FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,720
Ritz does not upgrade MR elites to club level. Period. (well never say never but read the other posts in this forum and you'll get the picture. very rare.) Best deals for peak winter (outside specialty agencies) are just the lowest rates, the package deals with lift tix are not great, and remember you pay high taxes the higher the room rate.
Ritz v. Squaw Creek
Ritz is ski in/ski out at Northstar, a great family resort and probably the best manmade snow today in a rather horrible ski season (no real snow). Great for beginners and intermediate skiers, not so challenging for experts. There are plenty of dining options in the village (free shuttle to ritz) or if you have a car not too far to Truckee.
Squaw Creek is ski in/ski out at Squaw. If you are a very good skier then you would probably like Squaw better (I do) as the terrain is more challenging but right now there is no snow so maybe not a good choice this year unless snow starts falling. Great ski school for little kids (a little cheaper than northstar). Squaw village also has a lot of dining options (free shuttle from SC) and if you have a car there are plenty of options in Truckee or Tahoe City.
Overall I'd say it is a tough choice, I'd probably go with the cheaper one if the price difference is significant. Ritz is maybe a little more deluxe, but SC standard rooms are bigger. Note if you have a car you can easily drive from your hotel to the other resort to ski for the day, I think 20-30m, and then make your own comparison.
As for me personally, we usually stay at the Hyatt Incline because we get a cheap casino rate there, but it's a bit of a haul to the slopes. I have a northstar pass but if the chain properties (i.e. where I can earn/use points) were closer to Squaw I'd probably have a Squaw pass instead.
One final note: if weather is stormy or windy, Squaw often closes some of the best slopes due to "high winds". Northstar is much better when snow is falling. However road up to Ritz is treacherous when icy, my SUV slid into a snow bank (fortunately car and driver emerged unscathed). Road to Squaw is pretty flat.