In May, we celebrated the people, partners and places that power tourism in Southwest Louisiana. From National Travel and Tourism Week and the ROSE Awards to statewide advocacy, professional development and the opening of the new Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu, Visit Lake Charles continued highlighting the impact of tourism across our community.
These stories reflect how collaboration, hospitality, leadership and destination investment help strengthen Louisiana’s Playground for visitors, residents and industry partners alike.
Visit Lake Charles Impact
Celebrating the People Behind the Visitor Experience
Every visitor experience in Southwest Louisiana is shaped by people.
It starts with the first welcome at a hotel front desk, the server who recommends a favorite local dish, the bartender who remembers a guest’s order, the housekeeper who prepares a room with care, the student training for a future career in hospitality and the community partners who help make Southwest Louisiana feel connected and inviting.
That people-first spirit was at the heart of the 2026 ROSE Awards, hosted by Visit Lake Charles during National Travel and Tourism Week. The annual ceremony recognizes hospitality professionals, community partners and tourism leaders whose service and leadership help strengthen the visitor experience across Southwest Louisiana.
But the ROSE Awards are more than a night of recognition. They are a reminder that tourism works because people do. Recognition like this matters because the work these professionals do directly drives economic impact for Southwest Louisiana.
From restaurants and hotels to casinos, cultural organizations, sports partners, local governments and education, the 2026 honorees represent the many sectors that make tourism possible. Each plays a role in shaping how visitors experience the destination and how residents benefit from a strong visitor economy.
The ROSE Award recipients highlight the frontline professionals who keep hospitality moving every day. This year’s winners included team members from Augustine, Golden Nugget Lake Charles, Hampton Inn by Hilton Lake Charles, Horseshoe Lake Charles Hotel & Casino, L’Auberge Casino Resort, Nina P’s Cafe, SOWELA Technical Community College, Tru by Hilton and Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse.
The 2026 ROSE Award recipients included:
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Outstanding Banquet/Catering Professional: Ashley Turner, operations manager, Horseshoe Lake Charles Hotel & Casino
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Outstanding Bartending Professional: Brittany Matt, bartender, Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse at Golden Nugget Lake Charles
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Outstanding Casino Floor Professional: Lawrence Wilson, table games pit manager, Golden Nugget Lake Charles
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Outstanding Culinary Professional: Paulina Siebarth, owner, Nina P’s Cafe
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Outstanding Culinary Service Professional: Corey Johnson, server, Augustine
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Outstanding Guest Services Professional: Victoria Hebert, bell desk attendant, L’Auberge Casino Resort
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Outstanding Hotel Sales Professional: Midge Singleton-Powers, director of sales, Tru by Hilton
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Outstanding Housekeeping Professional: Clasi Roberson, executive housekeeper, Hampton Inn by Hilton Lake Charles
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Outstanding Hospitality Student: Rosa Chavez, culinary student specializing in baking and pastry arts, SOWELA Technical Community College
Their roles may look different, but their impact is connected. They help create the kind of service that encourages visitors to stay longer, return again and share their experiences with others.
Visit Lake Charles also honored Legacy Award recipients whose work has helped shape tourism, culture, sports, public service and community leadership in Southwest Louisiana. Honorees included leaders and partners connected to Barbe High School, Black Heritage Festival of Louisiana, City of Sulphur, City of Westlake, Golden Nugget Lake Charles, Imperial Calcasieu Museum, Lake Area Industry Alliance, Sam Houston High School, Sulphur High School and The Culture, Art & Music Association of Louisiana.
The 2026 Legacy Award recipients included:
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Hospitality Arts & Tourism Award: Ashley Royer, creative director, Imperial Calcasieu Museum
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Public Service Award: Mayor Hal McMillin, City of Westlake
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Lasting Impression Award: Donald Thomas Jr., executive director, Black Heritage Festival of Louisiana
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Sports Partner of the Year Award: Glenn Cecchini, baseball head coach, Barbe High School; Chad Hebert, baseball head coach, Sam Houston High School; Thomas Tillery, baseball head coach, Sulphur High School
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Tourism Lifetime Service Award: Mayor Mike Danahay, City of Sulphur
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Tourism Champion: Jim Rock, executive director, Lake Area Industry Alliance
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Shelley Johnson Tourism Leadership Award: Edwina Medearis, director, The Culture, Art & Music Association of Louisiana
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Chair’s Cup Award: Gregory Hennagin, senior vice president and general manager, Golden Nugget Lake Charles
These partners help expand what tourism means in Southwest Louisiana. They support events, preserve culture, strengthen community connections, create gathering places and help tell the story of the destination in ways that are authentic to the people who live here.
