St. James Hotel, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member

Based on my experience:
The hotel really isn’t all that bad or good. It’s in the middle of a remodel which of course was frustrating but that wasn’t what I didn’t like. The problem I had was the price on over night parking. I was told $ 37.00 and ended up paying $ 50.00. I’m aware of special event parking, which they had posted, but this wasn’t the case. I never figured that one out, too many people in line checking out behind me. with one person behind the desk.
An then there’s the breakfast. The croissant they brought to the room was absolutely tiny, as was the coffee cup.
The rooms were nice and so were the staff. They were pretty helpful with answering our tourist type questions and pointing us in the right direction with their free maps. The hotel is in a good location with about a 15 minute walk to Bourbon street and 5 minute walk to the casino.
I’d recommend this hotel for the price unless you want to be closer to Bourbon street.

Don’t be turned off by the lobby. They’re remodeling. The rooms are nice and for the price point, I think it’s a great value for being so close to the action.
Here’s what we liked:
1.) The ladies at the front desk were amazing. They were funny, helpful and nice. They were the kind of people that made you go, «Oh, hey. Let’s be friends.»
2.) Location. It’s close to the street cars, but we easily walked all of the quarter from the hotel. We walked to Frenchmen from the hotel as well. It’s on Magazine street, but more in the CBD area. We parked our car for 24 hours for $ 30 across the street and walked everywhere we wanted to go.
3.) The water gets super hot. I saw where someone complained about that. We had no problems. If anything, you could possibly burn yourself if you’re not careful.
4.) The room was decorated nicely, very clean and I did not hear any loud noises or have any loud neighbors. We slept soundly.
5.) They bring you croissants, coffee and orange juice in the morning. We had a bottle of champagne. So, of course, mimosas! There is Yumi tea in the rooms.
I really have no complaints. The hotel is under renovation, so the walls are a bit bare in the lobby, but the rooms were perfectly fine. Perhaps they were going through a bit of a rough patch a few months ago, but everything seems in order, now.

The hotel was under renovations but the rooms were very nice and super spacious. Very clean and super comfortable beds. It is located in a good area so it is not that far of a walk to all the popular destinations around town. We were given good recommendations by the front desk however they were wrong directions each time and we had to find them on our own. Overall the service and the stay was good.

Fair. The rooms were clean, the breakfast croissant was delicious, and the coffee in the lobby was good, and staff were friendly… BUT the shower water couldn’t decide if it wanted to be hot or lukewarm… Not hot going to lukewarm, but fluctuating the entire time. They were still remodeling, so the place was not very pretty. The elevator was working part of the time.

The staff was so helpful and accommodating. The construction, painting and work on the hotel couldn’t be helped but was hard to get around at times. The cleaning staff was not what I was expecting, on the surface everything looked clean and smelled lovely but then I noticed the floors were never very clean (crumbs and debris was everywhere), the bathroom didn’t look very clean either. The «breakfast» is a croissant and although they are nice and warm when you get them it is not what any hotel should consider a breakfast. I do think it is a way to get out of serving a real continental breakfast. The TV was a pain to deal with it took almost 10 minutes for the thing to warm up and turn on. I have to say aside from cleaning issues the hotel is great mostly for the location. It is just far enough away from the loud hustle of the French Quarter but still close enough it is just a short walk away. Everything was easily accessible. If you do stay here make sure you keep an eye on the dark wood floors although they look nice they are a dead giveaway for how little they get cleaned I had to wipe my feet off every time i was about to get in the bed or put my feet up on the bed which was gross. So staff and location are fabulous… the hotel itself and the cleanliness not so much.

I absolutely loved my stay here!!! I really wish I would have remembered the name of the woman who checked us in, she was so wonderful and totally took her time t give us a rundown of the city. I’ve never had a concierge as helpful as her. Our room was beautiful and got a great price on it. The location was great only two blocks away from literally everything. Much better than staying at a smelly hotel in the french quarter. Would definitely stay here again.

We were staying over the Halloween weekend when hotel prices sky rocket so I got this hotel on Priceline for a reasonable rate for 4 nights. The website got me excited the rooms looked really nice, it was close to the French quarter, restaurants, and public parking for my friend and they even offer complimentary breakfast. I was sorely disappointed. While the location is excellent and really convenient to everything… everything else was a let down. The shower was just ridiculous. The water pressure was non existent and the temperature was either scalding or Luke warm. The tv barely worked. The floors looked grimey. Who has hardwood floors in a hotel room? The complimentary breakfast is a crap croissant and some water coffee. Really just a cheap way to get out of serving continental breakfast like other 3 star hotels. This hotel is run down. The staff was very helpful and friendly. However unless you are staying during Mardi Gras or halloween and looking for a cheap hotel close to the action look elsewhere. Their standard rates are similar to that of a low end Marriott. Stay away unless you are desperate. There are a ton of hotel chains nearby. Unfortunately we went during one of the busiest times of the year so rooms were expensive and hard to find.

