The St. James Hotel was featured in the Historic Hotels of America 2005 Directory, the the fifth time in as many years.

“We’re members of the Historic Hotels Association,” St. James Manager Janet Dawkins said.

Since becoming a member of the Association, Dawkins said she’s seen interest in the St. James and Selma grow.

“There’s an increased interest in historic hotels and the preservation of historic buildings and hotels,” she said.

A lot of the advertisement comes from the Historic Hotels Web site, according to Dawkins.

The St. James is also featured on the site, which allows potential guests to reserve rooms online.

While the directory helps promote the city and the hotel, Dawkins said it was just one of the things the hotel is involved in to help expand business.

“We work closely with the tourism board and the Chamber of Commerce,” Dawkins said.

The St. James is often featured in brochures distributed to guests and visitor centers, bringing even more people into town.

The St. James also participates in package tours, allowing visitors to come to town and stay the night during special events, like Market Day and Jubilee.

“They’re provided to travel agents,” Dawkins said.

The efforts seem to be paying off.

In spring, the hotel is also planning to hold a wedding expo, allowing local brides to meet with various vendors and wedding planners, to help make their wedding the best in town.

The St. James is poised to enter its busiest time of the year, with Jubilee and Pilgrimage coming up, they’re already showing more robust numbers.

“This January is a little busier for us than normal,” Dawkins said.

She said soon, it’ll be even busier.

“At the first of the year it really starts to crank up,” she said.