Sheraton Grand Panama [Master Thread]
Aug 10, 2010, 10:43 am
#1
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Join Date: Apr 2001
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Sheraton Grand Panama [Master Thread]
I did a search. Any and all comments on this property appreciated. Looking to go later this month. Thanks.
Sep 17, 2010, 4:08 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA,USA
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Posts: 566
Does anyone know if this is the old Caesar Park? It certainly looks like it, but I had thought the property left Starwood several years ago. Maybe it's back; I'm probably going there for Thanksgiving and write a trip report
Sep 17, 2010, 5:51 pm
#5
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Join Date: Oct 2000
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When I google, they come up with the same address: Via Israel Y Calle 77. And this TripAdvisor reviews from 2005 refer to it interchangeably by both names:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...nama_City.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...nama_City.html
Sep 17, 2010, 9:14 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: New York City
Programs: AA EXP, DL DM, SPG Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,127
Yes, it is the old CP for sure. I'll be there just before Thanksgiving - lets hope its been renovated......
Dec 25, 2010, 10:57 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA,USA
Programs: AA Plat, DL Gold, UAL Premier, SPG Plat, HH Gold
Posts: 566
I stayed there for 3 days over Thanksgiving. They have really done a lot of development in the surrounding area - lots of new condo towers. This place has a good pool, tennis courts, and excellent sancocho in the restaurant in the basement. They original put us in a suite on the 4th floor, which smelled funny. We were then moved to the "Royal" suite on the 14th floor which was nice. We checked out and came back later and stayed on a suite on the 8th floor which was OK.
The club lounge on the 15th floor has a pretty good breakfast, and a decent afternoon snack. The front driveway is a bit of a hassle if you are valet parking. We used onte onsite Budget rental car.
This is not a central Panama City location, but you are right next to the nighway with a short drive into the city (when the traffic isnt bad), and straight to the airport. Overall, not a bad choice for a few days in Panama City
The club lounge on the 15th floor has a pretty good breakfast, and a decent afternoon snack. The front driveway is a bit of a hassle if you are valet parking. We used onte onsite Budget rental car.
This is not a central Panama City location, but you are right next to the nighway with a short drive into the city (when the traffic isnt bad), and straight to the airport. Overall, not a bad choice for a few days in Panama City
Oct 2, 2011, 9:11 am
#8
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: LH Sen, Starwood Amb, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 340
I am currently staying at the Sheraton Panama on C&P, and was pleasantly satisfied to find that the hotel and its service are actually in better shape than the tripadvisor comments would suggest. Due to full occupancy I was not able to get a platinum upgrade, but the room was fine nonetheless and the bathroom quite decent although on the small side.
Beware of rooms close to the elevators. I hear that people in those rooms suffer a lot from the noise.
Dining options are not massive but adequate. The main restaurant has a good buffet at reasonable prices, and the a la carte options are also good, including room service which uses the exact same menu as the restaurant. In addition, there are many high quality restaurants within a five minute taxi ride. I would recommend using the hotel-commissioned cars rather than the regular yellow taxis, since they both charge foreigners the same rate, and the hotel cars are cleaner, more reliable, and can easily be arranged to bring you back to the hotel at any time as well.
The staff are very pleasant and responsive, and they really have to be so, given the many glitches that I have been encountering and continue to expect during my stay: For example, while I do have lounge access, my room card loses its capacity to open the lounge, and needs reactivation every day. Four days into my stay I discovered that newspapers were indeed available to others but never to me - they said they would fix this tomorrow. Same for complimentary water, which was not provided initially, till I discovered others were getting it and requested it. The internet password they gave me on check-in worked only for one day, despite my stay being much longer, and I had to get a new one the second day, for the rest of my stay. On check-in I agreed for my credit card and room account to be used for incidentals (apparently it is necessary to do so explicitly), but still received a letter in the room telling me that they couldn't charge a tour to my room because I need to have provided that agreement... Lots of little annoyances; many probably due to an absence of awareness of the SPG platinum status, but nothing really significant. I'm sure they'll get there with time.
Beware of rooms close to the elevators. I hear that people in those rooms suffer a lot from the noise.
Dining options are not massive but adequate. The main restaurant has a good buffet at reasonable prices, and the a la carte options are also good, including room service which uses the exact same menu as the restaurant. In addition, there are many high quality restaurants within a five minute taxi ride. I would recommend using the hotel-commissioned cars rather than the regular yellow taxis, since they both charge foreigners the same rate, and the hotel cars are cleaner, more reliable, and can easily be arranged to bring you back to the hotel at any time as well.
The staff are very pleasant and responsive, and they really have to be so, given the many glitches that I have been encountering and continue to expect during my stay: For example, while I do have lounge access, my room card loses its capacity to open the lounge, and needs reactivation every day. Four days into my stay I discovered that newspapers were indeed available to others but never to me - they said they would fix this tomorrow. Same for complimentary water, which was not provided initially, till I discovered others were getting it and requested it. The internet password they gave me on check-in worked only for one day, despite my stay being much longer, and I had to get a new one the second day, for the rest of my stay. On check-in I agreed for my credit card and room account to be used for incidentals (apparently it is necessary to do so explicitly), but still received a letter in the room telling me that they couldn't charge a tour to my room because I need to have provided that agreement... Lots of little annoyances; many probably due to an absence of awareness of the SPG platinum status, but nothing really significant. I'm sure they'll get there with time.
