By Emily Enfinger | The Selma Times-Journal

The St. James Hotel has found success with its new lunch menu and several evening events for community members.

“Our goal is to not just sell a room but to start selling an experience,” said hotel manager Mark Peterson.

Back in December, the hotel changed its lunch menu and now offers a cafeteria-style menu to cut expenses and wait times.

Peterson said the transition was slow at first but has picked up steam.

“We’ve had days this past month where we would make as much as $1,200 from lunch alone,” Peterson said.

The menu changes daily and is posted on the hotel’s Facebook page and written on a chalkboard outside the hotel. Lunch includes a choice of two meats, sides, salad, desserts and bottomless tea.

Peterson said the hotel has also seen growth in its bar and evening events. Hotel staff promotes those events to the growing lunch crowd.

The hotel has hosted a men’s night, ladies night, jazz concert and karaoke and open mic nights.

Peterson said during the last karaoke event, tables and chairs were placed outside the meet demand.

“We had a full house that night,” Peterson said.

Ladies and men’s night offers half price drinks including original cocktails created by bartender Felecia Strickland such as “St. James on the River.”

The blue and green cocktail is a blend of rum, tequila, vodka, pineapple and sweet and sour mix with a splash of blue curacao.

“If you’re looking for a strong stuff drink, it’s definitely a good one to pick. It’s sweet with a little bit of a sour kick to it,” Strickland said. “People seem to like it. They ask for it all the time.”

She said she wanted to create a drink that would honor the hotel and the Alabama River.

“We have such a wonderful view… so why not have a drink that invokes the river,” Strickland said.

The St. James will continue to host holiday events throughout the year for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween and more.

Peterson said the hotel has been reestablishing connections with tour groups to further its goal of selling an experience. He has also been working with local museums to book private tours for those who book at the hotel.

“If we can pull that off that’ll be a benefit to Selma, the museums and the hotel,” he said.

“It’s our goal to try to bring some fun, to get local people back downtown and enjoy all the efforts that city council, the mayor and everybody has done to revive downtown.”