A Little Piece of…Average: L’Auberge du Lac
By Spadebeats
I wouldn’t consider myself a “world traveler,” but I would definitely say I’ve made a few trips in my day. Just to give you an idea, starting at age 10 my family would make annual trips to the west, usually California, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, staying in various hotels. In the last few years, I’ve been to Mexico (Cabo, Cozumel, Cancun), the Northeast, and of course Vegas (numerous times). So, while I haven’t traveled the world, I’ve definitely shared my time with a hotel comforter.
That being said, here’s my review of L’Auberge du Lac in Lake Charles, Louisiana:
If you are looking for a beautiful hotel within a couple hours of Texas, L’Auberge is the place. That being said, if you’re looking for a customer oriented, dream vacation, go somewhere else. Given that I’m a teacher, I’ll assign each aspect a grade. Here’s LdL’s report card:
Aesthetics (A) –
Exterior – Driving up to the resort was like driving up to one of the major hotels on the Las Vegas strip. As you approach the front of the resort, you pass the Fazio designed golf course and drive through a shady area of sky-scraping trees that makes the hotel that much more inviting. The exterior of the hotel was eye-catching with a vaulted valet area and several lanes to have the hotel staff assist you. The exterior of the resort was a welcomed site compared to the rather run down area just across the causeway where the hotel sits.
Interior – Walking through the front door was another page from the Las Vegas playbook. The exposed beams of the hotel and huge, double-sided fireplaces gave the foyer a rustic, lodge-like feel that was warm and inviting. The fixtures in the area were well chosen, so much so that they just blended in to add to the atmosphere. The halls were nicely decorated and absent of the nauseating carpet that you typically find in a large hotel. Even the door to the room was perfectly chosen.
Room (A-) –
Our room was very nice, although warm (our A/C went out when a transformer in the hotel blew and never returned to cooling mode, taking the grade from A to A-). The bed in the room was comfortable. It even lacked the ever-present, and often dreaded “hotel comforter.” In its place was a very comfy cotton blanket that certainly did the job. The 36” flat screen television was a huge plus as we watched the Texas Longhorns win the first game in the finals of the College World Series, and there’s actually a chair big enough for a 300-pound man to sleep in. The restroom could have doubled as a second room, and definitely was comfortable for three people to share for three days. The art in the room was not your typical hotel painting and became even better with the nifty lamps that hung above them. Perhaps my favorite part of the room was the very clever door tags. I should have stolen all of them, but didn’t want to be charged an extra $25. My favorite, “If this is a hangin’, don’t come a bangin. I’m doing a little bangin of my own.”
Customer Service (D) –
Customer service would be an F had I not had a few very pleasant staff members assist me at various times; more on them in a moment and in the Casino section. Where do I begin?…
First off, I called the concierge to ask about getting directions to Harrah’s for the poker room and was told “This is not Harrah’s” and to use the phone book in my room to look it up. Oh, and it wasn’t the concierge, because they NEVER answered the phone. I was also told by the hotel operator (because the concierge wouldn’t answer, again) she would call me back momentarily when I asked for cab rates; I’m still waiting for that call. I got past that and started to gamble where I was snubbed yet again, this time by a pit boss. After sitting at a $5 minimum table for about 3 hours I needed to use the facility. While I was gone the table rates went up. No big deal, it’s happened dozens of times. In Vegas the usual practice is to have the players already seated be grandfathered in, at least that’s what I’ve always experienced. When I asked that of the pit boss, John, he responded quite rudely that I could bet at least $15 or I could find another casino, the latter of which I did. I would like to add, had he not been such an ass about it, I would have gladly bet $15. Hell, most of my bets were $15 - $25 anyway. The next day, Bobo was harassed by a casino security guard and was not offered an apology for anything that had happened up to that point (see Bobo’s review). On the final day, I was shuffled from counter to counter to collect my meal comps, but the only person that could help me had a phone stuck to her ear. After standing in the casino host line for 15 minutes with only two people in front of me, I quit and just paid for my own breakfast.