May 19, 2012, 10:42 am
#9
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: PMD-ORD-AZO-ILO-NRT
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Posts: 744
Currently doing some hopping here: spent last night at the Sheraton and tonight here at LM.
They finished renovations a while back so the rooms do look fresher (though the hallways already look like they've been taking a beating!). Managed to get an upgrade to a suite which was originally two connected bedrooms and therefore had two doors to get in. Admittedly I was surprised when I walked into my room and found that I was already staring at my bed when I thought I received the suite upgrade...only to realize the connecting door and that the living room was one door down.
The bathroom can be a bit tight and there was just a standing shower and no bathtub in the suite I was in...though you do get a choice of two showers! (another legacy of creating the suite out of two separate adjoining rooms. 
)
Found the lounge to be lovely with hot breakfast options and made-to-order omelets. Evening hors d'oeuvres included two hot options, one of which was steamed mussels. ^ Also did the buffet for lunch and agree with Sphinx that it was reasonably priced (as far as hotel buffets go!). There's also the Las Hadas Bakery which is open 24 hours and can be found in the other end of the hotel shopping center.
Staff-wise, I found them to be great, in particular FD agent Erika who offered me a temporary room while waiting for my suite to be ready. ^ (I declined it in favor of waiting in the lounge, but I really did appreciate the option!)
They finished renovations a while back so the rooms do look fresher (though the hallways already look like they've been taking a beating!). Managed to get an upgrade to a suite which was originally two connected bedrooms and therefore had two doors to get in. Admittedly I was surprised when I walked into my room and found that I was already staring at my bed when I thought I received the suite upgrade...only to realize the connecting door and that the living room was one door down.
The bathroom can be a bit tight and there was just a standing shower and no bathtub in the suite I was in...though you do get a choice of two showers! (another legacy of creating the suite out of two separate adjoining rooms. )Found the lounge to be lovely with hot breakfast options and made-to-order omelets. Evening hors d'oeuvres included two hot options, one of which was steamed mussels. ^ Also did the buffet for lunch and agree with Sphinx that it was reasonably priced (as far as hotel buffets go!). There's also the Las Hadas Bakery which is open 24 hours and can be found in the other end of the hotel shopping center.
Staff-wise, I found them to be great, in particular FD agent Erika who offered me a temporary room while waiting for my suite to be ready. ^ (I declined it in favor of waiting in the lounge, but I really did appreciate the option!)
Jan 2, 2014, 2:54 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: London. Edinburgh, Cornwall
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Posts: 7,941
The spg.com site appears to show a completely wrong map location for the Sheraton - certainly one that doesn't match the address.
The Sheraton (and the new Aloft next door) seems like a not bad option, although a longer taxi ride from nightlife, old town etc compared to the Le Meridien - if I have understood correctly.
The Sheraton (and the new Aloft next door) seems like a not bad option, although a longer taxi ride from nightlife, old town etc compared to the Le Meridien - if I have understood correctly.
Dec 22, 2016, 9:58 pm
#13
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat
Posts: 182
Stayed here and at the Aloft next door recently. They are basically comparable, especially since you can use the Sheraton's pool even if you are an Aloft guest (there is no key entry to the Sheraton pool). The Sheraton pool is nice-- big area with palm trees and a bar and tennis courts. The Sheraton rooms are nothing to write home about, but aren't bad either. The worst thing about the Sheraton is that the lobby area is chaotic because there are so many weddings/parties/conventions etc going on all the time. Also (and it wasn't too big a deal) the staff at the lobby bar are hilariously unresponsive-- even with no one else at the bar they sit there looking away such that you have to call someone else to tell them that you'd like to order something (this happened every time I went to the bar).
The Aloft rooms are slightly more modern than the Sheraton's. The Aloft lobby is the usual garish purple/color splash design, not very conducive to hanging out in. But the Aloft pool, though small, has a nice little deck with cozy lounge chairs and cubbies to hang out in.
All in all these are decent hotels to stay in if you want lower price SPG properties in Panama (the Aloft is the better value). The area around them is a bit boring-- the only walkable attraction is the local mall. But you can catch a cab or Uber to the other areas.
The Aloft rooms are slightly more modern than the Sheraton's. The Aloft lobby is the usual garish purple/color splash design, not very conducive to hanging out in. But the Aloft pool, though small, has a nice little deck with cozy lounge chairs and cubbies to hang out in.
All in all these are decent hotels to stay in if you want lower price SPG properties in Panama (the Aloft is the better value). The area around them is a bit boring-- the only walkable attraction is the local mall. But you can catch a cab or Uber to the other areas.
