."

Yosemite, along with the lodge's amenities has drawn thousands of tourists to Tenaya. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the four diamond resort.

Sandy Stanphell said, "Many times it's life changing for those that come to the area. They have saved for years to experience the park and it's fun to be a part of that."

Longtime employee Sandy Stanphell has been here since 1990 and seen all the changes. The hotel has added more rooms, meeting spaces, dining options and pool areas for adults and kids. They've also added the ascent spa for pampering. The Double LEED Silver Certified area is complete with relaxing rooms, but adults aren't the only ones being pampered. Tenaya was named the most pet friendly hotel in the western U.S. by Sunset Magazine.

Tenaya Lodge general manager Paul Ratchford said, "We put a lot of effort into pampering the pets that come here and we're very proud of the fact that we have a staff that's dedicated to walking and babysitting and they're allowed in our food and beverage areas, on the patios."

In addition to the accolades, they say they're proud to impact the local economy and have employed 15,000 people since they opened in 1990.

With Yosemite National Park & the Sierra National Forest in its backyard, employees at Tenaya Lodge say it's that outdoor spirit that's drawn people here for the past 25 years and they hope many more.