Belterra Casino Resort & Spa, Vevay, IN

If you are only interested in the gaming, a casino is a casino is a casino. Belterra doesn't have the largest boat on the Ohio River, their payout rate is comparable to others in Southern Indiana, the buffet is average for this type of venue (but better then Golden Corral or Ryans), and I will admit...they've gotten a LOT of our money!

But, Belterra has done a lot of things to earn our loyalty. We've been patronizing Belterra for about two years, much more frequently in recent months. Being self-employed, it's much easier to run away for a couple of days mid-week. But, we always go back to Belterra. The comped rooms go a long way toward deciding our destination - hey, free rooms are always good. But honestly, with our play, we would get comps anywhere we chose to go.

We continue to drive 3 1/2 hours each way because of the service. Time and again, we can't find anything anywhere in the facility to complain about. We don't golf, we aren't shoppers, we aren't white linen restaurant patrons. And, we aren't "high rollers" - we prefer to think of ourselves as "baby strollers". From the moment we enter the facility, until we pick up our bags at the bell desk on the way out, every employee makes us feel appreciated.

Our first encounter is always the front desk - time to check in. Every staff member we have encountered, even during prime check-in/out times is never anything less than courteous. They have a sense of humor, address us by name at least twice during the conversation (we've never had a registration form shoved in our faces with a terse "sign here") and welcome us BACK. They do their best to accommodate our room requests (we ALWAYS ask for the Old Tower - it has the jacuzzi tubs). Only once were they not able to place us in our requested room. The clerk stated she had given us a "free upgrade". Imagine our surprise to open the door to a large suite! For that room, I was willing to forgo the relaxing jets in the jacuzzi tub.

The housekeeping staff is wonderful! When we encounter them in the hallway, they make a point of doing no less than smiling at us. Most of the time, we will get a pleasant comment of some type - "how are you today?" "good luck", etc.

The maintenance (janitorial) staff on the boat are always pleasant. Most people don't even see these folks as they go about their day - they are sort of invisible. On our last trip, a young man carrying a trash bag on the boat made a point of saying "How are you today?" I truly wish I would have chased him down and gotten his name from his tag, because many employees in that position don't believe hospitality is everyone's job.

The security guards at the entrance make a point of saying "Hello" to everyone entering the boat. If traffic is light, small talk is common.

We've eaten at The Aquarium Cafe and the Ultimate Buffet several times. The cafe menu leans to casual dining, but the staff is 100% white linen. I have never seen or heard anything in the Buffet that would leave me with a bad impression of the service. That staff has my sympathies - personally, I would chase half the customers with a meat cleaver. There's just something about the elderly with a BOGO promo at a buffet - it's kind of frightening to watch. The staff at Starbucks, even with a relatively high turnover, is well-trained and very pleasant.

There are other reasons we enjoy the stay near Vevay, IN. We've found restaurants in the town we like to visit, there is a winery tasting room with a huge deck overlooking the Ohio River, the area is just beautiful for relaxation. We could stay at a hotel in the town, 7 miles from Belterra. We could even stay in a hotel, literally, right across the road. But, we choose Belterra time and again for the way we are treated.