Improving: The city of Selma took over day-to-day operations of the St. James Hotel in August after Gourmet Services abandoned their contract with the city to run the hotel. Many months later, the hotel now appears to be self-sufficient, generating enough revenue to no longer need infusions of cash from the city. — Jay Sowers

The St. James Hotel may no longer require cash infusions from city government.

To date, the city of Selma has invested approximately $35,000 to keep the hotel running, but last week Selma Mayor George Evans announced the hotel is generating enough revenue to cover expenses.

“I want to make it clear the city of Selma does not want to be in the hotel business,” Evans said. “We are just keeping it open temporarily until we can find a buyer. The good news is that the hotel is actually carrying itself.”

Volunteer general manager Patty Sexton confirmed the hotel’s success Monday. In addition to booking the 42 hotel rooms, the St. James has hosted numerous parties and events.

“There’s almost not a night that goes by that somebody doesn’t show up with a reservation or a walk-in,” Sexton said. “And then with parties, we are almost booked out for the month of December. We have gotten a lot of positive feedback about the quality of the stay.”

Though some employees are volunteers, the hotel is also able to employ six part-time employees.

But at the beginning, Sexton said reopening the hotel in August after Gourmet Services LLC left the hotel seemed like a herculean task.

The Atlanta-based company quit managing the hotel in July, ending their five-year contract after only six months. After the company left, city officials complained about the hotel’s condition.

“The building was clearly not left in the condition it was left in,” Ward 1 councilman Cecil Williamson said.

Sexton said she and other employees did an initial assessment of the building and tackled basic tasks first, such as cleaning pillowcases and sheets. Now, Sexton says she is looking to reupholster several pieces of furniture and replace carpeting throughout the building.

“There is still tons that need to be done, but we have started with baby steps,” she said.

One task is restoring the hotel’s historic features, which date back to the mid 19th century. The hotel was built in 1837 as a home-away-from-home for visiting plantation owners. It closed in the 1900s after failing to keep up with competition from the nearby Hotel Albert.

Sexton attributed a significant amount of the hotel’s revival to help from local civic organizations.

“People are stepping up to the plate and donating lots of things,” Sexton said. “It’s clear that the community cares about the hotel. If we want to revitalize downtown, we are going to have to start with the St. James.”

Sexton says small things make stays at the St. James a positive experience. She told a story of a woman from Canada who extended her stay by two days after less than an hour in the hotel. The woman took a bus to Montgomery after reading about the civil rights movement. The St. James Hotel staff then set up a taxi to take her to Selma.

“She came in, checked in, went up to her room, came back down the steps and said ‘I’m not staying one night, I’m staying three.’” Sexton recalled. “She said ‘It’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen in Alabama yet.’”