YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — Visitors who pull into Yosemite Valley on Tuesday will witness history as the Ahwahnee Hotel becomes the Majestic Yosemite Hotel and Curry Village campground becomes Half Dome Village, the fallout of a messy trademark spat between the park and the outgoing concessions operator.

But beyond the highly visible dispute is a changing of the guard that could have an even bigger impact on Yosemite lovers.

The park’s new concessionaire, who starting Tuesday will run everything from lodging to dining to recreation activities, describes a brighter future that includes reinstating ice skating. The hotel formerly known as the Ahwahnee will get an upgraded sweet shop and popular Degnan’s Deli a wine bar, company officials said, while guests will be able to use smartphone apps for making reservations and ordering food.

$100 million investment

In wide-ranging interviews with The Chronicle, executives with Aramark of Philadelphia said visitors won’t see many changes immediately, but laid out a plan to invest $100 million in the park during the life of the company’s 15-year contract.

“Our goal on day one is to keep the trains running, get people checked out of their rooms and make sure their breakfasts are there,” said Bruce Fears, president of Aramark’s leisure division. “As we head down the road, the next 60 to 90 days … more changes will come.”

Company officials said their goals, among other things, were to modernize and expand food options, update rooms in the park’s storied hotels — whatever their names — and reduce the park’s water and energy use.

The plans remain subject to the park’s longtime preservation guidelines as well as renewed efforts to protect the Merced and Tuolumne rivers. As a result, Aramark will look not to develop new attractions but to renovate existing facilities, like the food court at the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls — which is becoming the Yosemite Valley Lodge due to the trademark fight.

Yosemite officials, who brought in business experts from parks across the country to help with this week’s transition, said their dealings with the more than 200 Aramark staff members on site in the past few months have been encouraging.

“Everything we’ve planned so far, they get it,” said Scott Gediman, a spokesman for Yosemite. “We’re feeling really good about moving forward.”

While Aramark is new to Yosemite, it’s a veteran in the concessions business. The 270,000-employee firm runs hotels, restaurants, shops and hospitality services at sports arenas and universities in 21 countries, and operates 60 state and national parks.

The Yosemite contract covers 12 hotels and campgrounds, 14 food establishments, and 17 retail sites, as well as the park’s shuttle buses and a host of recreational activities like skiing and horseback riding. It’s not only the company’s biggest parks endeavor but also the largest concessions operation in the National Park Service, with an expected $2 billion in revenue over the contract.

Under the deal, the company agreed to furnish 11.75 percent of its revenue to Yosemite, estimated at about $15.6 million a year. The concessionaire outbid its predecessor, Delaware North of New York, to win the job.

Because the new contract was timed with the park’s rollout of conservation plans along its two major rivers, the new concessionaire will be required to scale back some operations in busy Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows.

Under the river conservation plans, the gas station and sport shop at Tuolumne Meadows closed in September and won’t reopen. In the valley, a handful of attractions — including the ice skating rink at the old Curry Village and the Yosemite Village Sport Shop — closed on Tuesday for good. Horseback tours in both the valley and Tuolumne Meadows are also being halted.

Plans for skating, cycling

Aramark officials said they will restore popular services when possible, including installing a modular ice skating rink at the new Half Dome Village, and ensure that bicycle rentals don’t end. But they also said that overhauls of existing facilities will, in many cases, offer better services than those that are lost.

“We will do everything we can to elevate the guest experience,” Fears said.

While a few menu changes will take place this week, including the addition of a panini station at the Yosemite Valley Lodge food court, major capital improvements won’t come until after the summer season, Aramark officials said.

Degnan’s Deli in Yosemite Village is scheduled to be the first big remodel next winter. The old sandwich shop, company officials said, will become a modern bakery with fresh breads and pizzas and an expanded selection of beer and wine on tap.

“You’re in California. You got to have food that is local and seasonal,” said Brian Stapleton, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco who will oversee food and beverage services at the park. “This is kind of a homecoming for me.”

Stapleton said he would like to see locally sourced food at Yosemite make up close to 75 percent of the offerings.

Upgrades at the lodge food court are planned for 2017-18, and an overhaul of services at Half Dome Village is scheduled for the winter after that.

Food and lodging prices, company officials said, will remain similar to current levels.

A more immediate change in the park will be the phasing out of plastic water bottles, part of Aramark’s efforts to cut the environmental footprint of the concessions. In coming weeks, the company will start selling canned water and install water refill stations so visitors can fill personal vessels.

Aramark also intends to put high-tech water sensors in restaurants and hotels and trim energy use by upgrading its fleet of cars and trucks.

About 95 percent of Delaware North’s employees are staying on with Aramark, officials said. Staffing levels will remain roughly the same as in the past, with the number peaking at close to 1,800 in the summer.

“This is a community within a national park. The more that community stays together, the better off Aramark and the public are,” said Bob Concienne, Aramark’s vice president of operations at Yosemite.

Multiple name changes

The trademark dispute is prompting Aramark to rename five sites, barring a last-minute deal with the outgoing concessionaire. Badger Pass Ski Area will become Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area, and the Wawona Hotel will become Big Trees Lodge.

The old names are scheduled to be covered up with vinyl patches and panels that display the new names. Restaurant menus, brochures and company websites are also being amended.

Aramark is also ending sales of merchandise bearing the name “Yosemite National Park” and introducing new souvenirs that simply say “Yosemite.”

The moves are the result of Delaware North’s claims to the names in a lawsuit against the park service. During its 24 years managing park operations, the company registered trademarks for the titles, and it is now demanding $51 million for its intellectual property. The park service insists the company is owed no more than $3.5 million.

The fight isn’t over. Park officials said Monday they filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Delaware North’s trademarks, since the company is ending its association with Yosemite. If the request is accepted, Gediman said, the old site names will be restored.

Aramark officials said they’re not sure how long it will take the new names to stick with visitors — or whether they ever will.

“You see the public outcry with that,” said David Sloma, vice president of Aramark’s Western leisure division. “I guess only time will tell.”

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

New operator

at Yosemite

A new phone number and website are being introduced Tuesday for guests of Yosemite National Park to make lodging reservations or check existing reservations: (888) 413-8869 or www.travelyosemite.com.