This has been a big year for the casinos and resorts of the Reno and Lake Tahoe area. In a destination the size of Reno/Lake Tahoe, two new hotels -- plus a third reopening -- amounts to a building boom. And that doesn't even account for a half dozen more properties that are undergoing renovations.
In Reno, the big news is the opening this May of the Whitney Peak Hotel, located near the Reno Arch, welcoming visitors to the heart of the city's downtown. A non-gaming, smoke-free, luxury boutique hotel, the Whitney Peak represents something different in Reno. The theme of the property is "Bringing the Outside In," and that begins with the hotel's exterior wall, which holds a 164-foot climbing wall -- the world's tallest. There is also a 7,000-square-foot indoor bouldering park and separate kids climbing area inside. This is part of BaseCamp, a climbing facility that offers serious training facilities, as well as plenty of team-building options. The Silver Legacy Resort Casino recently unveiled a $6-million renovation, upgrading the carpeting in the ballrooms and adding several new restaurants, including a branch of Hussong's.
In South Lake Tahoe, a new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe will open this winter at the site of the former Horizon Casino Resort. The $60-million renovation will reveal a property with 539 rooms, a 25,000-square-foot casino, several event venues (details about meeting facilities are not yet available), and four restaurants by Executive Chef Jonathan Snyder.
And in North Lake Tahoe on the California side, the shuttered Cal Neva Resort and Casino, once owned by Frank Sinatra, is under new ownership that plans to reopen the property next year following a substantial renovation. So far, plans call for upgrades to the resort's existing framework, including 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
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This article appears in the October 2014 issue of Successful Meetings.