The Cook Hotel and Conference Center at LSU — Hotel in Baton Rouge

I booked the signature suite for myself and two teenagers for a college visit to see if they would accept admission to LSU. Upon checkin, we were discouraged to see that there was no option for dining in the hotel. No coffee, quick grab, convenience etc. There was a vending machine and a little area set up with candy bars and bags of chips, and there may have been snacks in the LSU store, but it was never open. All of the guest chairs in the room were covered in the most revolting stains. Not just a few here and there-they were absolutely covered. The room was absolutely filthy, but it was just so old and tired that no amount of cleaning could help it. The sliding closet door was hanging off the rails, and there were stains and grime all over every door and bathroom surface. We were given coupons for the buffet breakfast for one morning of our three day stay, which was served in the lobby area. As there is no restaurant on site, this is brought in by a catering company. This was some of the worst food I’ve ever had, and there were just so little options. As we were there over a weekend, the University had weekend hours. Therefore, we could not just pop out to grab a bite somewhere (really the only option being the student union) or hit a convenience store. We felt incredibly trapped with no options. Apparently they also don’t employ housekeeping over the weekend, as I called for pillows for the pullout sofa and was rudely informed that they don’t have housekeeping. They said a maintenance person would bring them up, which never happened. This experience unfortunately affected my child’s decision to attend LSU, which is a shame because it seems like a really...

The best part about the hotel were the comfortable beds and the cooks food is delicious. The rooms were smaller than preferred and housekeeping only made up our beds. They didn’t remove any trash or used towels they also didn’t bring in any new towels and we still had to wait for some upon request. The thing that ticks me off the most about this hotel is the food. There’s always just one person. When I booked here the chef Cj was the only person at work. He rung up orders, busted tables, and cooked all at the same time. As i ate my breakfast what looked like the executive chef (if not mistaken her name is Jackie) came over basically barking at him because he asked for some help with the dishes while he cooked. She refused to send 1 of her dishwashers over so breakfast had to be closed so that he could get some clean dishes out. They are way understaffed for the breakfast bar. No one should have to do everything at once. That young man needs a raise or a better opportunity.

Update: I met with a colleague here over breakfast and the food was AMAZING again but the chef is the only person I see mostly besides an elderly lady who looks very overwhelmed by the work load. It doesn’t seem like they’re trying to hire any help and their chef looks completely drained every single time that I’ve visited. Not sure why they don’t have more staff but that young man needs help or he needs to alert the labor board or I will upon...

I don't like to complain, and I am sorry to report that my stay was fairly miserable. The room was freezing. We turned off the thermostat but it never did warm up. We tried running the heater but the smell and particulate matter of burning dust was too much. When we tried to take a hot shower the tub would not drain. I had to go get my tools from car and remove a large hairball the size of a baseball to get the water out of the tub. Tub and sink drains should be closely inspected and tested daily!! Also the lavatory sink would not drain because the stopper would not raise up making it impossible to brush teeth without doing plumbing work, and you will need to ask your maintenance people to come reconnect the handle which was loose. Additionally the room wall air conditioner panel was loose and on the floor exposing the ductwork and dust. The last night it was so cold I had to go to my car to finish out the night sleeping in warmer climate. Even though the room was unsatisfactory I felt the people here at the hotel are wonderful people and doing the very best they can, but room maintenance procedures and AC and energy management need a significant change which would make customers more comfortable and save a small fortune in energy costs. Also, when paying a 5 star room price drinking coffee from a styrofoam cup is not acceptable. Most of the food was average for...