My teen daughter and I stayed at this hotel October 4-6, 2007. I booked through Hotel Connexions.
5 * for the LOCATION - We were in the theater district and just a 2 minute walk from the Marriot Marquis where you can get discount theater tickets. At the end of the street, there's a "City Sightings" tour vendor. I highly recommend this "hop-on-hop-off" bus tour! It's much cheaper than buying individual tickets for each attraction.
3* for COMFORT - Our room was on the 11th floor in the back. It was small but efficient. The room was old but clean. There were no curtains for the bathroom windows. The bottom half of the bathroom window wasn't transparent though. Hotel furnished soaps and shampoo but NO HAIR DRYER! You must request one from the front desk. I had problems regulating the shower temperature, but staff were quick to resolve the issue. No coffee, but close to several delis and McDonalds where you can buy some. Bed was clean and comfortable. Our room was quiet! The door was old and the key got jammed a few times. I had to wiggle the key a bit to lock or unlock the door and to get the key out. The elevator was SLOW and made clicking noises as you passed each floor, but efficient.
4* for CLEANLINESS - I would've given this hotel 5* for cleanliness had their not been long hair on the walls. It looked like a girl with long hair dried her hair and it stuck to the wall behind her. Not too gross, only a few strands.
4* for STAFF - The front desk people were helpful and kind. When I entered my room, there was an envelope asking for tips for the cleaning ladies. I thought this was a bit rude as it's their job to clean and besides, my room wasn't immaculate. I stayed for 2 days so I put a "do not disturb" sign on my door so they didn't have to come in clean. It's good for the environment anyway to reuse my same sheets and towels. After check out the staff stored my luggage for me for a few hours until I went o the airport.
4* for PRICE - It's New York City, so everything is overpriced. However, it was the cheapest I could find. I booked through Hotel Connexions. Other hotels were priced between $300-$400 per night, and I only paid a bit more than $300 for 2 nights!
5* OVERALL - I had a pleasant overall experience. I hope my review is thorough enough to help you decide if the Hotel St. James is right for you. This hotel provides the very basics and not more. If you're familar with the European Formule 1 hotel chain - Hotel St. James is just a step up. The only difference is that you get your own bathroom, privacy, soap and shampoo. And of course the price is a lot higher than Formule 1!
Please feel free to ask me questions about this hotel.
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