Implied Hotels, the team behind Tahoe’s Coachman Hotel and Catskills, NY newcomer Callicoon Hills, has revealed the opening of its South Lake Tahoe hotel’s expanded footprint, in which it is doubling its number of rooms and adding new event spaces. In the five years since the Coachman opened, it has provided an affordable, design-minded approach to the traditional mountain hotel and has established itself as a cornerstone of South Lake Tahoe. Now open, the additional space enables the Coachman to host twice as many guests in the completely renovated building located at 4107 Pine Blvd., across the street from the existing property. The renovation also provides a brand new event space for families, travelers, business retreats, corporate events, intimate gatherings and hotel buyouts alike.
“We loved the tradition of the motor lodge, particularly in South Lake Tahoe where there was a real explosion in their development due in part to the Squaw Valley Olympics in 1960,” said Ruben Caldwell, partner, Post Company. “The typology is so ubiquitous that it demands a reimagining while retaining the communal nature of this type of living and vacationing. Our main point of departure for the design process for the Coachman Hotel renovation was to be respectful of the history of the place while also trying to contribute new elements of design that could enhance the experience.”
This expansion doubles the Coachman Hotel’s guestroom offerings by adding 40 rooms—the majority kings and deluxe kings (featuring balconies), with the remaining rooms being deluxe queens (double queens with balconies), double queens and one-bedroom suites. The added guestrooms and suites enable the Coachman to host twice the number of guests, and in addition to the original property’s amenities, the expansion includes a gym, featuring Peloton bikes.
“We wanted to make sure that the entire Coachman property spoke to the prevalence of both outdoor activities and the associated gathering of friends old and new,” Caldwell said. “Every room is composed of hard-working materials, thoughtfully arranged to cater to both wet ski gear and a great night’s sleep. The public spaces are all organized to promote unique ways of gathering and interacting with staff and fellow guests. Every aspect of the Coachman is intended to promote a spirit of hospitality and welcome, from the unique check-in experience to the communal breakfast space.”
The Coachman Hotel has also formed a partnership with Reno bakery Perenn to open Perenn at the Coachman, which will include an on-site bakery open to both guests and locals. The existing Coachman kitchen space will be renovated into a full-scale, permanent bakery that will feature a takeout window, online ordering and local pick-up of Perenn’s most popular menu items such as their croissants, kouign amanns, a variety of tartines and sandwiches and other baked goods. Perenn at the Coachman will be open for breakfasts, grab and go, espresso drinks and more (in addition to the complimentary morning Stumptown Coffee for guests).
“Ski culture and lake culture are obviously important aspects of the design of the Coachman Hotel. We wanted to make sure that the transition from activity to leisure was seamless and effortless. Every design decision was centered around the question of how the space would actually be used and inhabited,” Caldwell said.
Along with the increased lodging, the renovation includes a 1,000-sq.-ft. main event room, with two sets of double doors leading onto a 1,000-sq.-ft. event lawn. The event space includes a drop-down projector over the double doors and TVs on the wall adjacent, with an attached foyer for setting up a bar or for catering. Adding to the existing flexible meeting spaces, functional common areas, coworking loft and suite meeting room, this new event room allows the team to meet the demand for corporate retreats and satisfy the needs of their guests and clients.
“We seek to preserve history that is unique. Interesting layouts, unique materiality and compelling ways of gathering are all exciting to us,” Caldwell said.
The Coachman Hotel will remain dedicated to creating a comfortable, sustainable escape while supporting American artisans and locally-made goods. The design details that travelers have come to expect, chosen by former Studio Tack designers, will be carried through the expanded Coachman space, including the thoughtful and elegant design of both the rooms and the common areas.
“This was a real labor of love and a fantastic collaboration between the Coachman Hotel team and Sierra Sustainable (the contractor),” Caldwell said. “Almost all of the millwork was constructed on-site through an iterative process using the available talents of folks. Every step of the way involved deliberation, discussion and trial and error. The Coachman in South Lake Tahoe is definitely not an assemblage of products but rather the result of many passionate people contributing to the project for years.”
