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New Concessionaire Takes Over At Yosemite National Park Today

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Memorabilia collectors have an extra incentive to visit Yosemite National Park this year: new branding of the hotel once known as The Ahwahnee, a tent village now being called Half Dome, not Curry, and Wawona Hotel now known as Big Trees Lodge.

El Capitan, Yosemite National Park/Kurt Repanshek

No name change for El Capitan in Yosemite National Park today, but a lot of other place names are changing as a legal battle continues to be waged over trademarks to iconic names such as The Ahwahnee Hotel and Curry Village/Kurt Repanshek

Of course, those names could just be temporary, as a court battle is still brewing over whether DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite must be paid for the trademarks to The Ahwahnee, Curry Village, Wawona Hotel, Yosemite Lodge, and the Badger Pass Ski Area, as well as other place names and logos long used at Yosemite.

Last Friday officials at Delaware North offered to assign the trademarks to Aramark, whose Yosemite Hospitality, LLC subsidiary starts running concessions today at Yosemite with a payment amount to be determined. But Aramark officials rejected that overture, saying the names, and their trademarks, belong to the American people and Delaware North should drop its lawsuit.

With that lawsuit pending, in mid-January Yosemite officials, looking to avoid a costly trademark fight, announced that they would change the names of iconic lodges in the park. The Ahwahnee Hotel will now be known (at least temporarily) as the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls is being referred to as Yosemite Valley Lodge, Curry Village is now Half Dome Village, Wawona Hotel has become Big Trees Lodge, and Badger Pass Ski Area is being called Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area.

Against that backdrop, Yosemite Hospitality LLC today begins its 15-year contract to provide lodging, retail, recreational services, and food to over 4 million annual visitors to Yosemite. Yosemite Hospitality LLC was selected to be the park’s new primary concessioner in June 2015, following a competitive bid process.

“This is a new era in Yosemite and we are very excited to welcome Yosemite Hospitality LLC as the new primary concessioner in Yosemite National Park,” said Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher. “We would like to thank Delaware North Companies for their exceptional service to Yosemite’s visitors over the course of their contract in Yosemite National Park.”

The National Park Service continues to work very closely with Delaware North Parks and Resorts at Yosemite and Yosemite Hospitality LLC to ensure a seamless transition for park visitors. There should be very minimal, if any, disruption to services within the park as the concession contract transition occurs. There are many moving parts in such a large concession operation and the park kindly requests patience from visitors should they encounter any disruption during this unprecedented transition.

Yosemite is home to Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America, and iconic rock formations such as Half Dome and El Capitan. The park also features approximately 90 different species of mammals and more than 1,500 species of flowering plants.

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U.S. Code Might Allow National Park Service To Ignore Trademarks Of Lodge Names

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New Yosemite Concessionaire Signs Contract, Trademarks Up In The Air

Government Calls Delaware North's Property Claims At Yosemite National Park "Wildly Inflated"

DNC Says National Park Service "Flip-Flops" On Trademark Issues

Yosemite National Park To Change Historic Lodge Names To Avoid Trademark Fight

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Comments

Just visited Yosemite in January and was dismayed by the condition of the park. No visible effort has been made to polish up the park for celebration.  I am very tired of outhouses being used instead of flush toilets.  Yosemite has a sewer system. Why don't they hook up the outlying toilets?  The toilet at Bridal Veil Falls in the middle of winter was full to the brim and had about an inch of mud on the floor. As one of the owners of this incredible real estate, I would like to see it managed with the dignity it deserves. 


Write to your Congress critter, Linda.


"Memorabilia collectors have an extra incentive to visit Yosemite National Park this year"
I hope someone didn't take first sentence of this article literally; 'The Ahwahnee Hotel' sign has been stolen:  http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article63174077.html


On Monday, May 2 2016, I visited Yosemite Valley. I have visited and stayed in the park a number of times over the years. Spring time was a season I had not yet been able to enjoy until Monday. The waterfalls were spectacular. Yosemite is one of my favorite places in the world. I live in a community immersed in all things John Muir as it is his hometown, after moving from Scotland. I go to Yosemite to "recharge" my soul while marveling at the grandeur of Mother Nature. I left the park feeling dismayed and quite honestly, concerned about the future of the valley. The natural beauty can not be disputed. However, that is not to your credit. That is thanks to Mother Nature. What you are charged with is the housekeeping and hospitality piece of the business. My experience and the experience of numerous recent visitors as reported via Yelp and other online reviews/ comments, are confirmations that the housekeeping and hospitality piece of the business there is failing miserably. The valley looks run down and a neglected mess. The service in the Food Court was poor and some employees, totally incompetent. We were there at about 3:00 in the afternoon so there wasn't a mealtime rush to blame nor is it peak season time to blame. The restroom INSIDE the Food Court was a disgusting mess. I can honestly say, the restroom at a gas station which we stopped on our way to the park, was cleaner and more sanitary then the one in the Food Court. These short comings are inexcusable. I would have been embarrassed had I been traveling with visitors who have heard the hype about what a wonderful place it is, only to have to pay the exhorbitant prices being charged for substandard and unprofessional help and run down hotel rooms (both the Lodge and the Awahnee/ Majestic) which are, at best, 2 and 3 Star caliber at 4 and 5 Star prices. Abe Lincoln and John Muir must be turning in their graves to see what those of you responsible for caring for Yosemite Valley, have let happen. Please start recognizing it for what it is, a precious gift from Mother Nature and not the cash cow that it is continually being forced to become.


Totally agree Linda. I too left Yosemite Valley (May 2, 2016) feeling worried about the future of the valley. Inexcusable conditions, unprofessional and incompetant employees. I have sent a much more detailed reply to this article. It is in their review queue. As I mentioned in that reply, the restroom in the gas station which we stopped before getting to the Park entrance, was cleaner and more sanitary then the restroom INSIDE the Food Court that day. 


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