Site Inspection: Lake Tahoe

January 25, 2021

New delights await on the shores of crystal-clear Lake Tahoe

The sparkling waters of Lake Tahoe touch land in two states, offering 72 miles of access from the California and Nevada side of the mountains. As groups have discovered the relaxing and creative powers of the area to marry work and pleasure, old and new, the industry has celebrated that union by showering them with new places to do business while never taking their eyes off the watery prize.

Arrive

Tahoe is now closer to Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) than ever—at least in travel time. Over the past decade, Highway 395 through Carson City (Nevada’s state capital) has been expanded, making the drive to Spooner Summit (gateway to South Lake Tahoe) faster and safer. What hasn’t changed are the bucolic views punctuated by evergreen Jeffrey pines.

Meet and Stay

On the south shore, Stateline offers the best of all worlds for groups. The Nevada side, where at press time COVID restrictions still allowed for reduced capacity indoor dining, is sprinkled with casinos that offer Tahoe-chic entertainment, dining and lodging along with abundant meeting space.

Caesars Entertainment-owned Harrah’s Lake Tahoe (512 guest rooms and 26,600 sq. ft. of meeting space) and Harveys Lake Tahoe (740 guest rooms and 25,000 sq. ft.) flank Highway 50 with complementary inventory. Executive Director of Sales Don Goodman explained that after recent updates to the rooms at both properties, and the conference center at Harrah’s, up next for reinvention are group spaces at Harvey’s. One improvement that made its debut just before the pandemic slowdown was the opening of a Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, which continues the fire and ice theme from other cities but with a mountain twist.

Next door, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe (539 guest rooms and 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space) takes a velvet-rope approach to welcoming guests. Director of Sales Kimberly Templeton even offers to throw in complimentary function space with food and beverage minimums.

Tucked behind the bright lights is Edgewood Tahoe, where in 1968 a legendary golf course was built on family grazing land overlooking the lake. In 2017, an upscale, 154-room lodge joined the clubhouse to offer 8,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, most of it with a front-row seat to the turquoise waters. Diane Rettos, director of group sales, has managed a buyout of the entire property, which comes with use of the vaulted Great Room and outdoor lawn space.

North Lake Tahoe boasts Resort at Squaw Creek (405 guest rooms and 35,000 sq. ft. of meeting space) and The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe (181 guest rooms and 10,000 sq. ft.). Terra Calegari, director of sales and marketing at Resort at Squaw Creek, can help with those all-important outdoor incentive meetings on the extensive patio.

Do

Epic skiing awaits steps from Reno’s Stateline at California’s Heavenly Valley, and Resort at Squaw Creek is home to a chair lift with express delivery to Squaw Valley, site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. At The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, Northstar Mountain Resort is part of the Vail Resorts Management Company and offers an abundance of terrain for all skill levels.

Closer to lake level, outdoor activities beckon year-round. At Edgewood, the golf course is the base for guided snowshoe tours where the grand finale is a stop at the Veuve Cliquot Champagne Chalet. E-biking between Squaw Creek and The Village at Squaw Valley or Truckee River is an activity for all ability levels.