Tahoe dreaming, Ritz Carlton Style

Imagine staying in the luxury of a Ritz-Carlton Resort, high in the mountains above Lake Tahoe where you can walk out of the lodge for hiking in the summer and step right on to a ski lift in the winter! This is more than a dream, it is a reality in motion, and I was able to get a sneak peak recently when the staff from The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe, hosted a "preview the property" party in San Francisco.

This is an aerial view of the RC Highlands, Tahoe; the opening will be in December, 2009.

Rolly Hepinstall, the Senior Catering Sales Manager, invited several wedding planners, and corporate leaders, from through out the San Francisco area, to meet the leadership team from the Ritz Carlton, Highlands, Lake Tahoe, over cocktails at the restaurant, Jardiniere. I had heard wonderful things about this well known French restaurant, and was excited to see the location, while learning about an exciting new property at Lake Tahoe.


I attended with Jubilee Lau and Janece Shelloe; always thinking about sites for rehearsal dinners, we quickly asked for a tour of the upstairs part of the Jardiniere where the private dinners can be hosted.


Traci Des Jardins, a chef/partner at Jardiniere will be partnering to open a signature restaurant at the new Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe property, so having the "launch" party at her SF location was perfect. If the food is anything like what we were served that night, guests won't want to eat anywhere else during their stay...yum!

The upstairs at Jardiniere, which can be used for private dinners, has an elegant yet chic feel...lots of warm light, interesting architecture, and an atmosphere that makes you want to linger over some great wine with someone special!


After our tour, Jubilee, Janece and I spent time getting to know Rolly, the catering manager, as well as Kathryn Kalabokes, a SF based wedding planner and her co-worker, Lisa.

Back: Rolly, Lisa and Kathryn; Front: Janece, Jubilee and me

Jubilee and I had fun imagining a mid-summer train trip to Tahoe, for a few days of R and R, as well as a hard-hat tour of the new Ritz-Carlton property...after all, we need to see the "before and after" perspective, don't we? Stay tuned for details.


One last shot before we left Jardiniere; we were all heading for the Knot party, at the SF Design Center, so we could introduce Rolly and his staff to more of the SF wedding community...this was only his second visit to our city, after moving out from Colorado, so he was eager to see everything! Rolly will be living in Tahoe, but for now, he is back and forth a lot, spreading the word about his Tahoe dream-come-true location!