Universal Palms Hotel

The staff checking in and out were very personable.The maintenance staff and the other staff on the facility were generally nice. The room had an older tube television set and a stained chair which was my first observation upon entering the room. One of the light bulbs was missing from a lamp when i first got there (this was the light switch operated lamp). They replaced it, but I couldn't tell how soon it was done as I did not return for close to 5 hours. The bathroom was nice and the room was cleaned daily. The elevator had issues throughout my trip. It stalled for minutes before descending on a number of occasions ( I was on the 5th Fl). This all set the mood for my stay in this hotel. The elevator caused one staff to panic while stuck with me, but I pushed the 5th floor button as we did not move and the door opened. I walked down the stairs to notify the front desk staff about the issue. One of the staff appeared to feel what i said was incredulous and asked me how i came downstairs. Almost as if the stairs were nonexistent. The elevator issues occurred throughout my 2 day stay. The WiFi was barely usable in my room and didn't afford me much use in my stay. I noticed people using it in the lobby, though. The pool looked clean and the facilities didn't appear unclean. Someone spilled a beer in the elevator, a staff was moping it up maybe 20 minutes or so later. The train tracks are right behind the hotel and the noise is loud and frequent especially if you are being roomed toward the back of the hotel. It is only 6 miles form FLL airport though. You can refuel on the corner and should be able to make it to the hotel with a full tank. I didn't go to the bar, so I can't comment on it. I have been to three different hotels recently outside of this one and all three provided me a better experience for less money. It could have been a worse experience, but i found it lacking and resolved to just sleep and bath while there in the room. I will not be returning to this hotel again, but that is my opinion.

I wouldn't recomend this hotel for any part of the year other than the winter months. Poor location because it isn't near the beach and it is right next to the railroad tracks. The train is heard several times throughout the day. It is fine for just a place to sleep. The train isn't heard in the wee hours of the night while sleeping. I'd stay there again if it was in the winter only. A good value for what it is.

Paid extra for a poolside view which I did not get

It was not good. The staff was excellent ... very nice people, but the rest was awful. The room had a perpetual stink that I couldnt get rid of with room fresheners. The beds were hard and lumpy. The room temperature was hot, then cold, then hot. The air conditioner / heater didnt work correctly, and they did not provide blankets. The water pressure in the shower was so bad I had to use a wet towel to clean my self and could not even rinse the soap our of my hair. To make it worse, the Hotel is located next to a railroad track and every 15 mins a train would blast its horn while passing. ... day and night.

I had several issues with the room keys, I had to constantly go to the front desk and get new ones, but even those wouldn't work at times. They didn't clean my room one day due to a mistake done by a front desk rep, and when I talked to her she tried to blame someone else and showed no effort on trying to make things right for us. There is a rail road nearby and trains are very loud at night. The hotel has potential, but it needs better maintenance

Rooms came nowhere near my expectations! Although the staff I came into contact with were very nice, I would never stay here again.

This hotel is in between the railroad tracks and the ghetto. If all you want is a bed for a few hours, this is your place. There is a little bar in the lobby that's OK but I wouldn't reccomend going out anywhere on foot. The room was clean except for pewbs in the shower and one on the towel, gross! The front desk people were nice but they can only do so much and know where they're located. Someone invested a little money to redo the rooms but you can tell it still needs a total overhaul.

We were upgraded to King suite on inside which was nice and kept us sheltered from the railroad tracks next door. Staff was friendly and room was clean. First issue was slow draining shower and bathroom sink; reported it but nothing done to correct. We read there were issues, but ankle deep in shower a little excessive. Also found out that booking on-line negates "free" continental breakfast. Not that we missed much, but information should have been provided at booking. The TVs were updated flatscreens but the cable service still lacking. Still fit our budget and was close enough to where we wanted to be. Good value overall.

Easily the worst hotel I've ever experienced! The lobby was nice, but, the rooms were terrible! The beds thrown together, hotel location is less than desirable. Although the staff was very helpful, I would never stay here again!!

this hotel was what I expected. It was clean. Expected. The staff, when I arrived, was involved in talking with itself (3 of them) at the check-in area and they could have recognized me more quickly.