Ramada St. James/Gaslamp Reviews

Not great, not bad either. Staff is really friendly, and helps to open the elevator's door (which has a lot of history on it), however the bathroom is too tiny.

The staff here is outstanding. They go above and beyond to help guests, answer questions, and are very friendly . I would definitely stay here again. This hotel is historic, a great location for walking to Petco Park, Convention Center and water front.

Hotel was perfect. It smelled clean and had everything I needed. It is very central to all the SD night life. Parking is cheaper here than most other lots and hotels. The hotel has a very old/classic style that is very unique. Even the elevator is over 100 years old! Will probably return.

One of the more affordable hotels in Gaslamp. Connected to Brian's24 restaurant that will deliver food to your room. I have stayed twice. Both were positive experiences.

Good location. Room was kind of small. The elevators were cool but a hassle if you have a lot of luggage. I would stay there again!

My husband and I "used to love this place" until there ghetto VALET drivers decided to move my car and break my passanger side mirror, NOT ADMITTING TO DOING THE DAMAGE!! There manager walked out side (with NO apologies) snapped a couple of pics and said someone would call me within 24hours. Did the person call? Yes, and there response to the action was "Hi mam, Sorry, but theres no proof that we did this and we are not responsible for any damages to anyones vheicles during your stay." REALLY?!?!?! WOW So UN PROFESSONAL!! I HATE THIS PLACE!! everyones LAZY AND SUPER UNPROFESSIONAL! I took care of the problem on my own TIME AND OWN MONEY, for something I NEVER DID. Just gotta love greedy F***KEN people!! I dont wish this on anyone, its the worst feeling when someone gives you a shity attitude and poor service! ;)

Has the World's fastest lift, as at 1913 and atill going. Great pressed metal.

Quirky old building with 100 yr old elevators and cool rooftop area. Small clean rooms with comfortable beds. Some street noise with window mount AC units. Exterior windows in dire need of cleaning. Easy walk or scooter to everything.

Old, old historical hotel, used to be hotel St. James. Park off site for $15 over night, 1block away.(See photo with address) Do not pay $40 a night and wait upto 30 minutes for your car. Excellent location, in the heart of gas lamp. Elevators are old and slow but very cool. The rooms are very small. The roof top deck is awesome with great views. I stayed 2 nights here 11-9-19 & 11-10-19. I would return if the rate was as cheap as I paid. I have added photos of the hotel and from room #722. I was there for fleet week which was absolutely amazing.

Stayed here on 3/8/2014. Room was horrible and fitlhy. The staff claimed that because the hotel is "historic" that it cannot be fully updated. I have stayed all over the world and small rooms in old buildings do not bother me. What bothers me is the old and unclean carpet, windows so dirty that you cannot see out of them and furniture that is obviously old and worn out.

Ramada, if you read these reviews, you should take your name off of this franchise. It is doing you a diservice. I will definitely think twice before staying with Ramada again because of this experience.

Overall the staff was very friendly and helpful.

Rooms are a bit on the small side. Had a good time on the roof top

Always a great stay in Gaslamp district, I just love old hotels , vintage

The feeling when you get into their elevator emphasises sudden dread but its shortly lifted away into happiness when seeing the rustic comfort of your room.

Rooms are too small for the price, personnel is wonderful.

Great staff. Wonderful food. Roof top is beautiful. Bed is outstanding.

This is a very, very budget hotel. I nearly hit the bed with the door when I opened it, the bathroom sink was in my bedroom, and the ceiling fan was so covered in dust that you could see clumps from the bed. It was a room that served as a place to sleep, but it wasn't enjoyable.

I stayed on the second floor the first night was quiet. Better to turn off the noisy air conditioner and turn on the quieter fan. The second night we did not sleep because in the room in front of the hotel the music and the screams went on until late. Clean room with soaps, hair dryer and coffee machine.

A nice retro style hotel with period style aminaties. Elevators are small, but are 1912 style. Rooms are comfortable. Hotel location is prime to many bars and restaurants. Rooftop access is prime especially for fireworks from the water front park.

Old school hotel. Very different. Built in 1914 but still has everything a hotel needs. Restaurant in hotel is pricey but the food is worth it. Recommend it for couples but not for young groups of friends. It is close to a lot of good bars and clubs

Service desk was full o nice people. Parking was frustrating. You had to wait too long for then to get your car. Elevators fit 3 and only one worked so I climbed the stairs every day. The restaurant was ehh. Rooms clean and bed comfortable. Ear plugs are on your bed. First clue that it was noisy. I think it's a good place for 20 year old folks only.

