Special to the American Press

Visit Lake Charles announces the opening of nominations for the third annual ROSE (Recognition of Service Excellence) Awards.

This celebration seeks to recognize outstanding individuals in Southwest Louisiana’s hospitality industry.

“Service plays a significant role in our destination experience. The ROSE Awards offers an opportunity to spotlight and honor those individuals who go above and beyond daily to make Southwest Louisiana a premier destination,” said Kyle Edmiston, president and CEO of Visit Lake Charles. “We encourage your participation in nominating deserving candidates for these awards.”

Nominations are open until Wednesday, Feb. 28, and cover nine categories: Outstanding Banquet/Catering Professional, Outstanding Bartender, Outstanding Casino Floor Professional, Outstanding Culinary Professional/Chef, Outstanding Food Server, Outstanding Front Desk/Guest Service Professional, Outstanding Hotel Sales Professional, Outstanding Housekeeping Professional, Outstanding Transportation Professional. An impartial panel of judges will carefully evaluate all nominations to select the deserving winners in each category.

The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 2, at L’Auberge Casino Resort.

In 2023, nine outstanding recipients were honored with ROSE Awards. Many of those winners were truly honored to be recognized in such a way for their contributions to delivering exceptional service through their job roles.

Last year’s winner for Outstanding Culinary Professional, Chris Heath, an executive chef at the Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel & Casino, said that winning the award served as motivation to keep excelling as a culinary professional.

“This recognition represents the passion, dedication and joy of crafting memorable culinary experiences,” Heath said. “This award motivates me to continue pushing culinary boundaries, creating delicious moments and contributing to the vibrant dining culture in Southwest Louisiana.”