Page 1 of 2
Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Sun Jan 17, 2016 2:03 pmby LincolnB
"On March 1, the famed Ahwahnee — a name affixed to countless trail guides and family memories — will become the Majestic Yosemite Hotel. And Curry Village, a collection of cabins near the center of the park that has carried the same name since the 1800s, will become Half Dome Village, park spokesman Scott Gediman said Thursday."
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... k=lat-pick
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Sun Jan 17, 2016 6:29 pmby Marcsoltan
Well, I have no problem with these name changes, especially with Curry Village changing to Half Dome Village. I never cared too much about the name "Curry" as it always reminded me of Indian food.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Mon Jan 18, 2016 1:47 amby sierraman
The proposed name changes are a negotiating ploy in a trademark dispute with the former park Concessionaire and will likely never be permanent. If you have ever been to the Ahwahnee you'll notice the name is embroidered on everything, down to the cocktail napkins. It would cost a fortune to change out all that.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:04 amby phydeux
Look at the last sentence in that LA Times story; that says it all. Probably needs a little more detail (which the LA Times didn't bother to research like they would have in past decades) but the name was on the hotel before Delaware North took it over, so it had to be part of the concessionaire deal when they picked it up in 1993, and it would be transferred to the new entity. I wouldn't be against changing the name of Curry Village unless there's some historic significance to it; is the 'Curry' name even significant in Yosemite's history?
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:08 pmby peninsula
phydeux wrote:Look at the last sentence in that LA Times story; that says it all. Probably needs a little more detail (which the LA Times didn't bother to research like they would have in past decades) but the name was on the hotel before Delaware North took it over, so it had to be part of the concessionaire deal when they picked it up in 1993, and it would be transferred to the new entity. I wouldn't be against changing the name of Curry Village unless there's some historic significance to it; is the 'Curry' name even significant in Yosemite's history?
Yes, it is.
Camp Curry was founded in 1899 by David and Jennie Curry, two schoolteachers from Indiana. The pair dreamed of visiting Yosemite, but found that they could not afford the coach fare into the park and still pay the going rate for park lodging at $4 per night.
This led to the establishment of Camp Curry - offering affordable room and board within Yosemite; a legacy that continues to this day. The camp was originally comprised of a dozen tents with a common dining center. Its popularity allowed it to quickly grow to hundreds of tents within a few short years.
Entertainment played a key role in Curry's success, with nightly performances and the famous Firefall. By 1922, Camp Curry also featured a dance pavilion, pool hall, soda fountain, nightly movies and a gas station and service garage. A few years later, a swimming pool and ice skating rink were added to the onsite facilities. The dance hall was renovated into what is now the Stoneman House lodge with 18 motel units.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Wed Jan 20, 2016 9:40 pmby chicagotransplant
Sounds like a crock of hooey to me, the names far predate any concessionaires operations within the park and the old concessionaire should have no legal right to trademark them. They are trying to claim "intellectual property rights" on something that was named long before they ever had the concession.
For what its worth, the Ahwahnee was declared a Historic Landmark in 1987, 6 years before Delaware North got their concession contract. There is no way they should be able claim "intellectual property rights" to the name, the name should go with the landmark status and not some concessionaire that started operating well after the fact.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:38 pmby Marmaduke
It's quite simply ALL about money and this Delaware North knows that these name can bring them a lot of revenue. However this may back fire on them somewhat. There will be a large amount of people that love the outdoors and those with common sense that will not spend their money at any of the Delaware North's properties. I think this will gain national recognition, not just in California and among hikers and hurt these people. Pretty scummy whoever made this decision.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Thu Jan 21, 2016 1:29 amby Bubba Suess
Marmaduke wrote:It's quite simply ALL about money and this Delaware North knows that these name can bring them a lot of revenue. However this may back fire on them somewhat. There will be a large amount of people that love the outdoors and those with common sense that will not spend their money at any of the Delaware North's properties. I think this will gain national recognition, not just in California and among hikers and hurt these people. Pretty scummy whoever made this decision.
Not only that, but after a stunt like this, who is going to do business with them? Certainly not the NPS, and I doubt anyone else will want to either.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Thu Jan 21, 2016 1:35 amby Marmaduke
Bubba Suess wrote:Marmaduke wrote:It's quite simply ALL about money and this Delaware North knows that these name can bring them a lot of revenue. However this may back fire on them somewhat. There will be a large amount of people that love the outdoors and those with common sense that will not spend their money at any of the Delaware North's properties. I think this will gain national recognition, not just in California and among hikers and hurt these people. Pretty scummy whoever made this decision.
Not only that, but after a stunt like this, who is going to do business with them? Certainly not the NPS, and I doubt anyone else will want to either.
This might hurt them a lot but have you looked at their website? This company is huge, when it comes down to certain types of business dealings, there'll be people out there that don't care about the unethical stunt they pulled.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:12 pmby DukeJH
At what point is something so into the public domain that it can't be trademarked, copyrighted, etc.?
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Thu Jan 21, 2016 8:31 pmby Marmaduke
How about the name changed to: The Yosemite "Fuck Delaware North" Lodge
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Sat Jan 23, 2016 4:06 pmby sierraman
The transition between Ducheware North and Aramark as Yosemite concessionaire has had its share of comic opera of late, but it just got a little more personal for me. Back in November I submitted an application for a reservation at a High Sierra Camp. Normally you find out about now if your application is accepted. However, I just now got an email from Ducheware that they were dumping the HSC reservation process on Aramark and fuck you very much.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Thu Mar 03, 2016 6:54 pmby sierraman
Goodbye Ahwahnee? Not yet. March 1 was supposed to be the last day for the name Ahwahnee, Curry Village and other's claimed by Delaware North. But I checked today and those names are still splattered all over the YNP internet site. Just a matter of time before Delaware North files a lawsuit for copyright infringement.
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Thu Mar 03, 2016 7:34 pmby kevin trieu
The way I understand it, it was the NPS that forced Delaware North to purchase these trademark names when they initial entered contract to be the concessionaire. And if that's the case, it only makes sense for Delaware North sell the trademark back to the NPS. Has anyone actually read the actual court filings and not news articles and confirm?
Re: Goodbye Ahwahnee hotel
Posted:
Fri Mar 04, 2016 12:17 amby sierraman
The sale of the trademarks is not controversial, its the price. The difference between what Delaware North says the trademarks are worth and what the NPS says they are worth is about a factor of 10. Just about everybody, including myself, believes Delaware North's valuation is grossly exaggerated.