The Palms, Turks and Caicos

The Palms is a stunning property in an incredible location. The grounds, beach, and views are genuinely beautiful, and the physical environment has all the potential of a true five-star experience. Unfortunately, the service and management simply aren’t at a five-star level, and that ultimately defined the stay. It feels like a solid four-star property, and that final star is all about service. There is a lack of sharpness and initiative to surprise and delight at ever touchpoint. Across the board, the staff feels junior, untrained, and without guidance from experienced managers who set standards or model what great hospitality looks like. Nothing is proactive. You have to ask for everything, whether at breakfast, lunch, or even on the beach. Yesterday it took over an hour for someone to come by at the beach and check if I needed anything. No smile, no good energy, like he didn’t want to be there. There’s also a frustrating lack of consistency. When I walked into the lobby, I watched other guests receive towels and welcome beverages. Multiple staff members were chatting with each other, and nobody offered me anything. When I asked for water, the response was, “Oh, you didn’t get a drink?” followed by someone shouting across the lobby for another employee to bring one. No towel. No welcome. At a five-star property, a car pulling up should cue staff to be ready with towels, drinks, and a warm greeting. Instead, it often felt like employees were on a break, not setting the tone for the guest experience. Small moments that should be instinctive in a luxury resort are consistently missed. We have a young child with us, and at every other hotel and restaurant on the island, staff immediately bring crayons, plastic cups instead of glass, and make the table feel family-friendly without being asked. Here, multiple glass cups kept being placed in front of her. It genuinely feels like many staff are in their very first hospitality job with no one coaching them. Another example: at Sisi, the dinner menu included a Taco Tuesday insert. We asked if we could order from it, and the manager said, “Oh, that’s just a marketing tactic, you can’t actually order from it.” No fine-dining restaurant would ever say that. A simple “Not tonight, but come join us on Tuesdays” would have been appropriate. Instead, it felt low-budget and unpolished, and again highlighted that management doesn’t understand the guest experience. No one cares about their marketing tactics. There are so many easy wins that seasoned leadership would implement. On the beach, bring guests water automatically rather than waiting to be asked. At the pool, offer a small smoothie or dessert sample to elevate the experience and create more opportunities to upsell. Seven Stars does this. Grace Bay Club does this. The Palms does not. The issue isn’t the property. It’s the lack of experienced, accountable service to drive training, consistency, energy, and attention to detail. Without that, small misses become big ones, and a gorgeous resort becomes just an average stay. With so many nearby hotels delivering truly exceptional service, I’m not sure I’d recommend The Palms until leadership elevates the experience to match the setting.

Arleen our breakfast hostess was exceptional. Great sense of humour and very helpful. Couldn't ask for better service

My time at The Palms was so lovely. The property is clean, beautiful, and lively. The staff will make just about anything happen and they are all incredibly friendly. All the restaurants were lovely and the staff was just awesome. Extra shoutout to Noel, Arlean, and Milos for standout service at every turn.

This is our 2nd stay at The Palms and we are very pleased with the resort and staff. We had a beautiful view of the ocean, great spacious room, very clean and they check our needs 2-3 times a day and we were provided with everything we needed and more. Staff members are all very friendly, helpful, courteous, professional and just pleasant to everyone. Whitney at the Concierge desk was lovely and gave us recommendations to the restaurants in the area and made reservations for us and she was spot on with everything she recommended. Jane the hostess at the Breakfast Buffet was sweet, always with a smile and very accommodating. Astranek, a server at the Breakfast Buffet, sang a beautiful , short birthday song for my husband and made his day….it was wonderful! The staff on the beach was great, very attentive and caters to your needs. The staff really does go out of their way to help you and make sure you are satisfied! The check in and check out process was easy and actually the minute you step into the lobby, you are greeted with a cool face towel and a refreshing drink…..the perfect touch. We walked around some other hotels and accommodations in the area and we decided that The Palms had the most beautiful pool n pool area. We would definitely stay there again in the future.

Place is amazing. The food, the atmosphere and the people just make it all great. Breakfast is my favorite, Arlean would make that part perfect!