Selma’s St. James Hotel reopens doors with ribbon-cutting ceremony
Officials cut the ribbon on the newly reopened St. James Hotel in Selma. The renovated historic structure will provide visitors an interesting place to stay and give locals a nice place to have dinner. (Brannon Cahela/The Selma Times-Journal)
After years of negotiations, planning and renovations, the historic St. James Hotel in Selma has reopened its doors.
The Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting for the hotel that was well-attended by elected officials, community stakeholders and interested residents who were eager to see what Rhaglan Hospitality has done with the property.
“It’s a day that we’ve all been anticipating,” said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheryl Smedley. “Not only the community of Selma, Alabama, but across the nation and especially our tourist and travel industry. People have anticipated being able to come and stay in this historic property.”
Smedley said the reopening of the hotel will be an asset not only for visitors, but for locals as well, hailing the full-service restaurant and bar as a welcome addition to Selma.
“A nice restaurant in Selma is always welcome,” she said. “This will be a nice place for locals to go and enjoy a wholesome meal.”
Selma Mayor James Perkins attended the ceremony to welcome the hotel and its management team into the community.
“This is really exciting for us. We need an anchor facility, especially in this area, so we can complete the process of development,” Perkins said. “The St. James is the ideal opportunity for that, and we have to keep the momentum going and capitalize on it.”
Perkins said he has seen ownership of the St. James change hands many times and experienced both the highs and lows that the property has brought the city.
“I think this may be my third ribbon-cutting for the St. James,” he said. “But this one feels better. The reason it feels better is because there’s private ownership. This feels sustainable. We have folks who understand the hospitality business doing this work. I have confidence in them and trust that they will do what’s right for our community.”
This story originally appeared in The Selma Times-Journal.
