I was consistently disappointed throughout my stay at the James. I had heard from others that it was "agreeable" and "workable" and "all right," or even "a nice place." I figured that there would be no problems and booked a guestroom for a long weekend visit with my long-distance girlfriend. According to the website, I was about to immerse myself and my date in a bath of cutting-edge contemporary furnishings and "warm tones." Well, when I arrived, I felt like I was in an Ikea showroom just before closing time on a busy day. Everything in the front was just a bit too askew. The staff were busy, distracted, inattentive, and in every way keen to show me I was a bother to them. I handled my own bags far too much to be convinced of their commitment to my comfort. I also thought my room was quite pathetic for its price. It looked distinctly like someone had rolled around on the beds just before I got there. The bathroom fixtures felt a little bit gross and smelled very strongly, inexplicably, of men's cologne. Nobody cared when I complained of this and suggested that maybe it was just "stuck in my nose" and that it would go away. Well, it didn't, and I had a horrible headache by the time my lady arrived. This ruined my entire first evening in Chicago. For my price I could have stayed a week at an economy hotel, gotten my personal items treated for bedbugs, and still saved money. And I would not have been treated like such a pest. Needless to say, I will be looking elsewhere when I go back to Chicago. I may not be a frequent patron of luxury hotels, but I know when I am wasting my money.
