Mark Twain described Lake Tahoe as “a noble sheet of blue water lifted 6,300 feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snow-clad mountain peaks that towered aloft full 3,000 feet higher still! It was a vast oval...with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords.”
Lake Tahoe has the unique beauty, location, natural purity and amenities to appeal to 19th-, 20th- and now 21st-century travelers. In addition to Twain, Tahoe has been the go-to getaway for celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, the original Hollywood Rat Pack, Marilyn Monroe and former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Keeping to the celebrity theme, visitors can see more A-list entertainers such as Phish, the Dave Matthews Band, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Sting and James Taylor at the Lake Tahoe Summer Concert Series at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys.
For groups there is the possibility of connecting with the series by hiring one of the arena’s 10 full-service, 30-person skyboxes. The boxes are divided by airwalls so they can be combined to fit larger group numbers. And when the music isn’t on stage, these boxes present an out-of-the-box meeting and small event venue. Groups can also use the 7,200-seat arena for a private concert, a sales presentation or to treat top performers as the stars they are with an on-stage awards ceremony.
Since the arena is owned by Caesars Entertainment, events there can go on the master account of the 512-room Harrah’s or 742-room Harveys, which are gaming resorts and conference centers dating to Hollywood’s golden era. While they date to that time, they’re not dated properties. According to Nicholas Breaux, Northern Nevada regional vice president of marketing for Caesars Entertainment, Harveys just completed a US$5 million refurbishment of its lakeside balcony suites. This follows a $12 million refurbishment of Harrah’s.
The two properties, which are connected by an underground walkway, have a total of 53,000 square feet of refurbished meeting space. Both resorts have rooftop steakhouses.
“The one at Harveys is called 19 Kitchen Bar. It’s on the 19th floor and has the best view to the lake. And at Harrah’s, it’s Friday’s Station Steak & Seafood Grill. Friday’s because the pony express going between Reno and San Francisco used to stop with mail on Friday,” Breaux says. “Both have incredible views of the sunset. They say no two sunsets are alike so every time you’re up there it’s a completely different experience. Tahoe is so beautiful that pictures of it look incredibly doctored, but that’s what it is. The sky is genuinely gorgeous. Every sunset is magnificent.”
Breaux adds that in early 2019 they will open several new, yet-to-be-announced restaurant concepts that will bring “new names to Tahoe that are familiar in the world of chefs.”
For those with a love for history, Harrah’s South Shore Room celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2019. Sammy Davis Jr., Don Rickles and Frank Sinatra have all had residencies in the Shore Room. Breaux says it holds 700 for theater seating and can be quickly flipped for a dinner, reception or party.
“There’s lights and sound—it’s all there. So you don’t have to rent that stuff,” he says. “You can do a pop-up entertainment venue.”
Breaux says Tahoe is also a budget-friendly destination. While July 4th to Labor Day is high season, October-November and April-June represent the greatest price flexibility. The South Tahoe location of the Caesars properties means that lake, golf, outdoor adventure and access to the gondola for the Vail-owned Heavenly Ski Resort are all within walking distance.
The 53-mile distance between Reno-Tahoe International Airport and South Lake Tahoe means planners can skip coach hires and let delegates take the multiple shuttle services that operate between the airport and resorts.
An interesting offsite option, which Caesars has used for its own corporate events, is the Heavenly gondola. It has a viewing platform at the 7,500-foot level, where Caesars has hosted receptions with a string quartet. On top of the mountain, there are terraces and rooms for events for groups of 80 to 250. Heavenly can also provide a variety of team-building and fun activities such as tubing, coasting, ropes course and ziplines, as well as downhill winter activities.
On the lake, charter options range from small craft for groups of 10 to 40 to the 82-foot-long yacht Tahoe Paradise, which can host groups of up to 90. Its sister ship is the M.S. Dixie II paddle steamer, which can accommodate 300 for dinner and 500 for a cruise/reception.
Among Tahoe’s other meeting options is the year-old, $100 million, 154-room Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe. This Alpine-styled lodge, which Travel + Leisuree readers voted the No. 1 new resort in North America, has 4,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, plus decks and lawns in their clubhouse and another 6,300 square feet in the main lodge building. The resort also has a lakeside golf course.
For edgier groups, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe has 14,300 square feet of newly refurbished meeting space. Vinyl is a 2,000-square-foot room with a stage and dressing rooms. There is a 5,850-square-foot, dividable ballroom and a larger, dividable 6,500-square-foot room. The Hard Rock can host banquets for 400 and receptions and theater-style gatherings for 500.
One of Lake Tahoe’s enduring legacies is a history of catering to holiday experiences and business events. It has all the supporting infrastructure in a compact, convenient location.
