After having read the positive reviews of the St. James Hotel, as well as of the unique history of the place, we decided to spend a night at the hotel while passing through the area. The hotel's common areas (lobby, hallways, restaurant) indeed had an authentically historic charm. The guest room we stayed in (in the original part of the hotel), however, was just dingy (I'm being kind here). A beige wall-to-wall carpet throughout clearly showed well-defined gray paths of grime. (Although my own personal tolerance for dirt is rather high -- I admit to being not very fastidious -- even I was not able to bring myself to walk on this filthy carpet without shoes.) Even the room's bathroom was carpeted (and again, disgustingly stained), which (to judge from the rickety and uneven flooring felt under the carpet) was evidently concealing some structural damage.

The room itself, with stark white walls and mismatched antiques, showed little foresight in creating any sense of warmth or comfort. The room's windows rattled in their frames most of the night from a near-constant wind, allowing a strong cold draft to enter; as the windows were located at the head of the bed, it was necessary to reinforce/insulate them ourselves with extra pillows and blankets simply to try to obtain some sleep -- and not to freeze, since the room's small space heater was evidently not up to the job of providing adequate heating for the room.

The hotel's reception staff was not especially friendly or accommodating. Upon arrival, we had to wait ten minutes for the front desk clerk to appear in order to check in -- and this was only after she had to be tracked down by TWO kind restaurant staff who had offered to assist.

I might also mention that the night we stayed at the St. James Hotel was New Year's Eve, and a telephone call to the hotel the previous week to confirm our reservations informed us of a special "dinner and dancing" event that evening. As Cimarron is rather isolated, with few dining options (especially on New Year's Eve), I specifically asked if the hotel's restaurant would be open to those who didn't wish the "dinner and dancing" option -- to which the reservationist replied yes; tickets to the event were not required to have a meal in the restaurant. However, upon our arrival at the hotel at 4pm, we were informed that the restaurant would close at 5pm to prepare for the event. Pointing out the information that I had previously been told, the desk clerk simply shrugged it off without even an apology. Even the (different) check-out clerk the next morning was not too friendly. (Perhaps she had also been kept up all night by rattling windows and a constant cold draft.) Needless to say, an anticipated dinner at the hotel's reputedly fine restaurant never materialized, and we went to bed hungry since even the local pizza place had closed early that evening for the holiday.

I might also mention that the event held that evening involved a performance by a band -- not a bad one, to be honest, but one that was overly amplified for the size and age of the building; the sound resonated throughout the old (and obviously not well insulated) structure so loudly that I felt as though I were getting free front-row seats to the event! Although I was well aware of the hotel's "event" planned for that evening, and took my chances accordingly regarding the inevitable noise that would be produced, I was still disappointed that the hotel's structure (and preservation of such, which high volume of sound may compromise!) was not taken into account for the levels of sound generated -- not to mention a lack of consideration for its guests' comfort. (Even on New Year's Eve people require sleep.) The crowds that milled loudly around the hotel's exterior for most of the night (after the band had finished performing at 12:30-1am) also didn't allow us much rest (in addition to the rattling windows). So if it's rest you're craving after a long day of traveling, I wouldn't recommend staying at this hotel during such events.

From all the publicity about this hotel (and a website with lovely pictures), the hotel may certainly be judged to be an interesting place to stay; in reality, however, it seems to have seen better days, and to be relying a bit too much on its ghostly reputation to attract guests rather than on any comfortable accommodations or availability of services. (We detected no paranormal activity during our stay, even though we found the place admittedly atmospheric -- and certainly creepy for other, more earthbound reasons.) The place does not appear to be maintained in any conscientious manner, despite the obvious need for major improvements to the property. Although the hotel's historic (and allegedly ghostly) ambience was interesting to experience (well, for about ten minutes), it certainly wasn't worth the $139 per night price tag, and especially after the many inconveniences and surly staff that we had to endure.

After having stayed at several comparable historic hotels in northern New Mexico -- all of which were clean, welcoming, warm (in attitude as well as temperature), and conscientiously restored -- I regret to say that the St. James Hotel was profoundly disappointing. And as one of the biggest businesses in Cimarron, I fear that my observations don't bode well for the stability of the area's economy either. If it's atmosphere that you're after to stimulate your imagination, your money can go farther elsewhere.