"'Do not expect an upscale atmosphere. If you want gambling, it will do the trick. Looking for the 'spa' type atmosphere? Go elsewhere. The staff doesn't know how to handle casino resort guests. WalMart does a better job at customer satisfaction.'"
"Words cannot describe how right on the money this person is. Walmart does a better job at customer service than some of the employees at the L'Auberge du Lac. Walmart.
"In all fairness to the L'Auberge du Lac, there were some good things. Because I am so familiar with customer service I believe you must always praise someone when they do a great job at it. So here goes...
"Our bellhop was fantastic. He took our bags and escorted us to our rooms and was very friendly. He noticed my shirt (it had a name of a high school football team on it) and quickly made conversation with us. He told us he was a football player at a local university and was working there for the summer. That was a great way to make conversation, which undoubtedly helps tips. He also advised us of EVERYTHING we needed to know about the restaurants in the hotel and all of the shops. He personalized his spiel by noticing that we were young and that we were there for a bachelor party. So, he told us that there'd be a lot of women at the Jack Daniel's bar that night starting around 9 pm. Kudos. He did a great job.
"The staff in the gift/drugstore onsite was also fantastic. There was a woman working there with dark rimmed glasses and blonde hair who happened to be super cute... but that's besides the point... Back to the customer service. I bought a deck of souvenir playing cards there the night before. While buying some antacids, I mentioned to them that the cards were torn because the holes they punched into them caught an edge of the cardbox. They asked no questions and simply gave me a new box for free. They were extremely friendly and they too deserve kudos.
"Our waitress at the buffet breakfast on Saturday provided excellent customer service.
"The rooms are excellent. I don't think the place is worth $129 a night when comparing it to Vegas... but the rooms are nice. Keep in mind, I've paid $49 a night at the Monte Carlo, $17 a night at the Orleans, $50 a night at Excalibur. So...although they aren't up to par with Vegas pricing, the room at L'Auberge du Lac rivals all of them.
"The casino is very nice. It is relatively small, but it probably doesn't need to be as big as the casino in the Excalibur because the hotel isn't as huge. I liked the fact that there were still $5 blackjack tables at 6 pm. Like I said before, that's hard to find.
"The breakfast in the diner was outstanding. We had a bit of a wait, but it was outstanding. I highly recommend the chicken fried steak and eggs or the ham steak and eggs.
Summary
"Do I recommend the L'Auberge du Lac? No. There is a lot of work to be done. They need to send their managers, pit bosses, security, and some lower level employees to Vegas. Let them see what it means to provide world-class service. If you currently have any customer service training... re-design it. ALL of your employees must be on the same page. Not just some of them. A vital fundamental idea of providing great service is to fix your mistakes. A free buffet doesn't sooth someone who hasn't had A/C for two full days. Comping a night or two is probably a more accurate restitution. That allows you to make it better. Earn our business.
"As I said before, I would not recommend L'Auberge du Lac at this time. Maybe in four months when they've ironed some kinks out. So, I will review the hotel again at that time and see if they've made the necessary changes in staff and their philosophy on customer service. If at that time they have the same problems, I will see no need to drive to Lake Charles again in the future. It would make more sense just to fly to Vegas.
"At this time, I would however recommend the poker room in the Isle of Capri. I did not get a chance to go to Harrah's but I will do that on my next trip as well.
"To be completely fair.... If the Director of Hotel Operations of L'Auberge du Lac would like to respond to any of my comments, please feel free to email me at bobostonepony@gmail.com. I would be happy post your comments un-edited." (Editor's note: or email me at hotels.guide@about.com).
