No longer the Ahwahnee: new names for Yosemite landmark sites

YPark visitors sit outside of the Ahwahnee Hotel on August 28, 2013 in Yosemite National Park, California. YPark visitors sit outside of the Ahwahnee Hotel on August 28, 2013 in Yosemite National Park, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Image 1 of / 55 Caption Close No longer the Ahwahnee: new names for Yosemite landmark sites 1 / 55 Back to Gallery

The names of some of Yosemite National Park’s most cherished and recognizable sites are changing, from the regal Ahwahnee Hotel to the tent-city Curry Village — the result of a trademark battle that could lead to a multimillion-dollar payout to the park’s ousted concessionaire.

The concessionaire, Delaware North of Buffalo, N.Y., wants $51 million from its successor to surrender the names of several landmarks that have been part of Yosemite for decades. The company claims the monikers became its intellectual property during the 23 years it ran the park’s lodges, campgrounds and other tourist accommodations.

National Park Service officials are fighting a lawsuit that Delaware North filed last year to require Yosemite’s incoming concessionaire, Aramark of Philadelphia, to pay compensation for using the names. But with the switchover coming in March, Yosemite officials said Thursday they were heading off potential confusion and simplifying things for Aramark by making the revisions.

As of March 1, the Ahwahnee will be renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel. Curry Village will become Half Dome Village, and the Badger Pass Ski Area will become Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area.

Name changes

The Wawona Hotel will be rechristened Big Trees Lodge, and Yosemite Lodge at the Falls will be tweaked to Yosemite Valley Lodge.

“While it is unfortunate that we must take this action, changing the names of these facilities will help us provide seamless service to the American public during the transition to the new concessionaire,” Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher said in a statement. “This action will not affect the historic status of the facilities, as they are still important cultural icons to the National Park Service and the public.”

Delaware North’s claim to Yosemite names is based on its 1993 contract with the park service. To manage the concessions, the company was required to buy the assets of the previous concessionaire, which had owned the properties, and then turn them over to the park.

Delaware North says it transferred the physical assets it purchased, but retained ownership of the intellectual property. Park officials maintain otherwise.

Sued park service

The company sued the park service in September, claiming breach of contract.

In a statement Thursday, officials at Delaware North, also known as DNC Parks and Resorts, accused the park service of changing the names to turn public opinion against them instead of resolving the issue.

“DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite Inc. is shocked and disappointed that the National Park Service would consider using the beloved names of places in Yosemite National Park as a bargaining chip in a legal dispute ... involving basic contract rights,” said Lisa Cesaro, public relations manager for Delaware North.

Tried to strike a deal

Both the park service and Aramark said they had tried to strike a deal with the outgoing concessionaire, but couldn’t arrive at an agreement.

Aramark spokesman David Freireich said he didn’t believe the name changes will affect the public’s interest in visiting the park sites.

“The historic status of these properties remains intact,” he said. “New and returning visitors can count on us to provide the same memories they deserve here.”

Delaware North, which runs services at sports arenas, airports and casinos worldwide, will operate Yosemite’s concessions through February. It is taking reservations for beyond that, but its customer service representatives had yet to be briefed on the name changes Thursday.

“I haven’t heard of that,” said an operator when asked about staying at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, now the Ahwahnee.

Public reaction to the name changes was fast — and furious.

Almost blasphemous

“To change the Ahwahnee is almost blasphemous,” said Denise Gee, a San Clemente (Orange County) resident who grew up in the Bay Area and has long spent summers in Yosemite. “It will always be the Ahwahnee to me. I’m having a hard time with this.

“John Muir and Ansel Adams will roll over in their graves at this absurd injustice,” she added.

The names, in some cases, date back more than 100 years.

The Ahwahnee was built in the 1920s as the park’s luxury accommodation, and today hosts presidents and dignitaries against the stunning backdrop of Half Dome. It is said to trace its etymological origins to the local Indian population.

The Wawona Hotel, a Victorian-era lodge at the park’s southern entrance, similarly derives its name from the American Indian language.

The more rustic Curry Village in Yosemite Valley is named after a Bay Area couple who established a summer camp there in 1899.

Park officials said that if they succeed in the trademark fight, they’ll look to restore the original names to the tourist sites.

Attorneys specializing in intellectual property law believe that the issue, for the courts, will boil down to the details of the original contract between Delaware North and Yosemite that spelled out ownership terms and, to a lesser degree, whether the names’ historical origins means the monikers can’t be owned.

‘A strong case’

San Francisco attorney Mel Owen said that if Delaware North was required to buy assets, it may still have the right to them.

“You never know how litigation is going to turn out … but they have a strong case,” he said. “They have increased the value of the names. More people recognize them.”

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander

Yosemite changes

Current names at Yosemite National Park and changes that the National Park Service announced Thursday.

The Ahwahnee Hotel becomes the Majestic Yosemite Hotel.

Curry Village will become Half Dome Village.

The Badger Pass Ski Area is renamed the Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area.

The Wawona Hotel becomes Big Trees Lodge.

Yosemite Lodge at the Falls is changed to Yosemite Valley Lodge.