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James Hotel: Desert Rose or Barren Wasteland?

Where: 7353 East Indian School Road [map], Scottsdale, AZ, United States, 85251

January 11, 2005 at 9:40 AM | 0 Comments

When the James Hotel opened in January 2004 it was most definitely in soft launch mode. While many guests didn't have to pay for their rooms, the freebie did come with a catch; some of the 200 rooms were without working phones and televisions. While this hotel didn't get off on the right foot, things got better in March of 2004, when a bevy of celebs stayed at the boutique property, boosting the properties profile as a place to see and be scene. Paris Hilton and Nick Carter (no word if this is where he allegedly beat her), Rachel Hunter, the dude that lost Carrie Bradshaw, and the dude from Law & Order SVU, all stayed at the James in a span of a couple months.

While the hotel is still in the throes of shaping its public persona, it does seem worth a stay just to see if it is all style and no substance, no style and no substance, a terrible hotel, or a desert rose.

A couple more reasons to check it out? Fisrt, Deborah Berke was one of the initial designers, and her firm DBPA contributed to New York's 2012 Olympic bid. The firm contributed the design for the Queensbridge Athletic Center, which will house track cycling and badminton, if New York wins the bid. Second, you can probably get a room right around $200, if you look hard enough.

As usual, if you have stayed at the James, or are going to stay at the James, leave a comment on this stroy and let us know what you thought.

Related Stories:
· James Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]