February 12, 2003 - Day by day, Ron Boeddeker's 16-year vision of his 2,300-acre Lake Las Vegas Resort gets a little clearer. 

The opening of the upscale 349-room Ritz-Carlton here Tuesday adds another piece of critical mass to the development by Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Transcontinental Properties Inc. 

"It's been 16 years from the time we started and when you undertake something like this, it's hard for anyone to believe it'll ever be built out to its fulfillment," Boeddeker, chairman of Transcontinental, said Tuesday after sending off Ritz executives who'd come from around the world for the opening. 

"For so many years, when you're explaining this to Wall Street analysts, they're sitting there listening but their eyes are glazed over because they can't even conceive it." 

The Ritz, which has built its reputation on impeccable service, complements the sophistication and elegance displayed at the resort east of Henderson, with its lush, championship golf courses, Hyatt Regency and million-dollar custom homes on 10 miles of man-made lake shoreline. 

The $170 million hotel, built by Perini Building Co., is seen as the centerpiece for the $500 million Mediterranean-themed MonteLago Village, a joint development of Intrawest Corp. and Cook Inlet Region Inc. 

The 50-acre village, still under construction, will have a 40,000-square-foot casino, boutique retail shops, restaurants, office space and luxury condominiums starting in the $300,000s. 

"Every part of this hotel is beautiful," Boeddeker said. "Our vision is many people coming together to create a palate for what we want to do here. The Ritz-Carlton is adding to that in a way that's beyond the vision." 

Brandee Dallow of New York was the first to check into the hotel at 6 a.m., her first stay at a Ritz. She's there on business, setting up for the Diamond Information Center exhibit that starts Friday, the hotel's grand opening date. 

"No doubt, it's going to be fabulous," Dallow said. "This place is about the service, these people. They're all about you and your needs. All of these people have something innate that makes them lovely people." 

The staff of about 400 workers went through a nine-day "countdown" for the opening, a technical training session supervised by 70 trainers from other Ritz-Carlton hotels. 

Servers learned how to set a Ritz-Carlton table, including using a string to line up glasses and dishes. 

"It was like boot camp," Lani Running, hired from among 3,000 Las Vegan job applicants, said as she made Kona coffee for guests through a French press.  "I'm very impressed with the Ritz-Carlton training." 

Every hotel employee carries the Ritz-Carlton credo with them at all times, a reminder of the company's focus on quality service. With no pockets, Running kept hers in her shoe. 

Scott Evans, director of sales and marketing at Ritz-Carlton, said the hotel had about 70 reservations for the first night, but with a car company group coming in and Valentine's Day on Friday, it would be filled for the weekend. 

Room rates, which include use of the spa and fitness center, are about $250 a night, slightly more for rooms on the Pontevecchio bridge and going up to $5,000 for two 2,400-square-foot presidential suites. Rates are discounted to $169 during the week and $189 on weekends for local residents. 

Valentine's Day is historically the busiest day for Ritz-Carlton, Evans said. The hotel offers a $95,000 Valentine's Day package that includes three nights in the presidential suite with a private butler and chef, unlimited golf and spa privileges, limousine service and two Bulgari watches. The kicker is you drive home in your new Mercedes-Benz. 

Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas is the chain's first hotel in Nevada. 

"I've been in some nice places and I have never seen the kind of reaction from people when they come here," said Evans, a 9-year Ritz-Carlton employee.  "Part of it is the shock. You can't believe you're in Las Vegas. And part of it is the beauty."

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(c) 2003, Las Vegas Review-Journal. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News