Smart Meetings

There aren’t many places in the West where nightlife, gaming, outdoor sports and meeting space coalesce with a 22-mile-long crystal-blue lake in the mountains. In fact, the lake communities sharing shoreline with both California and Nevada have something for every group. You might be looking for a cozy lodge where 12 top decision-makers can hunker down to business. Or maybe 400 attendees are counting on you to arrange the best awards ceremony ever—followed by a fabulous night out (and possibly a winning streak). No matter what you’re looking for, Tahoe has it.  

If you were to drive the 72 scenic miles around the lake, you’d see why. South Lake Tahoe is bustling with sizable hotels, casino entertainment and a round-the-clock social scene, while resorts to the north more commonly appeal to outdoor enthusiasts. Both offer the beauty and escape that you are looking for—and are easily accessible from Reno Tahoe International Airport. While you might have considered transportation to Tahoe a bit of a challenge, as one veteran planner puts it: “These challenges are more perceived than actual.”

THE SOUTH SHORE
The South Shore is a 24-hour nightlife destination, but in an alpine setting, says Paul Swanston, director of sales for Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. But its appeal for meetings is growing, with the addition of a new conference center, part of The Chateau at Heavenly—making South Lake Tahoe ideal for the 2,000-person program. “Once we have the official word out, we’ll be going like gangbusters,” Swanston says.

Because of the area’s versatile offerings, groups regard this destination differently than, say, a downtown city venue. “It’s common for attendees to extend trips and bring the family,” Swanston says, which is due to the wealth of activities and outdoor recreation available year-round.

MEETING SPACE
South Lake Tahoe’s 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space is found within five hotels downtown (where most of the action is) and the new local conference center. Horizon Casino Resort offers two ballrooms—Tamarack (5,850 sq. ft.) and Sequoia (6,500 sq. ft.)—in addition to a cabaret room equipped with a stage and seating. MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa was formerly Caesars Palace Lake Tahoe. According to Diane Rettos, director of sales, recent renovations to the resort's public spaces show brighter colors and cleaner lighting, giving the resort more of a Vegas feel. In addition to MontBleu’s 16,000-square-foot convention center, the 437-room hotel has four nightclub options, including a Rat Pack-style Ultra Lounge.

Within Harrah’s 18 stories, you’ll find 523 guest rooms; Harveys, the first hotel casino built in South Lake, offers 740, including a 20,000-square-foot convention center. Harrah’s and Harveys, which sit on both sides of Route 50, are connected via a recently renovated tunnel. The two also partner with nearby Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course to provide the option of lakefront dining. 

Judy McGee, director of purchasing, sales and marketing for Passport Incentives & Meetings, took a group of 427 to Harrah’s Lake Tahoe last November for a sales meeting and vendor trade show. McGee chose the hotel based mainly on two factors—the available meeting space and her company’s relationship with Steve Lowe, Harrah’s director of sales. “We had exclusive use of the convention floor,” she says. “Plus, the hotel is located just a short walk from the shops in Lake Tahoe, so that made it an excellent destination.”

“We find ourselves customizing more and more to the needs of the planner,” Lowe says, particularly with an eye toward the new generation of attendees who want to combine work and play. “There is more of an element of choice in program and facility,” he says.

Planners have several options at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel & Ski Resort, situated on the California side of the state line. Choose among atriums, boardrooms, meeting rooms or the 4,212-square-foot ballroom; the resort’s 10,000 sq. ft. of total function space can accommodate up to 500. Plus, Embassy Suites is walking distance from the gondola at Heavenly Ski Resort. Speaking of Heavenly, in late 2009 the conference and event center at the Chateau at Heavenly Village will be available for groups.

Head six miles up into the mountains and settle in at The Ridge Tahoe Resort, located on the Nevada side of Heavenly, where there’s less foot traffic and quicker access to the slopes. With 55,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, the 11-acre property is the only “on-mountain” resort in the South Shore area, which means you can ski right outside your door if you’d like.

