We LOVE Tahoe.  As former residents of the area, and now frequent visitors, we were thrilled to see that a new venue has opened at Northstar.  Tahoe has always been a great destination for special events, such as weddings because of its natural beauty and endless recreational offerings, however, the area often lost to more high-profile mountain towns like Aspen and Vail when clientele were searching for luxury on a larger scale than the boutique hotel.  The Ritz Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe filled a void that had been in existence when they opened last spring.

We toured the property with the excellent Rolly Hepinstall, Senior Catering Sales Manager.  Rolly brings years of experience from The Ritz Carlton, Bachelor Gulch.

The hotel staff opens their doors with the renowned Ritz Carlton trademark service, making you feel at home upon arrival.

Arrival Experience

Once inside, it is apparent that the hotel’s design successfully seeks to bring the outdoors inside, with a recurring theme of wood and water.  The circular Living Room features a 55′ chimney which is a take modern take on a tree.

Stunning lobby at night

And the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows will make you feel like you aren’t missing a beat outdoors, as you sip your tomatillo martini indoors.

Lobby

The Manzanita Restaurant features a private room which can seat upto 25 guests–perfect for a rehearsal dinner.  Or you can extend into the back of the restaurant to hold upto 50 guests.  Chef Traci des Jardins is known to many in for her successful restaurant, Jardiniere, a long time haute-cuisine favorite among San Franciscans, and Mijita, her crowd-pleasing mexican restaurant in the Ferry Building.

Manzanita Restaurant with view to the meadows

Each of the 170 guest rooms features 400 thread count sheets, IPOD docks, and a fireplace, standard.  An executive quite is included as a courtesy to the bride and groom as a part of the mandatory, but reasonable room block.

Most importantly, in addition to the stunning scenery, you will receive service that is second to none: a hand carried three course meal can be synchronized and served within 90 minutes.  A guest will never be eating a salad while another is simultaneously eating dessert.  The catering captain will line up their staff prior to your reception, and tell them anything that they need to know to make your event signifcicant, and personally tailored to you, from guests’ dietary restrictions to the story about how you met your new spouse.  You would like dueling pianos at your reception?  No problem.

For your event, you can choose between the hotel’s two ballrooms: the smaller Pines Ballroom seats upto 120 with stage & dancefloor, or the larger Ritz Carlton Ballroom seats upto 300 guests.  Each space has its own dedicated terrace, cocktail space, and entrance, as well as a scenic outdoor meadow for your wedding ceremony.

And for the downtime, your guests have myriad options: ski in the winter, hike or head to the lake in the summer, or take the gondola down to the Village at Northstar where 35+ shops and restaurants await them.

The hotel’s Spa features 16 treatment rooms, and they welcome you to bring your own stylist to use their space, should you wish.

Of course, while the staff is busy making your wedding or special event dreams comes true, they strongly recommend that you hire an outsider to help you with all of your personal needs, and overall event coordination.  So be sure to give us a ring–we’re your girls!