Stayed here one night and was very happy to do so. Came in town very excited and was helped thru things by the friendly and knowledgeable woman who worked evenings (Alicia I think?)…Anyway, great location just off from the Quarter. Very nice restaurant across the street and another hotel just down the street with an open bar on the sidewalk. It all felt very New Orleans. My room was impressive. Large with a comfortable bed, nice TV, Refrig, open floor to ceiling paneled doors that led to a closed off small balcony. The bathroom was spacious and the toiletries were stylishly provided. One big negative was the shower water pressure. Loved that the cable system placed a local promo for area sites to go to. Like a long running New Orleans commercial with some very useful stuff. Must See TV. On those floors BTW… they were laminate, but looked real and were a nice touch to keep up the look of a traditional room of the time. Was a bit disappointed that there wasnt more to offer in the lobby/​lower area but it is comfortable enough to relax in. The inner courtyard is a nice place to relax in as well. Overall I really liked this place and would have no qualms about coming back.

Well i didn’t know staying at the st james would be a cruel joke! first of all we wanted to watch some television after our very long trip to New Orleans and the TV was completely messed up. None of the channels were working and an employee of the hotel had no idea how to fix it. So there you go, for all that money to stay there we couldn’t relax and watch a working television.
Secondly, for some reason the air conditioner was stuck to 62 degrees! This is completely ridiculous! I couldn’t even sleep the two nights I stayed there because I was shivering ! We turned the air conditioner off and it was still 62 degrees and then we turned the heat on and then the room was still 62 degrees!
And lastly the breakfast. It was the worst watered down coffee I’ve ever had and a croissant with some jam. I am just going to say that for the money I’d expect something a little better not a croissant and watered down coffee that is not even drinkable.
Look, it’s an okay place but the broken TV, the 62 degrees which is way too cold and the horrible breakfast really brought the rating down. I would not stay here, moreover I would stay somewhere that is corporate and has better amenities and that has better quality. Sorry Saint James hotel but you blew it.

Adequate as a Hampton inn sort of brand, but certainly not a luxury property per its marketing. For the price I’d expect more, especially given decrepitude of the neighborhood. Overall lack is on oversight of staff’s work and on correct training. I gave it 2 stars for a couple of staff who were particularly attentive but I won’t go back.
1. Cleaning supplies left in room on my arrival, and a few tissues in bathroom which I used. It’s good that cleaning crew was there, but evidently poorly supervised. Left the empty tissue box prominently in front but it was replaced in its slot still empty upon my return. Left it upside down in the sink on the second morning, and that must have triggered an idea as it was finally filled.
2. Valet service abysmal. Leave your car illegally parked as close as you can to hotel and hope that after you check in the valet will move it before it’s ticketed. For that you pay $ 36 ($ 45 on special events). It took 30 mins to get it back. Pay $ 10 less and park across the street! To be fair I did get comped one night of parking but by then I would happily have gone elsewhere.
3. Front desk slow but generally polite although the woman did tell me I was paying more for the room by booking online (a lot more, evidently). Why would she do that? Left me feeling bad but did not result in a price break.
4. Safe doesn’t work
5. Phone reservations poor (Multiple guests commented on this)
6. Exterior maintenance poor– peeling paint etc, paint job in lobby unprofessional– real painters don’t leave the prep tape on the wall after their work is inspected and completed
7. Despite filling out the commentary breakfast card and leaving it out well in advance, Breakfast in room doesn’t arrive unless you call for it. An hour later, called guest svcs, 15 mins after that the guy who actually brings the trays was completely unaware of the order. that seemed to have happened to several people. To give him credit he seemed very overworked and expressed distress that my order dos not seem to have registered with kitchen.
8. Coffee delivered with cups that are plastic wrapped styrofoam like in motel 6. (breakfast on day 2 came with real mugs, and only 15 min after promised window).
9. Shower fixture only diverts about 30% of water from tub to shower head.
10. They run out of hot water at 6 – 7, no solution but to wait till later or take showers earlier
11. Took a bath instead of a shower and had a lot of small black flakes coming out of the faucet.
Recommendation– the Doubletree down the street is a bit more generic in character but slightly less cost and much better amenities. This place is almost comically under-​managed.
Rooms are otherwise adequate, but the cognitive dissonance between how they market property (and charge for it) versus what you actually experience is pretty shocking.

