Big luxury venues in the area are getting even bigger; in the last few years, the region has undergone a transformation to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in property renovations for larger facilities.
One of the area’s most significant properties in the works is the Ritz Carlton Highlands, which broke ground in 2006 and will be Lake Tahoe’s first five-star caliber hotel. The 172-room upscale property, situated mid-mountain at Northstar-at-Tahoe in Truckee, is scheduled to open in 2009 with extensive meeting space and conference facilities.
The historic Crystal Bay casino core is poised for a significant transformation, with plans that include a boutique hotel/casino surrounded by a pedestrian village of shops and restaurants, making the area more attractive to meeting and leisure travelers. In June, developer Boulder Bay LLC, a partnership between International Supply Consortium, Shoreline Capital and the Scott Development Company, purchased the Tahoe Biltmore and the Crystal Bay Hotel along with a large swath of land in the Crystal Bay region for $37 million. Boulder Bay is in the process of hiring architects, site planners and designers to carry the project forward.
The historic Cal Neva Resort in Crystal Bay, which was once owned by Frank Sinatra and recently celebrated its 80th anniversary, is scheduled to undergo a $60 to $70 million restoration, including the addition of a new 10,000 square-foot spa. Historical elements of the project will be preserved, including the famous cabins that Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe once frequented, as well as the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Showroom and Indian Room.
The Resort at Squaw Creek, located in Olympic Valley, is still gleaming from a $55 million renovation, while the Village at Squaw added an additional 1,200 square-feet of meeting space last fall. The Incline Village-based Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort just completed a $2 million-remodel of its Lakeside Cottages, serving as the final phase of a $62-million complete property renovation (which included a 20,000 square-foot luxury spa).
Granlibakken Conference Center and Lodge, just outside of Tahoe City, opened its expanded Executive Lodge in June, bringing the resort’s total offerings to 16,000 square feet of conference space and nearly 190 rooms.
~ Press Release
