Hollywood Casino & Resort Gulf Coast — Attraction in Bay Saint Louis

If you’re from out of state & are thinking of visiting, beware.

I live 1,092 miles, one way, from Gulf Coast. My state is currently way behind on processing renewal drivers licenses. I have a legally expired state driver’s license with a paper temp certificate that has a corresponding photo, license ID & temp license expiration date. If a cop pulled me over, it would be considered a legal ID. Many casinos, six within the state of Mississippi, have accepted it for casino entry, hotel & food comps, and even numerous hand pays.

When we arrived at Hollywood Gulf Coast, we first went to the buffet. I had comps, but immediately when they saw the paper temp ID, they didn’t even wait to look at it or see the original expired ID stapled to it. Just a rude shaking their head no, acting like I handed them prison papers or something. Like I was a low life for even pulling it out of my pocket. They said the only way they could accept it is if security approved it. They literally were going to end it there, but my husband asked if they could then ask security to look at it. They shot my husband a look like we were asking her to clean their filthy restrooms. No one from security looked at any of of my paperwork, but eventually we were told, with complete disgust, that we could go ahead & use our card/comps; I guess the ID, in theory, was good enough for their security team. The buffet was stale & old, but didn’t complain.

Afterwards I hit the slots. I never win here & today was no exception…but then I hit a hand pay. The slot cashier takes down the info & starts to walk away. I ask if he needs my ID. He says no. After a few minutes he comes back & asks for it. I start to unfold the temp ID paper with the old license attached, but he says they don’t take temp IDs and that they will fill out a form where I can pick up my hand pay within 30 days once I have a valid permanent ID. I was in shock. I asked to speak to a manager; I didn’t want rules broken, I just wanted confirmation. I wanted to understand.

Here’s the thing: If the cashier or manager had said “Hey, I’m so sorry. I realize what a complete inconvenience this is given how far you’ve come from. It might seem harsh but it’s our policy. I understand that we aren’t clear about what we accept for ID, so please leave a review so maybe the decision-makers will see it.” I would have left feeling like I was valued as a customer. But no one said that.

Hollywood Gulf Coast promotes itself as a resort getaway. I’ve stayed in their hotel rooms, which are outdated & often the AC doesn’t work the best so we don’t stay there anymore. The slots are often dirty & so are their public restrooms. The food is nothing special. I’ve never spoken to anyone there who acts like they care. I have never once felt welcome there. I left today not even using my free play that I had rightfully earned in previous visits. I want nothing to do with this place anymore.

Today was the opposite of what I would expect from someplace that tries to get people from outside the region to spend time & money to come there. I never asked for anything, and I didn’t ask them to bend the rules. Security seemed to clear my ID earlier; how would I know I’d then be denied a hand pay? They shouldn’t have allowed me in if my ID was going to be treated like a fake the moment they owed me money.

I can handle the policy but I just can’t handle the rudeness & sub par experience every time I step foot inside their building. It’s not fun. It’s not relaxing. It’s not enjoyable. It’s not worth the money. It’s definitely not worth 32+ hours in a car to get there & back, and the three to four days of travel. The whole thing is a punch in the gut.

So, if you are planning to spend travel time & money to come here, don’t expect much, and make sure whatever ID you use everywhere else in Mississippi or around the country is accepted by this location. They have their own rules that are not only outside of the norm but not even listed anywhere, and they could care less how it...

As a returning guest at this resort, it was disappointing to see how this place has been going downhill over the years. Drink prices have gone up ridiculously. The same drink I ordered the last time I was there, the Malibu Cooler, was in a smaller container this time and much more expensive. The bartender at the swim up bar had an attitude with a bunch of customers and kept ignoring people. At the casino, it was difficult to find a server anywhere and once found, one of my friends asked for a drink while she was playing and the server was never seen again. The workers at the noodle place in the casino all had attitudes, were disrespectful to my group as well as other customers, with one worker making negative comments about one guy who was simply asking if his food was done yet. Watching them, I noticed they were doing everything very slowly and didn't care about the large amount of customers standing there waiting. My friend ordered a Boba drink that she didn't get until she was over halfway done with her food even though she asked about the drink multiple times. The lady just kept telling her to wait and wouldn't make the drink. At the pool, there were no towels and when I asked a worker when there would be more, she said they would refill them at 6pm, which would be an hour and a half. They did not ever refill the towels that evening, so we ended up having to walk to our rooms drenched to be able to dry off with the towels there. The night before leaving we went to the front desk to ask for an extended checkout at 2pm, which is advertised as an option that costs $40. The worker tried to tell us that wasn't possible to checkout that late, but eventually said it was possible and we paid for it. He did not put it in the system and we were locked out of our rooms the next morning. Luckily, another worker let us into our rooms. Normally, I would just let little things like this slide because I understand that things happen, but there were too many little issues that were consistently happening to multiple people and we were paying significantly more than in the past for worse service than I have ever experienced at this resort. This was our go-to spot for a little vacation, but now I feel like I'm going to have to find a new one if I'm going to pay more regardless. Also, it sucks that the pool closes so early 8pm/6pm. What's the point of having lights in a pool that can't be used when it's darker and finally cooler outside. Especially at a resort with a casino that's open 24hrs. On the pro side, the rooms were clean and the cleaning ladies were nice. The lazy river was a bit too hot, but a good time. (I think they should put up some sun shades to help keep it cooler throughout the day) The buffet was awesome and the dessert options were to die for. The Mac and cheese is heavenly. Perfect amount of cheesiness. The server at the buffet was super great and good about...

We stayed at Hollywood Casino RV Park from March 31 to April 28, 2024. Upon arrival the staff was extremely pleasant and gave us information on the campground and casino. The campground is well maintained and has a great layout, with some great spots to enjoy the views and wildlife. We saw a variety of birds, and a couple of alligators.

We were in site 9, a back-in site with a concrete pad, full hook-ups, a picnic table, a built-in grill, and well-maintained grass all around. The site was spacious enough to fit our 5th wheel, truck, and car, although we had to angle the car in front.

The park’s amenities include clean restrooms, showers, a laundry facility, clubhouse, pavilion, free Wi-Fi, 24-hour security, and convenient trash bins throughout the park that were maintained daily. The park is pet-friendly, though there is no enclosed dog park, there are plenty of grassy areas for your pets to explore. The park does accept packages that are delivered to the hotel for pick-up.

An added benefit of staying at this RV Park is having access to the casino hotel amenities like the pool, lazy river, gym, restaurants, events and entertainment shows, that you can get tickets to, as well as a nice casino. This made our stay feel more like a luxury resort experience. We had the chance to see Lit perform during our stay, so we got to enjoy live music from a band we’ve always liked.

The casino offers a variety of dining options, including Bridges Grill, Celebrity Grill, Lucky Noodle, Palisades Bar & Lounge, Bogart’s Steakhouse, and the Epic Buffet, so you don’t have to go far for a delicious meal. We enjoyed the range of choices throughout our stay. Be sure to check the days and times each location is open, as they may vary.

During our stay, we experienced a tornado warning and had to seek shelter in the casino with our dogs. The staff was incredibly accommodating, ensuring our pets were safe and comfortable. Coming from an area of the country where severe weather like that doesn’t happen, we weren’t sure what to expect, and their support made a stressful situation much easier to handle.

One thing to note is there are No-See-Ums bugs, so make sure you try to use some kind of insect repellents if you want to enjoy the outdoors. They leave some nasty bites that hurt.

If you are looking for a place to stay in the Bay St. Louis MS area, this is an excellent choice, and I would highly recommend staying here. I would love to go back if we found ourselves in that area of the...