Meeting News - May 19, 2008 - (Page 23)

Destination Insider: Reno-Lake Tahoe MeetingNews Q&A: More for Meetings in North Lake Tahoe We caught up with Jason Neary, director of sales, North Lake Tahoe Visitors & Convention Bureau, to talk about an evolution under way on the famous lake’s northern shore. Tahoe has definitely become more sophisticated in recent years in its efforts to attract meetings. This is quite apparent in all of the recent renovations and developments, which have included significant investment in meeting space and meetings technology. It is also reflected in our local vendors’ flexibility in working with groups. Most local restaurants, attractions, and tours welcome the opportunity to host events ranging from 10 to 1,000 people. Q A How has the personality of the North Shore evolved? The Ritz-Carlton Highlands is on schedule to open in fall 2009; the historic CalNeva resort has an $80-million restoration project in the works; and both the Village at Squaw Valley and the Village at Northstar continue to expand. In addition, the historic Crystal Bay casino core is undergoing a significant transformation, with plans for construction to begin next year on a $250-million, 200room boutique hotel/casino surrounded by a pedestrian village of shops and restaurants. Q A What new developments are of particular interest to meeting planners? The renovations recently completed at the Hyatt Regency and Resort at Squaw Creek mean that both facilities are now comparable to the finest resorts you will find anywhere in the country. With all this, planners have a plethora of possibilities. Another key development was the recent launch of the North Lake Tahoe Express, a convenient and affordable public shuttle to and fro the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. All of the new projects have adhered to the most stringent building codes, which have allowed for growth while also protecting, sustaining, and advancing the beautiful natural environment that people expect when they come to Lake Tahoe. Q A How is all this development affecting the pristine Lake Tahoe setting? Reno-Sparks Convention Center Completes Improvements to Virginia St. Accessibility The Reno-Sparks Convention Center finished a $2.37-million construction project in March that created a new plaza on the western side of the building. The six-month project created approximately two-thirds of an acre in front of the convention center’s Concourse C facing Virginia Street for a new limousine staging and parking area. The project also added lighting, improved disabled ramp access, and enhanced the Virginia Street entrance with landscaping. The expansion is part of a master plan to transform the 35-acre site surrounding the convention center into one contiguous “super block.” The next component of the plan is a skybridge, opening in November, that will link the northern end of the facility to Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. Reno-Tahoe International Airport Initiates Work to Make Ticketing, Screening Easier Construction got under way in March at the RenoTahoe International Airport on a 22-month project intended to upgrade the ticket lobby experience for travelers. New security screening and baggage check-in systems will be part of the entirely new ticket lobby, which is scheduled to be completed in late 2009. Plans are also under way for a new air traffic control tower, which is expected to open by late 2010 on the eastern side of the airport, near the former Brookside Municipal Golf Course. A $15-million, 127-room, all-suite Hyatt Place hotel is scheduled to open next year directly adjacent to the airport. full-service spa, and a number of restaurants and shops. The new facility is adjacent to Harveys, Harrah’s, Mont Bleu, Horizon, and Embassy Suites. Atlantis Expansion Nears the Finish Line On Meeting Space, Room, Spa Renovation The 960-room Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno is scheduled to complete a $50-million renovation and expansion in July that will add meeting and casino space, open a full-service spa, and redecorate all guest rooms and suites in its Concierge and Luxury Tower. The expansion will bring the total amount of meeting and exhibition space at the property up to 47,000 sf. Included in that total are a new 14,000-sf Royal Ballroom, eight new meeting rooms, and a high-tech executive boardroom. The Grand Ballroom has also been remodeled. The 20,000-sf casino expansion includes a new race and sports book and an enlarged poker room. Come November, the Atlantis will also have a pedestrian skybridge connecting the property to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. Delay for South Tahoe Convention Center, As Targeted Opening is Now Late 2010 After a winter break, work resumes this month on the new South Tahoe Convention Center, the centerpiece of the $420-million Chateau at Heavenly Village development. Although there is no concrete opening date, the original late-2009 debut has been pushed back about a year. The dedicated convention center will have 50,000 sf of meeting/exhibit space, a 21,000-sf prefunction area, and a variety of outdoor group venues in a 1.5acre park. A multi-purpose facility, it will be able to handle groups of up to 1,600 for a meeting or banquet and 4,000 for a special event or concert. The complex will also include two luxury condominium hotels with 477 rooms managed by RockResorts, a Reno-Sparks Convention Center lobby Village at Squaw Valley’s ‘Mountain Stream’ Refreshes the Meeting Options for Planners The Village at Squaw Valley, in Olympic Valley on Tahoe’s North Shore, opened its new 2,000-sf Mountain Stream Room in April. The facility has floor-to-ceiling windows that look up the mountain to Red Dog Ridge and is wired for Internet, continued on page 24 May 19, 2008 MeetingNews 23 www.meetingnews.com Photo: Reno-Tahoe http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - May 19th, 2008

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