Had a WORST EXPERIENCE ever. Even a 0 star hotel would have been better. Worst staff and fron desk executive ever. I booked a suite for 6 people and 2 infants, 3 nights ago and while on the way to hotel on the day of arrival, one of their executive called that they cancelled the booking and they have allocated me into their sister hotel. Upon arrival to the new Hotel, I was surprized to get a room that is suitable only for 2 guests. I called Ramada and their front desk showed the worst behaviour one could ever imagine. Since it was the last moment and being a long weekend, we 6 people and 2 infants had to adjust in a room that didn't even had a proper bathroom since it was a homeymoon suite.. everything opened. It was more disturbing when I asked for the breakfast since we had that included but to my surprise they denied the breakfast, saying for a single room, they can give breakfast to 2 people only. I left the hotel early in the morning to never back back to such a CHEAP HOTEL.

People complaing about this hotel don't understand this hotel is more of a historic experience. If you want a 4-5 star hotel the book one next time. I did my research before arriving in San Diego from LA and I came to this hotel to experience a historic hotel. The elevator is just as it was first built. We booked a room in the top floor was very spacious. Rooms below decrease in size the lower you are to check in. Roof top was the best part of our stay. I was able to take beautiful pictures.

Everything was fine rooms were okay but Katherine was terrible I repeat Katherine valet was terrible

This is a quaint, historic hotel with a great look and feel. If you are looking for resort quality, don't stay here. The rooms are small and cozy, and the furnishings are simple. The customer service, however, is excellent and the location is great! My husband and I have stayed at this location 3 times. We love it!

Outdated and inadequate structure very small bathroom room almost unusable for the little space.

I checked into the hotel with my daughter not realizing I would be asked to sign a release stating they do not give refunds due to noise. When I went up to my room there were EARPLUGS laying on each bed and a sign suggesting to keep the window a/c on to drown out most of the noise. When I went down to the front desk I said this was never stated on the internet before prepaying for the room. That LOUD NOISE from the street activities may require ear plugs to sleep. I would have NEVER booked the room had I known. They would only refund one night of the 2 night stay. I asked how many people they make that kind of money off of....like a bait and switch.

BEWARE!!!! If you are looking for a place to sleep at night you are taking a big risk!!!

Budget priced hotel. Good location. Overnight/early morning crew are good people. Connected to a 24 eatery.

Very vintage. Old elevator that can be kind of slow and scary but it is really cool too. Roof top hangout, perfect for sunset and a bottle of wine. Small rooms but you don't need a large room unless you are actually planning on spending a lot of time in the room. Construction next door which is SUPER loud, they provide ear plugs which help mildly...

Really cool old building, old school elevator ( hundred years old) rooms are small but cozy. If you plan on spending a lot of time in your room maybe not the right choice although we spent a decent amount of time in ours.

Good hotel for short overnights. Old furniture with stained chairs inside rooms.

The historic atmosphere is great at this place. Heads up: valet parking only ($27/day w/ in & out privileges), and the elevator is antique with a cage door. Very cool place and a great location, although it can get noisy on the weekend.

This place has bed bugs! We booked 2 nights. They promised my partner and I that they would book us a place for two nights at the Courtyard.

They only paid for one night stating they would not pay for the second night even though they had a walk in letter stating 2 nights and made the reservation for 2 nights! This is what the manager Ashley stated.

The manager Ashely is a liar and should be fired! If they had not refunded us the money for the second night i would be taking them to court.

This place is horrible i would not recommend staying here. The manager Ashley needs more training at her job or replaced with somweone who knows what they are doing.

The location was perfect for my friends and I. The Ramada is withinnwalking distance of The House of Blues and the sushi restaraunt we attended. Our room was a two queen bed joined setup, with one bed per room. Beds were comfortable and linen satisfactory. In room bar was cramped, placed between the wall and long side of the bed. Another negative factor was the amount of floor space, in that, there was not much. Overall the room was old, yet charming and remained cool due to two ac window units, one per room. Two one liter complimentary bottles of Arrowhead water were provided. Valet parking takes awhile to get your car, so make sure to press '0' on your room phone before departing your room so they will fetch your car.

