L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles

L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles is a 26-story casino resort at 777 Avenue L'Auberge in Lake Charles, Louisiana, opened May 26, 2005 by Pinnacle Entertainment and designed by Bergman Walls Associates. The property was built as a floating structure on the Calcasieu River per Louisiana riverboat casino regulations. Real estate ownership transferred to Gaming and Leisure Properties in April 2016 via sale-leaseback; the property is now operated by Penn Entertainment. Cvent records 2024 as the most recent renovation year. The function inventory totals 26,000 square feet of meeting and event space per venue marketing copy (15,745 sq ft of formal indoor meeting rooms per Cvent, with the additional space accounted for by the 10,200 sq ft outdoor Terrace and pre-function areas). The largest space is the L'Auberge Ballroom at 14,140 sq ft, configurable for 1,555 theater (Cvent), 1,200 banquet (venue marketing), and 800 classroom, divisible into six separate breakout areas. The Sycamore Room runs 3,770 to 3,892 sq ft (350 theater, 200 banquet, 225 classroom); the Cypress Room runs 1,428 to 1,653 sq ft (147 theater, 96 banquet, 155 classroom, accommodating 200 reception); the Magnolia Room is 527 sq ft (53 theater, 40 banquet); and the Bluebonnet Room is 644 sq ft (85 theater, 40 banquet). The 10,200 sq ft outdoor Terrace supports landscaped multi-purpose evening events. On-site dining covers Ember Grille & Wine Bar (modern American steakhouse with wood-fired prime cuts), Ember Speakeasy (private dining room adjacent to Ember Grille), Jack Daniel's Bar & Grill (165 seats plus 26-seat curved bar with fire pit and live entertainment stage), and Asia (Asian-fusion plus authentic Vietnamese). Additional outlets include casino-floor quick-service options. The closest commercial airport is Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH), a regional facility 9 miles away with roughly 1,000 daily passengers and nonstop service to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) via American Airlines and Houston Intercontinental (IAH) via United. Larger gateways: IAH at approximately 140 miles east (international hub) and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) at approximately 210 miles east (domestic hub). The property includes an 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Fazio and a 30,000 sq ft casino with 62 table games and over 1,600 slot machines. Lake Charles was struck by Hurricane Laura (Category 4, 150 mph) on August 27, 2020 and Hurricane Delta weeks later; L'Auberge weathered the storms and resumed full operations after recovery. The property employs over 2,400 workers, the second-largest employer in Lake Charles per Wikipedia.