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Resort will reopen Feb. 11 as Ravella
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JERRY HENKEL/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
This is a view of the former Ritz-Carlton in the MonteLago Village, which will reopen as Ravella next month. Tenants in the village are hoping for a jump in midweek business. » Buy this photo
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Joseph Serrano, general manager of the Auld Dubliner Irish Pub and Restaurant, says midweek business is down at MonteLago Village. JERRY HENKEL/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL » Buy this photo
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Jan. 6, 2011 | 11:07 a.m.
The former Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas will reopen on Feb. 11 as Ravella.
Dolce Hotels and Resorts, which took over the 349-room nongaming property following its closure last May, took the name from the Southern Italian coastal town of Ravello.
Joseph Serrano, general manager of the Auld Dubliner Irish Pub and Restaurant in Lake Las Vegas' MonteLago Village, didn't really care what name was attached to the hotel.
The reopening means increased midweek business for his restaurant and the 35 shops and eateries at the outdoor retail area at the center of the 3,600-acre community that disappeared when Ritz-Carlton pulled out.
"The fact that the hotel brings back business Monday through Thursday is really a huge driver for all the operators in the village," Serrano said. "We're all really encouraged about what the hotel's reopening will mean to our business."
Dolce is developing a system to give Ravella hotel guests preferred reservations at MonteLago Village's restaurants and let them charge their meals to their rooms. The system will give Ravella, which will open with just a small cafe, the ability to offer guests dining options at one of six restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
"This allows us to do something for the community," said Steve Bello, Ravella's acting general manager. "If we're able to increase foot traffic through the village, then everybody wins. Our goal is to have a seamless interaction with the village. If we can promote the destination, then everything falls into place."
Serrano said the system means Auld Dubliner and the village's other restaurants will become an extension of Ravella.
"We'll engage with their customers and offer a true resort feel to the village," Serrano said. "Dolce is sending me business, and I can't ask for anything better."
Ravella has begun accepting reservations for its opening weekend. Dolce, an international boutique lodging operator with 27 properties in North America and Europe, leased the former Ritz-Carlton site in September from Village Hospitality LLC. Ravella is hiring 125 workers for the reopening.
Dolce is remodeling Ravella's lobby, which is being viewed as an interactive gathering area for hotel guests, with a cafe, a light snack area and a technology center.
The majority of Dolce's business focuses on corporate customers, meaning Ravella's 39,000 square feet of meeting space will be a focal point of the property.
That's good news to Sue O'Leary, who has owned and operated the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at MonteLago Village for seven years.
For two years Lake Las Vegas has been besieged with bad news. The development filed for bankruptcy in July 2008. Two of the development's three championship 18-hole golf courses have closed and the Casino MonteLago, the community's only gaming establishment, shut down in March.
"If anything, we (the MonteLago Village tenants) have gotten closer and work hard to make this place succeed," O'Leary said.
She credited the center's management with creating a special-events schedule that boosted business on the weekends.
In the meantime, MonteLago Village shop owners have drawn business from the community's 1,700 residences, locals visiting Lake Las Vegas, and guests from the 493-room Loews Lake Las Vegas and condominiums at the Aston MonteLago Village Resort.
Ravella's unveiling is viewed as a new step forward.
"It's a positive in what has been a down year, but it's been a down year everywhere," said Don Saunders, who operates three shops in MonteLago Village, including the Turquoise Door jewelry store. "We're optimistic because Dolce seems interested in working with us and we're interested in working with them."
Bello said Ravella would also have in place a program to give Las Vegas residents a discount on hotel rooms. He said the idea would keep locals from heading to Arizona or Southern California for weekend getaway at a desert-lake resort.
"They would only have to drive 25 minutes," Bello said. "There are a lot of people in the hotel industry on the Strip that are looking for this type of opportunity."
If the ideas bring more customers to Lake Las Vegas and the Auld Dubliner, then Serrano is all in favor.
"The locals have kept us afloat in the tough times," Serrano said. "I'm encouraged they are thinking about them."
Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871.
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The lack of players came from a poorly run casino with un-friendly dealers and no incentive to go there. I have first hand knowledge who the possible operators will be and the casino will be better run and attract more players.
The casino montelago had hired some new management shortly before they decided to close. They were beginning to do a great job and in Jan/Feb 2010 on the weekends, the casino was humming. A fact many do not know is that Ciri gaming, the prior tenant/operator of the Casino Montelago no longer had a lease effective 9/8/2010 as it expired on that date. So, they had to vacate the property whether they wanted to or not. When they learned that the Ritz was leaving, they just decided to leave early. What's the point if your lease was up in a few months anyway. Ciri gaming also did millions of damage to the building's wiring and kitchen when the left. This all has to be repaired before the new operator opens.
However, is article is about Dolce Ravella! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! I'll be at the grand opening on 2/11 celebrating and having drinks next to the fire pit!
It wasn't the casino operator that forced the casino to close. It was the lack of players. I walked through the casino almost 2 years ago and all I saw were dealers twidling their thumbs and staring into open space.
Dolce is a totally new ball game for Lake Las Vegas. Dolce's customer base and focus is on relaxation and a retreat. Dolce will also bring their own captive audience to their hotel, which is not in competition with the strip. Dolce is in the business of hosting weddings/confernces all over the world. Being outside the city hubs is their niche. They are very successful in what they do and will be successful in Lake Las Vegas too!
The casino will be re-opened by April/May with a way better casino operator than the prior one, which will also add additional foot traffic too.
The article is correct, the weekends have been fanstastic at Lake Las Vegas with all of the shows and events. There were RECORD crowds with at least 5,000 people attending some of these events. People are still going there. The week days are what have been slow and the hotel will now fill that gap.
With the LLV Bankruptcy over and the Golf course water rights issue nearly resolved, Lake Las Vegas village and housing development is poised to move forward and do well. Much of the hurdles and tangles created by the former owners have been removed.
Welcome to Lake Las Vegas Dolce Ravella!
I really like this. I think it is a great option to going to Palm Springs or Scottsdale, or even San Diego. Sometimes I don't want to make that drive, or spend that much money. They need to cater to locals and pull them in with affordable spa and golf packages. Ritz prices were really high and my thought was for those prices I may as well go to San Diego. I stayed on the bay at Loews in Coronado for less than what they were charging for a weekend at Ritz. Lake Las Vegas isn't San Diego, and its not Palm Springs or Scottsdale. It's a lake in the middle of nowhere and it needs to be priced accordingly for guests because if the price is comparable to one of those places, then I'm going to one of those other places. If they do it right, this place could do well and stimulate some activity out there...
Ravello? The population of the real Ravello is about 2500. That's about 2000 more people than Lake Las Vegas will ever see in a day. Lake Las Vegas is a GHOST TOWN. No hope for recovery.
now they need to reopen the Casino and the golf courses. Reflection Bay should be priced more competitively to get local traffic.
Don't quite understand how this is any different than the ritz operating at lake las Vegas. It's not the name of the hotel that matters, it's getting people out there, and right now no one goes out there. As nice as it may be, that's what palm springs is for.