St James Hotel Selma

We had the worst experience at this property!! We were there for a wedding. Upon arrival waited 15-20 with no one at the front desk. They arrived, check us in & we headed to the room. Not even asking if needed help with the bags. Got to the room the keys didn't work. Went back down, still didn't work, 3rd time staff came up, they couldn't get so the man said he would come back with the keys. 30 min later I walked down to find him relaxing on a sofa in a room off from the lobby saying I was coming up soon! Got inside the room to find blood on the curtains & spots on mattress & it was just gross. Toilet paper had barely any on the roll so this was used. Before we left for the wedding I asked for another room. She said nothing available but would make sure. After the wedding I checked again telling her about the blood on curtains, she said she would get our room maybe 1/2 off. We went back to the room & wanted to shower, not one towel not a hand towel, nothing! The next morning we packed & left at 7am leaving name & phone number asking for the manger to call me. Nothing. Sunday I got charged full price. Call again, leaving a message for manager. Nothing. No call on Monday. Called back Tuesday and left another message ( with an employee again ). I also asked for the regional managers number but she said she didn't know who that would be but would tell manager to call me. Nothing! This is unacceptable!

We were at the St. James Hotel last week and updated news indicates they are closed and will reopen under new management. I guess that's a good thing. The venue is very historic and important to the Selma community. We were there for lunch. The food was OK but the service was unorganized which made it tough to pay the higher prices being charged.

Our room was lovely. Very spacious. Nice bathroom. Great air conditioning. The hotel is quaint, and the staff friendly. Would love to see more tourism come to this poor town. Not much to walk to from this hotel, at this time. We walked over the Pettus Bridge, stayed at the park there for a bit, and then came to this hotel.

I really wanted to like this hotel. It’s in an area filled with history, on the banks of the river and I typically enjoy places that are unique. This hotel has a lot of potential, but sadly it doesn’t seem to be maintained. From a distance the pictures look great, but once you are there in person the novelty wains. There is no excuse for filth and lack of upkeep. Hilton corporate really needs to step in and assist this property if it isn’t already too far gone. I’ve uploaded several pics showing items caked in dust/dirt in the room. Spider webs on the ceiling fan. Large water stains on the ceiling and a trail of soiled carpet leading through the room. The room and everything in it is damp/wet from the air conditioning not removing the moisture from the air.

This was our first visit to Selma, Alabama. We stayed one night to attend the Blackbelt Birding Weekend. The room was comfortable and clean and the bed and pillows were comfortable. The staff was exceptionally friendly and professional and there is free parking. We will stay there again.

We loved our stay here. Our room had a balcony overlooking the river and it was so peaceful and enjoyable. Loved the older building but the room was updated and very comfortable. Will definitely be coming back and plan to stay for a longer visit.