On Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas

Visiting The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas last February, I was struck by the lovely juxtaposition of the Mediterranean-style architecture — clay tile roofs, arched doorways, and a three-arch bridge over the water that resembles the Ponte Vecchio in Florence — with the red-rock, high-desert surroundings. The hotel, opened in February 2003, is part of MonteLago Village, a picturesque lakefront retail complex. You'd never guess that one of the charming pastel buildings houses a 40,000-square