Since launching in 2022, the ROSE Awards have recognized 44 hospitality professionals. Each recognition reflects a larger truth about the tourism industry: success is not built by one organization or one campaign. It is built through partnership.
Tourism works when hotels welcome guests with consistency and care. It works when restaurants showcase local flavor. It works when cultural leaders preserve and share community stories. It works when educators prepare the next generation of hospitality professionals. It works when cities, businesses and community organizations understand that the visitor experience is part of the region’s overall quality of life.
That is why celebrating partners matters.
The people honored through the ROSE Awards represent the service, creativity, leadership and collaboration that keep Southwest Louisiana moving forward as a destination. Their work supports jobs, strengthens businesses and creates experiences that leave a lasting impression on visitors and residents alike.
In Southwest Louisiana, tourism is not just about places to go. It is about the people who make those places worth visiting.
VLC at IPW
Visit Lake Charles joined tourism leaders from across the country at U.S. Travel Association’s IPW in Greater Fort Lauderdale, with Timothy Bush, chief marketing officer; Taylor Beard Stanley, vice president of sales; and Kaitlyn Gallegos, director of global sales. IPW brings together U.S. travel suppliers, international buyers and media from around the world to build relationships, develop future business and shape global travel coverage.
Over five days of appointments, networking, education and media engagement, the Visit Lake Charles team promoted Southwest Louisiana as a destination with momentum. Timothy participated in Media Marketplace, sharing story ideas and destination updates with travel journalists, while Taylor and Kaitlyn met with international tour operators, buyers and representatives to help grow awareness of Louisiana’s Playground in key markets.
A major focus of this year’s conversations was the opening of the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu in the Nellie Lutcher Cultural District. The museum gives Lake Charles a strong, authentic story to share with media and travel partners, while highlighting the continued investment in the culture, history and experiences that make Southwest Louisiana unique.
Visit Lake on the Geaux
Tourism Advocacy at the Capitol Highlights Industry’s Statewide Impact
Visit Lake Charles was represented at the Louisiana Travel Association’s Tourism Day at the Capitol in Baton Rouge. Shanna Landry, chief operating officer; and Matt Young, senior director of community engagement, joined tourism leaders from across the state to advocate for the industry and highlight the important role travel plays in supporting jobs, businesses and communities.
Tourism advocacy helps ensure the value of our industry is understood at every level, from the visitor experience to the economic impact generated across our destination and state. We are grateful for the opportunity to connect with legislators, including Representative Brett Geymann, and continue championing the people, places and partners that make Louisiana such a special destination.
Sales Team at DI Sales & Services Summit
Taylor Beard Stanley, vice president of sales, and Emily Treme, director of association sales, represented the destination at Destinations International’s Sales & Services Summit in Dallas. The conference provided dedicated education for destination sales and services professionals, with sessions focused on strengthening client relationships, supporting meeting planners and creating stronger partner experiences.
Opportunities like this help our team bring fresh ideas and actionable strategies back to Southwest Louisiana. By investing in professional development, Visit Lake Charles continues to better serve our clients, support our partners and position the destination for long-term success in the meetings and tourism industry.
Around the Destination
Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu Opens
The grand opening of the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu marks an important cultural milestone for Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana tourism. Located in the Nellie Lutcher Cultural District, the reimagined museum brings back a beloved attraction lost during Hurricane Laura and gives visitors a modern, immersive way to experience the pageantry, artistry and traditions of one of the nation’s largest Mardi Gras celebrations outside New Orleans.
