One extra star for the Minnesota nice at the front desk. Otherwise, this place suffers from a lack of competition.
We stayed there three nights during a family Christmas reunion. First thing, we walk in and the front desk staff is sitting in the little dining area where they can't see the, you know, front desk. We finally had to ring them on the phone they have sitting out there for just such cases. And it took two of them to check us in. Why? I have no idea.
The room was okay, a standard Super 8 place. There was a separate entrance down by our room; it was nice we didn't have to keep coming through the lobby. The bed was sloping and the pillows were like melted cheese bags, uncomfortably soft with no support at all for your head.
There was a flimsy blanket, one of those weird fuzzy ones that offer no warmth at all. One blanket. In December. In Minnesota. In a room in which the temp controls were dicey at best.
The coup d'yuck was breakfast. Now, I have chastised people when they have complained about the free breakfast offered at chains. I freely admit this. However, if you offer breakfast, it might be nice that it be edible. I'm not talking tasty. Just edible. As a vegetarian, I always have to steel myself for whatever treats might be out on the table. In this case, I don't think it mattered what you ate. If you were human, good luck in finding something. There was a big crockpot of something gray by the toast. At first I thought it might be home-made (or pre-made or something-made) oatmeal until I realized it was gravy. I mean, I think it was gravy. The stains on the inside of the pot are clues that it is simply put away until the next morning when it is reheated for its next victims.
I settled for pre-packaged peaches. Then I tried to fix some coffee. Holy cats, the Cohen brothers should come here to film their next movie. First, I pour in half-and-half from the tiny plastic cups. It immediately bubbles up into those curds that tell you you just ruined a cup of coffee. But then it didn't matter. I had thought the cups were insulated really well until I noticed the coffee was lukewarm. I tried another carafe that was sitting near the lobby. Same problem. Disgusting. I ended up walking to the truck stop that shared the lot and scrounging for pastries and coffee that wasn't on the ass-end of the spectrum
If you have to stay in St. James, then this is the most accessible place in terms of the highway. If you have a choice, keep going. read more
