Budgetel Pompano Beach

The price was reasonable, and at least the TV worked. There’s a nice pool, but the room badly needs a deep clean. I washed the dirty walls myself, and it didn’t look like the floors had been vacuumed. There was Brillo on the ground behind the headboard, and I got nervous enough to look under the bed. A crack behind the toilet let a medium sized bug into the bathroom, which really grossed me out. Thankfully, I didn’t find bedbugs. There’s no coffee in the room or lobby. I’m pretty picky, but the cleaning effort seemed very minimal. My husband says he’d stay there again, so maybe it didn’t bother him as much.

The place felt run down and we didn’t feel safe or comfortable there. There were stains on the furniture, mold, half patched holes in the walls, and a door that looked as though it had been kicked in several times. The curtains were missing, leaving only drapes that didn’t close all the way, so people passing by could see the bed reflected in the wall mirror. A few people were arrested a few doors down, and the other guests seemed questionable. This is nothing like the photos from seven or more years ago. Expedia said we had to ask the manager for a refund, and the manager refused. Never again.

My wife left without staying because the room made her feel unsafe. She had booked a place to nap with our daughter during a long travel day, before getting back on the road. When she tried to lock the door, there was no security latch. In the bathroom, a wall safe stood open with food stored inside, as if someone were living in the room. A man was also walking back and forth outside smoking, which frightened her. She didn’t feel safe going to the lobby, so she left. I called within 30 minutes, but nobody answered. I later spoke with management, who did nothing, and when I asked for the owner’s contact information, I was refused and eventually hung up on. In response to the owner, we did not use escalating language with staff, so please address that with your team. We did ask for a refund because nobody should have to feel that way where they’re staying. Yes, my later call was four days afterward because we were attending an event for our son, but I also called shortly after my wife left and got no answer. It doesn’t matter who we booked through, you still got paid. That’s no excuse for refusing a refund given the deplorable condition the room had been left in. With the safe wide open, nobody could have missed all the things inside it. I’d like you to contact me so we can discuss this further.

The staff were fantastic, really nice people. I’m pretty sure it’s family owned. We only stayed one night, but the price and location mean we’ll definitely come back when we’re traveling. There was also a tiny family owned coffee shop up the road.