With the world’s largest display of Mardi Gras costumes, interactive exhibits and stories highlighting local krewes, costume designers and Carnival traditions, the museum adds a strong year-round cultural draw for the destination. Its opening strengthens Lake Charles’ visitor experience, supports heritage tourism and helps showcase the creativity, resilience and community pride that make Louisiana’s Playground unique.
National Travel & Tourism Week
During National Travel and Tourism Week, Visit Lake Charles, Louisiana’s Playground, is celebrating the people and partners who help power tourism across Southwest Louisiana. As a small thank you, we had the opportunity to provide lunch for the team at Lake Charles Regional Airport, whose work helps shape the first and last impression many visitors have of our destination.
Tourism’s impact is all around us, from airport arrivals and hotel stays to meals, shopping and experiences that support local jobs and businesses. We are grateful for our airport and transportation partners and the role they play in welcoming visitors, strengthening our community and showing the hospitality that keeps people coming back to Louisiana’s Playground.
In the News
Kyle Edmiston Featured in Mental Health Awareness Campaign
Visit Lake Charles is proud to share that Kyle Edmiston, president and CEO, was featured in CBS Lake Charles’ Louisiana’s Mental Health Awareness Month campaign promoting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. His participation helps amplify an important message for communities across the state: help is available, hope is real and it is OK to ask for support.
Tourism is rooted in people, and strong communities depend on caring for the people who live, work and serve in them. We are grateful to CBS Lake Charles for helping to shine a light on mental health awareness and are honored to be part of this campaign that reminds our community that support is always within reach. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 anytime.
Shelley Johnson Honored for Lasting Legacy in Rural Tourism
Congratulations to Shelley Johnson on receiving the Louisiana Rural Tourism Legacy Award, presented by the Louisiana Office of Tourism Trails and Byways at the 2026 Louisiana Rural Tourism Conference. Shelley served as executive director and CEO of the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau, now Visit Lake Charles, for more than 30 years, helping grow the organization and elevate Southwest Louisiana as a recognized destination across the state, region and nation.
Her leadership left a lasting mark on tourism, especially through the Creole Nature Trail, “Louisiana’s Outback,” which earned state scenic byway designation, federal byway status and the prestigious All-American Road designation in 2002. We are proud to celebrate Shelley’s legacy and the impact her work continues to have on Southwest Louisiana’s tourism industry, rural communities and visitor experience.
Latest Headlines
McClatchy Newspapers: “Lake Charles is part Louisiana, part Texas and all unique”
Syndicated travel writer Patti Nickell featured Lake Charles following her participation in the Cajun/Creole press trip hosted in April, highlighting the destination’s distinctive blend of Louisiana and Texas influences, local flavor and cultural experiences.
The article was published across 22 McClatchy Company newspapers, including the Miami Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Charlotte Observer and The Sacramento Bee, placing Southwest Louisiana in front of readers across key regional and national markets. By mentioning 23 local partners, the coverage helps drive awareness for area restaurants, attractions, hotels and experiences, encouraging travelers to explore more of the destination and support local businesses. Read More
Atlanta Magazine: “Roll the dice at these five renowned Southern casinos”
Atlanta Magazine featured L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles as the top casino in its roundup of five renowned Southern casinos, spotlighting the property as a standout gaming and resort destination.
This placement builds on media relations efforts from a hosted press trip last fall and marks the second article by Nicole Letts featuring Lake Charles. Coverage in a major regional lifestyle publication helps position the destination in front of travelers seeking casino getaways, entertainment, dining and resort experiences, supporting visitation and reinforcing Lake Charles’ appeal as a premier Southern gaming destination. Read More
Travel Feature: “Lake Charles, Louisiana, Brings Back Its Sparkle”
Travel writer Terri Marshall featured Lake Charles in a story highlighting the destination’s energy, culture and Mardi Gras spirit, with coverage stemming from the Mardi Gras Museum and Banner Year press release distributed through The Wire.
This earned media placement helps showcase Lake Charles’ continued momentum as a vibrant visitor destination while elevating one of the region’s most iconic cultural experiences. By spotlighting Mardi Gras, local attractions and the destination’s renewed sparkle, the story encourages travelers to experience Southwest Louisiana’s unique traditions and supports continued interest in local tourism partners. Read More