Another secluded setting, about 10 miles from the town of Stateline, is the Stanford Sierra Conference Center at Fallen Leaf Lake. Whether it’s a bonfire on the beach, stargazing cruises or guided hikes, the 20-acre venue offers a comfortable mountain-retreat feel. Your VIPs stay at the main lodge, and attendees can spread out comfortably among the 52 cabins. Fall and spring are the best times, when Stanford University’s summer affiliates have left and the ski crowd is gone. “We’re the only group facility on Fallen Leaf Lake. It’s spectacular,” says Nancy Harrison, sales and marketing director for the center.

ACTIVITIES
Located on the lake’s eastern shore in Nevada, Zephyr Cove is a recreation hub. Depending on the season, you’ll find everything from chartered lake cruises to guided snowmobiling tours. Lisa Gallup, director of sales for Lake Tahoe Cruises, says the Emerald Bay cruise is popular with groups because it offers an opportunity to get out on the lake, but with less time spent than on a dinner cruise. “One very appealing aspect is that we can offer affordable shuttle transportation from the local hotels to our boats as opposed to having the groups charter a bus,” Gallup says. “Last July we provided a charter for a division of AAA. We coordinated their transportation from the hotel, set up their entertainment (they went with blackjack gaming and a DJ) and had appetizers, a buffet and bar.”

Barry Isola, owner of Destination Lake Tahoe, a DMC, coordinates about two cruises per week for groups who want to tour the lake for social, incentive and sightseeing purposes. Isola’s groups average about 150 people; he also finds the two-hour cocktail cruise most popular because it is just enough time for attendees to get acquainted. Plus, he says, “The staff does a phenomenal job.”

Of course, the South Shore is also known for its 24-hour action, and we would be remiss not to mention the lively gaming and entertainment scene. Groups in search of slot machines, poker tables and roulette wheels can find them in the major hotels on the Nevada side of Stateline. Plus, there’s a full calendar of events. Nightly entertainment brings the crowds to Harrah’s and Harveys, with such acts like Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, performing this month. Off the beaten path, try your luck at the local favorite, Lakeside Inn & Casino, which has a popular Wednesday karaoke night.

THE NORTH SHORE
“Everyone knows Tahoe is one of the most spectacular outdoor recreation spots in the world, so we obviously get lots of groups that are looking to incorporate outdoor activities into their agendas,” says Jason Neary, director of sales for North Lake Tahoe Visitors & Convention Bureau.

Even beyond the natural beauty of the area, however, the destination just makes sense—from the great values planners will find, especially in the shoulder season, to its accessibility (North Lake Tahoe is three hours from San Francisco and only 90 minutes from Sacramento).  

MEETING VENUES
Several communities around the North Shore offer meeting space, which varies in size and ambience. Starting west to east around the lake, there is the Granlibakken Conference Center & Lodge in Tahoe City. High-speed Internet access is woven into the woods, so to speak, at the resort, serving five meeting rooms within the Main Lodge (16,000 sq. ft. total); the new Executive Lodge complex offers 3,100 sq. ft. set apart from the rest of the property to serve smaller retreats.

Small groups can also get away from the action by renting out the Stanford Alpine Chalet, a few miles from the lake at the base of Alpine Meadows. The chalet, affiliated with the Stanford Sierra Conference Center to the south, is a comfortable spot for 10 to 30 people.

Detouring north to Olympic Valley on Route 89, you’ll arrive at Squaw Valley U.S.A., host of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Here, take your pick from the multitude of accommodations. First-class meetings unfold at the Resort at Squaw Creek, within any of the 24 flexible meeting rooms (33,000 sq. ft. total). The resort, which recently renovated its 405 guest rooms, also invites groups to spread out among the 14,750 sq. ft. of outdoor space, surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Resort has the only golf course in the valley, which transforms into the valley’s only Nordic center, with 18 km of groomed cross-country and snowshoe trails. The Village at Squaw Village not only has 256 condo suites and about 5,500 sq. ft. of function space (with more on the way this year), but there’s also 4,000 acres of skiable terrain just outside your door. Squaw Valley Lodge’s 1,500-square-foot Ponderosa Room and scenic pool deck are ideal for cocktail receptions (attendees will be hooked when they step into the lodge’s fireside indoor spa). At nearby Plumpjack Squaw Valley Inn, which is also a ski-in/ski-out property, there’s 6,000 sq. ft. of meeting space divided between two levels. It’s the “peaceful and relaxing environment” where Lisa L. Bispham, event coordinator for Child Support Directors Association, brought 65 attendees last October to create goals for the new year. “I fell in love with this property the moment I did my site visit,” she says. “The sleeping accommodations were very comfortable and cozy, from the robe and slippers to the stunning views from the window…This was the best Annual Directors Meeting we've had so far!”