I mentioned some good run-ins that altered the grade. I had some very pleasant experiences with a handful of the hotel’s staff, the problem is the bad experiences were the ones I remember the most. The first night, a very helpful woman tried for 15 minutes to find me a fishing guide. When she was unable to, she apologized and asked the bell desk if anyone knew of a good guide. One of the bellmen said he had a friend with a boat and they would take the entire party out for $100. I took his number, but we were way too hung over the next morning to go anyway. Both of them were very helpful. Our bellman on the first day was a cool kid, just working a summer job for some funds. He gave us all the inside info on hotspots and when to do what. That kid gets an A+. The woman that checked me out was also very nice. She took a charge off the room I disagreed with and was a genuine person. Thank you.
Casino (B) –
Our trip was very up and down. The one constant, except for John the pit boss, was the staff of the casino itself. The casino was very crowded at peak hours and almost impossible to find a seat. They only had a couple of $10 blackjack tables (my preference) at peak, while most were $15. I guess they knew what they were doing though, I couldn’t find a seat anywhere for a long time. Slots were tight, but that was expected. Craps and roulette were good, but again, $15 tables at peak made them less attractive. $10 would have been better for roulette, but who am I?
The casino was adequate, but it was the staff that really did it. The Dealers get an A+. They were all very fun. I’ve discovered in Vegas you’ll find some that won’t talk to you, or if you ask for a pointer they’ll say it’s up to you. That did not happen at L’Auberge. Perhaps the most fun I had was the bender I went on the last night that landed me at a blackjack table. Stacy, a sassy little dealer, was AWESOME! I’m very playful and she jumped right in like we’d been friends since the third grade. She’d razz me and I’d get her back. The entire table thought we were friends. Perhaps even more fun than Stacy was the pit boss at the time, Deborah. When she walked up I was being very obnoxious. I had been drinking with Bobo and the bachelor for several hours and was still quite drunk. After a couple of minutes of me yelling at her, she finally broke the stone-cold bitch attitude and smiled (it did take me about twenty minutes to break her). From that point on, it was great. I’d yell something to/about her from a couple of tables away and she’d ask “When are you leaving?” I’d respond with “When I have all the casino’s money.” She responded once with “If I give it to you, will you leave?” When I left, I told Stacy and Deborah they’d both improved my view of the place and I would definitely give it another shot. Deborah asked when, so of course I asked “Why? You want to make sure your working when I come in?” Her response, “No, I want to make sure I take that week off.” They were very, very fun.
Casino Bars (A-) –
My bartender of choice the first night in the casino was incredible (she reminded me of my wife which made me want to hang at her bar). She made me her specialty drinks for hours and didn’t complain when my buddy spilled one all over a video poker machine. When she left, the guy that took her place didn’t miss a beat.
Overall, all the bars in the casino were good. They could use a couple more, but they just don’t have the space. They all had good drinks and friendly bartenders. I definitely recommend going by there to hang out on a weekend night. There were tons of people in there just to hang at the bars and meet people.
Restaurants (B+) –
If you make the trip, you must eat at the Jack Daniel’s restaurant. The food was good, but the staff were a bunch of beautiful people. They totally made up for the average food. The atmosphere was awesome, a real party vibe. I would go back just to party in the restaurant after hours. Wait staff was great, my glass was always full.
The café had great food, but the service was a little slow. They were very cordial, but it took way too long to get our food. I had a western omelet that was damn tasty, and I stole a bite of Bobo’s chicken fried steak and went nuts. Definitely rivals the best CFS I’ve ever had. You must order it.
I didn’t get a chance to try the buffet, but most in our group of eight said it was bearable. I won’t comment any on that having not eaten there myself.
Overall (C+) –
I just can’t get over the crappy customer service. The hotel itself was great, but those staff members that weren’t into making sure I had a great stay brought down my overall impression. Maybe I was unlucky and got the only rude people in the place to help me, but I doubt it. You just can’t have a $139 a night hotel in Louisiana that doesn’t cater to its customers.
I WILL go back after a few months and see if things have changed. After all, I promised Stacy and Deborah I’d give it another chance. I would hate to go back on my word.
