The Palms is a beautiful property located on Miami Beach. The beach itself is white sand and not overcrowded. The property has a pool with an outdoor Tiki theme and the entire place gives the feeling of a caribbean resort. This part of Miami beach was not very happening at night but that was okay for us.
The rooms are small but very nice. Large windows provided natural light and the color scheme was very ocean (blues and browns). The bed was comfortable. The bathroom set-up was annoying however. The commode is in a separate cubby immediately when you enter the room. In a 'green' effort to save water, when you flush the toilet the sink automatically comes on (runs while the toilet tank is filling). However, if you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, the sound of loudly running water continues (for what seems like forever), disturbing all who try to sleep. Small thing but irritating.
My biggest complaint was the service. Everyone smiles and is friendly but there doesn't seem to be any service associated with that. For example, I arrived earlier than the posted check-in time of 4 pm. They did not have a room available but promised to call me when it was ready. No call ever came. I eventually checked back at the desk and the room was ready. They failed to give me internet access or a beach card - the only reason I knew to ask was that I overheard another clerk speaking to another guest. Every time I went to get a beach towel, the attendant was either missing or was out of towels (3 times). On the beach, there is purportedly service for food or drinks. Out of a total of 4 hours I spent on the beach over two days, the servers never once came to check on myself and my guest. It wasn't just me, people all around me were frantically waving at them for attention with no luck (they seemed to wait on one person at a time and slowly at that). Most people gave up and went back to the hotel property to get drinks themselves. When I did this, the Tiki bar was so crowded I couldn't get near. I then went to the Verandah, after giving up on the beach. The bartender was out dropping off drinks at another table. I had to ask for a minute to look at the menu. Tactical error - she never came back. I had to go inside to order, at which point I ordered extra in case we never got served again. The next morning when I asked if we could delay our check-out by one hour, I was simply told no.
So overall, this hotel looks better than it is. No substance to back up the charm. Happily for them, they automatically charge you an 18% gratuity for your convenience, so you don't have to decide how much to tip the poor service.
Room Tip: We had 1001 - that side of the hotel is away from the current construction going on next door and, b...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
February 28, 2013
Dear NieSB27,
Thank you for taking the time to review our beautiful property as you mentioned and choosing to stay with us. First and foremost, I regret the unfortunate and atypical service incidents that you have experienced. Please be assured that Guest satisfaction is paramount at The Palms and your comments have been addressed. Everyone in our staff is highly dedicated to providing all of our Guests with excellent service and warm hospitality. When your travels bring you back to our city, we would be very pleased to have you as our guest again so that you may experience the high level of service and personal attention that The Palms is known for.
With warm regards from the entire Palms team!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.