HISTORY
PHILOSOPHY
TESTIMONIALS

History

Our first facility, Ritz Charles in Carmel, Indiana, opened June 1, 1985. The facility is named after the founder and president --- Charles Lazzara. Ritz Charles is still 100% family owned. Unlike large corporations or hotels that host events or offer catering as sidelines or profit centers for their primary business, we focus exclusively on hosting special events and conferences and catering. That’s why we offer truly personalized service.

Ritz Charles in Overland Park, outside Kansas City, Kansas, opened in April 2000. A former employee, Melody Brandon, was working for a hotel in Kansas City. She advised Charles that there was a tremendous need for a unique facility like Ritz Charles in the area. Now Melody serves as the Vice President and Director of Sales there. Bill Frey, Ritz Charles Senior Vice President who managed the Carmel facility for 17 years, manages Ritz Charles in Overland Park. His dedication and experience ensure that clients there receive the same exacting service clients in Carmel enjoy.

In our Carmel and Overland Park facilities, we’ve hosted more than 4,000 wedding receptions. That’s appropriate, since weddings were the impetus and inspiration for Ritz Charles. In his late teens and early twenties, Charles was in 28 weddings all over the Midwest. When he and his wife married in 1979, they couldn’t find the type of facility they wanted for their reception and had to compromise. That planted the seed that grew into Ritz Charles in Carmel. Now there’s no need to compromise when you’re planning an event.