I highly recommend this hotel! The location was perfect; right in the French Quarters. We were walking distance to the French Market, Pharmacy Museum, and so close to Bourbon St. that we stumbled back to our room with no problems. When we wanted to travel outside of the French Quarters, we were only a block away from Canal St. where we could hop on a street car.
The staff was very friendly throughout our stay. The moment we arrived, the young lady checking us in gave us a 25 minute introduction to the city. She pulled out a map, asked us what interested us most about New Orleans and gave us helpful ideas about how we could maximize our 5 day vacation. ***Thank you again, Ingrid!***
I’m not sure why so many reviews complained about the hotel itself; it’s an old historic building and that’s part of its charm. Our room was beautiful with tall ceilings and large windows. The bed was so comfy we chose to eat their complimentary breakfast in the covers every morning. I’m always suspicious of plumbing and water pressure in older buildings, but we had no problems.
I don’t think we would have enjoyed ourselves as much had we not stayed here. Can’t wait to come back.

My sister and I stayed here in May and were pleasantly surprised. I think for the price and the location alone, it was well worth the $ 256 total we paid for three nights. I agree with the other reviews about a subpar standard of general cleanliness, but look, the city was devastated by Katrina, and there’s a general air of disrepair around all the buildings I saw during our entire trip there. Our room and bathroom weren’t sparkling, but they were adequate. We also had a great concierge who gave us lots of good city native advice, and we got the free croissant breakfast two out of the three times we filled out the card– a worthy average for a questionable system (of cards on doorknobs), anyway.

Terrible hotel inside and out. Terrible service. They don’t bring clean towels or soap. My laptop was stolen while in the care of the front desk. They haven’t even called me back to apologize or try to amend the situation.

STAY AWAY! This hotel is an absolute joke and is falling down around itself. The room that I had was inexcusably dirty, with cobwebs in the corners of the room, with clumps of lint, dust, and hair under the couch, dresser, and sink.
The shower head in the bathroom was detaching from the wall, and during my final night the screws that held the can light into the ceiling fell out, leaving the light dangling from the wires and providing me with a nice sharp screw to step on when I got up in the morning.
The staff is simply incompetent– there is an airport shuttle that will take you to the airport for $ 20. The night before I checked out I requested that they put me on the schedule for the shuttle. Today, when the time for the shuttle to arrive has come and gone unasked the desk clerk where the shuttle is and she tells me that it is the taxi that is outside. The taxi costs TWICE the price of the shuttle and is not what I requested.
Needless to say, this stay has been a complete nightmare. Additionally, they do not uphold their prices. I checked the prices and the advertised rate was significantly less than what I was being charged. I’ll take that up with my credit card company though.
For the price, you can stay at the infinitely nicer and better appointed JW Marriot, Astor, or Westin.
AVOID THIS HOTEL LIKE THE PLAGUE THAT IT IS.

the room’s design, layout, and decorating was everything anyone could want in a older hotel located in downtown New Orleans; with this we were not disappointed. The reason we gave this hotel only 3 stars is simple, the air conditioning was horrible; to the tune of it is set at 52 degrees and it is still 76 degrees in the room. and to add icing on the cake we were fed a lie saying «oh the ac system is connected to the light switch so it does not activate until someone comes in the room; I informed him that I am a commercial building codes inspector and he was full of crap, but thanked him for lying to us. we could not change rooms nor could we receive a refund.
will never come back and recommend that you do the same unless you enjoy sleeping in an oven.

Our stay was very nice! We had the best service ever from Machiel! She was helpful throughout our stay.
We picked up our croissants at the front desk bc we were up early but never had any problem with service! The courtyard was nicely decorated and was very pleasant.
The hotel was located within a short walk to streetcars and many attractions.
I would enjoy staying here again! A lot of charm and hospitality!