My wife and I stayed over new yrs, because its so close to the gaslamp district the noise from the night club next door reverberated thru the walls into our small cramped and dingy room, we requested a new room the following day and were lucky to get moved, however this room was in the middle of the hotel and had no windows, I would not return to this place, we were very unhappy with the condition of this old hotel, yes the "old" elevators are kinda cool but other than that... not worth the stay

Built in 1913 and doesn't seem like it's been upgraded. Rooms are small, out of date, and mine smells.

Where do I start? I was in a suite with two other women, and upon getting to our room, we realised the "bathroom" sink was actually in one of the bedrooms. Half the outlets in our room didn't work. The beds are extremely firm (which I enjoyed, personally, but others may not). The tub took forever to drain and because of that, it got filles with dirt and grime - which housekeeping didn't clean out. The trim around the window in that same shower was peeling and falling apart, exposing the wood framing. The toilet barely flushed. The elevator doors are next to impossible to open unless you have a "team" - and god help you if you're carrying anything. On top of that, the whole system gets buggy and will "stick" on floors and/or skip past some all together.
I love and appreciate old buildings as much as the next hippie, but geez... this place needs some serious help.

Old and outdated with creepy elevators that smell like trash. The rooftop patio IS awesome though and it's in a great location

Hall very beautiful. On the other hand, room quite small, bathroom not clean, and no parking available except valet parking but which costs $ 40 per night all the same. However, very friendly staff and are there to help when needed.

This hotel was built in the early 1900s and has the gated elevators to prove it. Although the rooms are modernized, they retain their quaintness. There is a 24 hour cafe in the lobby serving anything on the menu (except the alcohol) any time of day.
Why a low rating? Noise. There is a sign at the front desk warning that it is the entertainment district.... I am a heavy sleeper, but when the bars emptied around 2AM the noise was unreal. If only they had spent the money to install double pane windows....

The room was quaint. Spectacular view from the rooftop. The housekeeping was very attentive. Thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Ramada for Christmas

We did not stay here but we checked it out as it is famous. It is a cool old hotel. The rooms looked small but it is in a great location. The roof top deck is great and check out the crazy old elevator... worked fine but we took the stairs on the way down.

The hotel is wonderfully old and beautiful! The rooms are large. The elevator is the original elevator. The hotel is right in the middle of everything!!! We will go back!

Great staff. Roof top has a terrific view. Showers are a little small. Nice rustic feel.

Everything Old and inadequate only location central

There's something nostalgic about the old St. James Hotel. The voice of Frank Sinatra will softly welcome you into this portal to another era. There's a plaque near the elevators that reads, "These twin elevators were once the fastest in the world. People came from all over Southern California to marvel at their swiftness. Today the elevators still run at the same speed. The world, on the other hand, seems to be going a lot faster." To me, this plaque is a perfect metaphor for the hotel as a whole. Also, there is a rooftop lounging area accessible by all guests, and it provides incredible views of the San Diego skyline in every direction. No, this isn't the fanciest hotel in San Diego, but perhaps it was at one point in time, and the hotel is still in excellent shape and very well maintained. If you're like me, you will appreciate this place as a reminder of a simpler time. A time before cell phones, tablets, Facebook or Twitter. A time when socializing was done in person, maybe over a cocktail at the downstairs bar (open 24/7), or perhaps at the rooftop lounge, relaxing as you catch the last few rays provided by the beautiful sunny Califirnia Sky.

We have stayed here a couple of times, the hotel is a little older, but it's still a great spot to stay. Matthew at the front desk is awesome!

Loved the service, felt like someone was always around to help you when you needed it. The only issue in my opinion was the room, maybe out dated but could just be the style. Definitely a great location and price. Would stay here again, seems more historic than other chain places

This hotel really need a renovation. Everthing is outdated, my first impression was the elevator which was built mid 20th century. it was not eveny easy carry a cart in it. Secondly, room is really tiny and old. It still has old heating system which is an old radiator. I felt like I might get burned since it is located right next to the bed. The worst part was the AC unit. It is extreamly loud, and it made me hard to fall a sleep. I tried to turn it off. Unfortunately, it did not make big difference. I could hear the same noise from other rooms.

Great location and price. A little run down, but this just adds to the "antique" feel

What a cool hotel! There is such an old rustic vibe going on. The sinks were really cool and in what a good location. I would recommend it to anybody staying in Gaslamp.