Heading farther east around the lake to Kings Beach is the North Tahoe Conference Center. Full-service catering and audiovisual capabilities are part of the package at this lakeside venue featuring eight meeting rooms totaling 8,000 sq. ft. Plus, there’s a beachside deck for fresh-air breaks that adjoins the flexible Lakeside suites, comprising three meeting rooms. The Cal Neva Resort Spa & Casino in Crystal Bay (the stubby peninsula at the top of the lake) has changed owners several times, but none is more memorable than Frank Sinatra, in 1960. “Lady of the Lake,” as the resort has affectionately been called, is very close to the state border at the top of the lake in Crystal Bay. Use the resort’s 16,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms, including the famous 4,500-square-foot Celebrity Showroom, a hotspot for other big names of the era like Kennedy, Martin and Monroe.

Continuing along the lakefront to Incline Village, the 422-room Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino sits by the shore with 50,000 sq. ft. of event space inside and out. The best feature of the resort? “Hands down, it’s our Lakeside Ballroom,” says Cory Carlson, associate director of sales. The 6,500-square-foot meeting space overlooks the Hyatt’s private beach and 22 miles of sparkling blue water. It’s what sold Sandra Lockwood, the annual conference chair for ACCET (Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training), who coordinated a forum for 200 attendees at the Hyatt last November. She found the lakefront setting to be a world-class attribute. The Hyatt has taken advantage of “this physical wonder and wrapped itself gently into the spirit of the lake,” she says.

ACTIVITIES IN THE NORTH
 The North Shore offers a variety of casinos and retail shops, but the most prominent allure is Mother Nature herself. It’s no wonder that skiers and snowboarders flock to the lake when the powder falls—with several major ski resorts, the question isn’t so much “What is there to do?” but “What can you squeeze into your agenda?”
 You don’t need to be a ski buff to enjoy the powder. Snowshoeing is a gentle alternative where attendees can unwind while plodding beneath the boughs of quiet pines. Try Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, which opened a new Cross Country Ski & Snowshoe Center last year, with almost 20 miles of trails (also ask about their guided tours by moonlight). Lake Tahoe Snowmobile Tours, located north of Kings Beach, specializes in custom tours for corporate groups, with access to 100 miles of trails and views of the entire lake—all 193 square miles of it.

Warmer weather invites meeting-goers to try any number of seasonal activities like kayaking, canoeing, hiking and mountain biking. Golf is a favorite pastime, with more than a dozen courses dotting the area. And at the end of the day, there’s always the spa—many resorts offer a menu of treatments to pamper your attendees, such as Hyatt Stillwater Spa & Salon or the 3,800-square-foot Trilogy Day Spa.

Getting There

• Reno-Tahoe International Airport is about an hour’s drive to South Lake Tahoe, offering 170 flights per day, including several nonstops.
• Sacramento International Airport is two hours away (100 miles), with numerous nonstops. Inquire at South Lake Express Motorcoach Shuttle for transportation to the South Shore from Reno Tahoe Airport.
• North Lake Tahoe is 45 minutes from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The North Lake Tahoe Express provides affordable transportation to the lake.

Not To Be Missed

• Wine tasting at Tahoe Ridge winery, just 20 minutes east of South Lake Tahoe
  in Genoa, Nev.
• The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, which features a series of plays every July through
  August at Sand Harbor State Park, on the lake’s northeast shore.
• The Olympic-sized ice arena, museum, large swimming lagoon and hot tub at High Camp at
  Squaw Valley. “The cable car ride up is part of the adventure,” says North Lake Tahoe VCB’s Jason Neary. “And the views are spectacular.”
• A spring visit during North Lake Tahoe’s Earth Day Festival, which offers events like film screenings, a variety of live musical performances, a fashion show and an eco-parade.
• Getting up close and personal with the Tahoe Basin (check out the Tahoe Rim Trail, which circles the entire lake). For suggested day hikes, see tahoerimtrail.org.