With the addition of the Hounds Tooth Inn in Oakhurst, California, and now the El Capitan Hotel in Merced, California, Hyatt has made some positive inroads into the gateway entrance markets that surround Yosemite National Park.
Review: El Capitan Hotel (Merced, CA)
In this review we’ll take a look at the El Capitan Hotel, a Joie de Vivre-branded property.
About The El Capitan (The Official Blurb From Hyatt)
Location & Parking
The El Capitan hotel is located about 2 hours to the West of Yosemite National parks Yosemite valley visitor center.
The hotel itself is situated on a corner of the revitalized downtown area near several shops and restaurants. Parking at the El Capitan hotel is complimentary with in and out privileges for all guests.
The parking garage is located directly north of the hotel on the corner of Veterans Blvd. and Arbor Ln.
The parking structure (hotel-side entrance)
Walking from the parking garage to the front of the El Capitan
Entrance to the El Capitan
FHOP Tip: There is a “hidden shortcut” from the parking garage to the hotel. Simply exit the parking structure “from the back” on the South side of the garage and head down the little alleyway directly to the entrance of the hotel.
The “secret” alley from the parking structure to the front of the hotel
World of Hyatt Redemption
The nightly rate during our stay started at $263.37 USD for a “Standard Queen Bed” Room.
The El Capitan Hotel is a World of Hyatt Category 2 property (bookable for just 8,000 points).
I chose to redeem points as a CPP of 3.29 was a strong redemption option.
Lobby
Appearing twice I really liked the decor of the hotel meaning heavily on the art deco style I also found many quirky artistic touches that really added a nice spin TV overall vibe of the hotel
Front Desk & Check-In
check in with this quick and friendly as I was issued room keys in no time I was recognized for my high global status and I was told that I was given a room upgrade to a higher floor.
The front desk
Hyatt Globalist Welcome Letter, Package, And Coloring Book
as a higher globelyst I received an unexpected little gift bag which actually had some pretty cool items in it. there was a small bottle of wine some assorted chocolates the requisite hand sanitizer some local salted almonds and freeze dried white nectarines as well as some basil seeds and mints. like I said quirky but cool.
oh and did I mention there was also a coloring book for kids and adults?
Room Key
Elevator Area
Anybody else getting an “Alice in Wonderland” vibe?
Hallway
Room Entrance
Bedroom Area
Like the rest of the hotel, the bedroom was elegantly decorated in an art deco style from a decadent bygone era.
The bedroom was clean and the beds and bedding were very comfortable. There was some noticeable wear on the paint of the tables, but it almost looked intentional.
Living Area
The room had no closet but instead had a functional rack that served as both a closet and display case for the room amenities.
The hotel had its own proprietary bottles of water imprinted with – dare I say – their awesome-looking logo.
Room Amenities
Bathroom
The bathroom was a nice size and well-lit. Everything appeared almost brand new.
The hotel’s toiletries of choice were the popular Beekman 1802 brand of goat milk-forward products.
View From The Room
Although we got a high-room “upgrade” facing West, we didn’t really have much of a view other than that of The Tioga, a sister property of the El Capitan.
Dinner At Native Son
Because we arrived late, we opted to have dinner at the hotel at the only restaurant that was open, the Native Son Cafe.
We were a little surprised (and slightly disappointed) to learn that Native Son’s dinner menu was 100% vegetarian (we were really hungry from driving all day). Nevertheless, we ordered up some sandwiches, and although they weren’t exactly what we really wanted, they were pretty good (as was the side salad).
Breakfast At Native Son Cafe
For breakfast, we opted to return to the Native Sun Cafe so that we could use our Globalist breakfast benefit. That’s where things took a strange turn.
We opted to go with the breakfast sandwiches and cold-pressed juices, but were informed that both of those items were unavailable. Then we decided to try the breakfast burrito and salmon bagel, but were told those items were unavailable as well. Then we decided to try the cinnamon roll and sourdough toast and were unbelievably told that those items were unavailable as well.
At that point, I said, “You know what? I’ll just have an El Capitan cookie,” and was told that the store had never even actually had that item even though it was listed on the menu. I gave up and asked, “well what DO you have?”. I was told they only had avocado toast and croissants, so that’s what we went with. Well, that and a latte and drip coffee (which were actually pretty good and strong).
The avocado toast was actually quite tasty.
The Property Interior
I was really impressed with the decor of the interior of the hotel. Every room in the lobby and ground floor had a great old-timey style to it that felt like we had stepped back in time to the “roaring 20’s”.
The Property Exterior
The property’s exterior was cohesively decorated to match the interior, and the neon signage outside were cool to look and photograph.
FHOP Tip: What’s Nearby: Yosemite National Park lies about two hours the El Capitan hotel. I had never actually driven this route before, but I have to say once you get outside of the Central Valley and head into the foothills and mountains along the Merced River, the roadway turns into one of the most scenic drives in California. It was pleasantly unexpected.
The Bottom-Line Review: El Capitan Hotel (Merced, CA)
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the El Capitan hotel.
Although we just used it as a gateway to Yosemite National Park, I would have liked to have spent another night or two there to explore the town of Merced.
The one sore point in our stay was our dining experiences at Native Sun Café, although the restaurant really did their best with what they had. I do think there’s a lot of potential there so I’ll chalk up our experience to the fact that El Capitan Hotel had only recently opened. I would like to see some additional dining options, but understand we might have to wait for the end of the pandemic for that.
Aside from the dining experience, the hotel was beautiful and the overall vibe of the hotel was just really kind of awesome, as such a hotel could easily fit right in in Manhattan or Downtown Los Angeles.
If your travels to Yosemite or Sequoia National Parks take you through California’a Central Valley, the El Capitan Hotel is a great option that I can recommend to families, couples, and business travelers alike.
Final Rating: 7 out of 10 (due mostly to our dining experiences).