If you’re looking for a basic hotel with a clean room and bath, hot water, breakfast delivered to your room, and corteous service, the St. James would certainly NOT be a good choice.
Upon arrival I noticed the outside of the hotel was in disrepair with pieces falling off the façade. Ok, I handle old world charm, but it all went downhill from here.
I think it will be best to just provide the bullet points:
Arrive at the room and found a few crumbs on the floor — not too big a deal — but then got into the bathroom to find plenty of hair and used soap from the last guest, so I had to call down to have my room re cleaned.
Free breakfast included with the room — you just fill out the card with your choices and the time for delivery, leave the card on your door knob the night before. The next morning when my delivery time came and went I called down to the front desk. They could not find my card (which was taken off my door knob overnight).
They did deliver the breakfast — very late. I was about to provide the delivery man a nice tip for the delivery, but that money quickly went back into my pocket when he went on a rude tirade telling me that I have to fill out the breakfast card and put it on my doorknob if I want breakfast delivered. No tip for you.
Next adventure: shower time. Now there are only a few thinks needed for a decent shower, number one being hot water. No hot water for the shower, barely like warm actually, so I’m going to have to say «not a good shower».
I’d love to throw in something a bit positive, but can’t think of anything.

After purchasing a Priceline Express Deal I was given a King room which would not accommodate my party. I called the hotel several times in panic mode and spoke with Meghan. She was a joy to speak with. Even though the hotel was booked to capacity, she made every attempt to make sure I was satisfied! She notated my acct so if a room became available she’d call me! I was very pleased to hear that! Checking into the hotel was a breeze! The staff was very friendly and nice. After spending the first night they even changed my room to an executive king suite. It was very nice and spacious! The décor was very couture and fancy, just like I like it! I am definitely enjoying my stay here. I will be staying here again. I wish there was a Meghan working EVERYWHERE!

After having decided to go to NOLA for vacation decided to stay here after looking at a few places based on price, location and reviews. I was very pleased with my choice and do recommend it.
The check in time on the website was not till 3 but I arrived at 1. They let me CHECK IN EARLY without any additional fees which was very convenient. The location of the hotel was just a few blocks from the French Quarter and far enough from all of the noise. There is also a bus stop right across the street from the hotel which will take you to the garden district.
The room was a nice size. I also booked for a Queen sized bed but I do believe I ended up with a King. Furnishing, sheets, and towel all seemed pretty new. Room also had nice thick curtains to block out the sun if a day time nap was needed. There was also a microwave which was nice.
I noticed in one of the other reviews a complaint about noise from the street but I didn’t have a huge problem with that. My room was across the court yard. Probably less stellar views but if you are worried about noise ask to be placed across the courtyard?
They serve breakfast to your room every morning but you do need to place the order before 10 pm with the front desk the night before. I didn’t know that the first night had to call about breakfast the first morning there. They weren’t difficult about the mix up at all and brought it right up in about 15 mins.
Regarding room cleaning, they did a good job replacing everything but they forgot to leave a replacement roll of toilet paper. When we called the front desk at 6 am to let them know we needed toilet paper, front desk asks us to pick it up because of staffing at that hour (understandable). But when my bf went down to pick it up, the same lady was not prepared and had to run around looking for toilet paper for a few minutes. Sorry but when someone is calling for TP at 6 in the morning please be ready.
Overall it was a pretty good experience and I recommend it.
For the gym rats/​runners:
Pool. The hotel does NOT have a pool. They have this tiny little hot tub looking hole in the ground which they call a pool. So don’t come excited ready to jump in. I really think they would be better off converting it into a hot tub.
They also are affiliated with Blake hotel which is 3 blocks from St James and you are allowed to use their gym. The gym was located on the 11^th floor and had a decent view of the street. Not the best view in the world but the best treadmill view I’ve yet experienced. (For a better run, I recommend running down the Mississippi from the aquarium to French market then to Louis Armstrong Park. If you have a morning to devote to a long run take the trolley down to city park. You will not be disappointed!)

I booked a room here for a popular festival during the summer months. I booked in October 2013.
I received an email from my credit card company of fraudulent activity on my account. They charged my card January for the stay that doesn’t occur until July 2014. I looked up my reservation – no where does it say that I would be charged in advance (over 90 days after booking), have a hold placed on my account, or anything. I called the hotel and the rude front desk rep advises me that I booked a room that requires a deposit. I’m confused as to why the reservation doesn’t state this anywhere on the site, on the emailed confirmation I have — it doesn’t state it anywhere. My guess is that management decided they needed some funds and decided to charge «upcoming» guest credit cards in advance.
This is very shady and I’m thankful I have alerts set up on my credit card to make me aware of things like this. This is fishy and it doesn’t smell right! Beware — this is your warning!