L'auberge du Lac Hotel & Casino

Expansion Includes Grand Opening of The Shops at LAuberge, Unveiling of New 252-Guestroom Tower

LAKE CHARLES, La. " LAuberge du Lac Casino Resort, a Texas Hill Country-themed resort in Lake Charles, La., announced the grand opening of The Shops at LAuberge on April 2nd, 2008, marking the culmination of the propertys $67 million expansion. The project includes the addition of several unique retail outlets and the expansion of several existing outlets, more than doubling the retail offerings at L'Auberge. New retail outlets include Loved Ones, a trendy pet boutique carrying the ultimate in luxury pet accessories, bedding, collars, toys, treats and more; Love, a high-end lingerie store; Desserts, a confectionary featuring gelato, pastries, candies and other sweet treats; Studs of LAuberge, elegant clothes and accessories for the fashion conscious man; and LArcade, classic video games and high tech fun for the kid in all of us. The new retail outlets join Modele, The Floral Shop, LSundries and Ambalo to offer a complete shopping experience to LAuberge guests.

Pinnacle Entertainment President Wade Hundley and LAuberge VP & General Manager Larry Lepinski were joined by elected officials and key representatives from the City of Lake Charles, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, the Port of Lake Charles and the Convention & Visitors Bureau for the formal ribbon-cutting ceremony and press conference.

The ceremony also marked the formal grand opening of LAuberge du Lacs new hotel tower, nine stories tall and featuring 252 new guest rooms and suites. Ten of the new suites are luxury garden suites with private terraces and butler service. The expansion also features a VIP lounge, VIP lobby and VIP elevator providing private access to the tower's new luxury second floor suites. The tower is connected to the existing 26-story hotel structure but features separate elevator access.

The suites feature many of the same high-end amenities found in the L'Auberge villas, such as luxurious bathrooms, custom designer furnishings and in-room bars. The suites range in size from 750 to more than 1,400 square feet in size and will allow L'Auberge to attract even more high-end customers accustomed to Las Vegas-style gaming amenities.

Five of the ground floor suites feature private gardens fronting on a new adults-only pool area complete with luxury cabanas; five feature outdoor "Florida rooms." All of the new high-end first floor suites have quick-fill two-person outdoor bathtubs carved from individual blocks of Italian travertine.

Inclusive of the new guestroom tower, LAuberge du Lac now features a total of approximately 1,000 guestrooms, making it the largest hotel in Louisiana outside of New Orleans.

This expansion brings our total investment in Lake Charles to over $437 million, said Wade Hundley, President of Pinnacle Entertainment. In addition to providing additional jobs, these new enhancements to LAuberge du Lac will further augment the citys reputation as a destination resort of choice on the Gulf Coast.