Rooms are pretty minimal but staying here is very cool for the history factor alone. If you come back to the hotel drunk, plan for a long elevator ride. They were the fastest in the world in 1912 and remain largely unchanged. Customer service at the front counter is always on point and the place is pretty clean.

Loved the old school elevator!!! Double rooms were nice but the best part was the rooftop very beautiful view

Very basic hotel but very well located. Something uncomfortable bathrooms and no wardrobes in the rooms. Accept pets

Room very small and not clean. It's a historical building so cool looking in places but.....the roof was great!!!

Very strong chemical smell in the room.. the elevator was also very scary. So I used the stairs. Staff was okay. Pretty pricey for how small the room is. Construction site view from window.

Reasonable price for being downtown San Diego just that the rooms do need a little updating, it's a not dirty hotel it's just outdated

I love this hotel with its antique look, the location is also amazing.
This is not my first time here and won't be my last.

Worst hotel I've ever been to and I've been to many. The window was 3 inches from a brick wall, shower drain clogged and overflowing, dirty room, disgusting. Felt like a dark tomb. Couldn't even stay the night although I lost the money I paid since they wouldn't let me check out and get a refund within an hour of checking in. The elevator was very scary. Save yourself the trouble and book elsewhere.

Very old hotel, but will attend your basic needs... The best thing about it is the location.

Nice, quaint hotel. I'd stay again, but it's not for everyone. The elevators are original from 1915 and the rooms and bathrooms are small, but the bed is comfortable and you can't beat the location.

For the location of the hotel I really cannot complain but the rooms are small, yet cozy. AC worked very well and overhead fan as well. Room comes with 2 large bottles of water, nice addition. Shower and restroom is small but clean and enough space to handle your business.

There is a Valet option for $37/night. Good deal because you cannot park overnight anywhere near the hotel.

Look for a moderate deal and this hotel is worth it.

Very bad experience i had. Rooms are too small. No free parking. Bathroom taps were not worked properly. waste of spend money. Not worth to spend money for staying.

Excellent customer service. A clean room. Everything works. The water pressure is amazing.

Rooms are small. But they are nice for what I need. They are also very clean. The staff is pleasant and helpful. Was visiting for a convention.

The rooms aren't the nicest rooms in the world but it's relatively cheap in my opinion. One of the door locks is broken and didn't lock. Overall lots of things are broken and two extremely slow elevators that are very small. Not the best hotel, still enjoyed my stay. Might not be worth staying here for most people though.

Customer Service in the afternoon was horrible. When I checked in they were unprofessional, could not clarify what floor I was in, did not acknowledge me when I said hello at check in, and their vocabulary was street language. When I asked them how can get to Seaport Village, they stated either walk for 20 minutes or get a cab. Instead of referring to the Cable Car that was only a block away and stopped in front of Seaport Village. The hotel was old, and no window access to the outside, I can live with that. But the amount you pay for your stay, accommodations and customer service does not add up.

Staff was extremely friendly and welcoming. Adequate room for the price in a great location.

Location is great, staff is friendly, room has fresh linens but room size is small (15 ft x 12 ft) to the point it feels claustrophobic. The bathroom has no exhaust and bathroom window opens to a area that has garbage all over. Also window is old and has rust.

Please don t go by the photos by owners as wide lens makes the room look bigger.

I would say this ruined my first San Diego trip!

If you are a person who likes mold, rust, small shower area and water dripping from ceiling of bath area, this is a place for you!

It's a good hotel. The 1913 building is definitely aged but it is impressive because of that. The old elevators are even remarkable. I down graded it be wise the rooms are small ( old hotel) and there isn't any parking provided. It is too expensive to use their valet service. The hotel staff are kind and very thorough, and knowledgeable.

Wander full nice an cozy hotel not old but classy, the best to relax from a wild day in the glass lamp district

Really old building. No refrigerator or microwave. Lights in room didnt work. Only stayed one night and switched to a different hotel. Location is good!

The hotel is neat and clean, the staff attentive and friendly. This is an older hotel, so the rooms are smaller but a great location for the price

The room is a room that's for sure. It has a bed in it, it has a window, it has a toilet and a shower behind the door. The overall impression of the room has one word "underwhelming." So far the staff seem friendly enough.

Behind my sink looks like it hasn't had a good scrub down like the front. The room looks better with only the bedside lamp on. I'll just have to look out my really dirty window that doesn't seal quite right and have my tiny air conditioner keep me cool.