Jan 26, 2017, 10:55 am
#14
Join Date: Jan 2013
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Another update: staying at the Sheraton right now and actually writing this from the pool deck.
Renovations are holding up but they're standard hotel rooms. The lobby is nice but hectic.
Traffic on the street in front of the hotel can be hell, I walked 3 blocks to meet my Uber last night because it was stupid for me to be standing there and he stuck in traffic.
That said, after about 9 PM traffic stops being an issue. Yes, not a central location in Via Espana or Paitilla, but it's close to everything and there's a few bars/restaurants within walking distance. Yesterday I dropped off my dry cleaning at the cleaners 2 blocks away and picked up a six pack of beer for the room from the corner "tienda".Ubers around town have been averaging $4-$6 during daytime hours and $2-$5 during evening hours.
The pool area and tennis courts are nice, the gym is amazing (although the location in the lobby is a bit odd). Beware, because of the location you get a lot of construction and road noise in the pool area during the day, but in a city as dense as Panama the bigger shock would be a quiet pool area.
The food at the Las Hadas bakery is very good, have not tried the other restaurants. Room service grilled chicken and baked potato was passable. The bar closes around 11 but the casino's bar is open until 1:30 AM (on a Tuesday night, anyways).
My only complaint has to do with an ongoing dispute with the staff. I called to ask for a room service menu because there was not one in the booklet in the room. For almost 20 hours over 2 days they simply refused to bring a menu up because one is supposed to be included in the booklet they leave in the room. I called 5 different times and spoke to someone at the front desk or concierge desk 3 times and the requests to have a menu sent up went unfulfilled.
Finally someone came to the room to look for the menu, and once they confirmed it wasn't in the booklet they had one sent up. Customer service can be bad in Panama, this was just a ridiculous example.
That said, I will probably stay here again in September. The property is nice enough and the location works for me. I'm here to visit family and friends so I'm more looking for a home base where people can stop by and visit or pick me up/drop me off easily. That would be harder in Paitilla or Via Espana.
The Le Meridien doesn't seem worth it for the extra cost and the location would be comparable to slightly worse for me. The Aloft may be a good choice as you share the pool and gym but the Sheraton lounge is nice enough to be worth the extra cost. Oh yes, the lounge is quiet, spacious, and the food decent. I've been up there 2 nights and free beer and wine was offered from 6-9. The breakfast food offerings were excellent this morning and I didn't even notice the hot food options until after I stuffed myself fool of salmon, deli meats, fruit, and Frosted Flakes.
PS: try the nachos at Las Hadas in the lobby, surprisingly good. So are the empanadas. I hear the chocolate cake is worth writing home about but I've yet to try it.
Renovations are holding up but they're standard hotel rooms. The lobby is nice but hectic.
Traffic on the street in front of the hotel can be hell, I walked 3 blocks to meet my Uber last night because it was stupid for me to be standing there and he stuck in traffic.
That said, after about 9 PM traffic stops being an issue. Yes, not a central location in Via Espana or Paitilla, but it's close to everything and there's a few bars/restaurants within walking distance. Yesterday I dropped off my dry cleaning at the cleaners 2 blocks away and picked up a six pack of beer for the room from the corner "tienda".Ubers around town have been averaging $4-$6 during daytime hours and $2-$5 during evening hours.
The pool area and tennis courts are nice, the gym is amazing (although the location in the lobby is a bit odd). Beware, because of the location you get a lot of construction and road noise in the pool area during the day, but in a city as dense as Panama the bigger shock would be a quiet pool area.
The food at the Las Hadas bakery is very good, have not tried the other restaurants. Room service grilled chicken and baked potato was passable. The bar closes around 11 but the casino's bar is open until 1:30 AM (on a Tuesday night, anyways).
My only complaint has to do with an ongoing dispute with the staff. I called to ask for a room service menu because there was not one in the booklet in the room. For almost 20 hours over 2 days they simply refused to bring a menu up because one is supposed to be included in the booklet they leave in the room. I called 5 different times and spoke to someone at the front desk or concierge desk 3 times and the requests to have a menu sent up went unfulfilled.
Finally someone came to the room to look for the menu, and once they confirmed it wasn't in the booklet they had one sent up. Customer service can be bad in Panama, this was just a ridiculous example.
That said, I will probably stay here again in September. The property is nice enough and the location works for me. I'm here to visit family and friends so I'm more looking for a home base where people can stop by and visit or pick me up/drop me off easily. That would be harder in Paitilla or Via Espana.
The Le Meridien doesn't seem worth it for the extra cost and the location would be comparable to slightly worse for me. The Aloft may be a good choice as you share the pool and gym but the Sheraton lounge is nice enough to be worth the extra cost. Oh yes, the lounge is quiet, spacious, and the food decent. I've been up there 2 nights and free beer and wine was offered from 6-9. The breakfast food offerings were excellent this morning and I didn't even notice the hot food options until after I stuffed myself fool of salmon, deli meats, fruit, and Frosted Flakes.
PS: try the nachos at Las Hadas in the lobby, surprisingly good. So are the empanadas. I hear the chocolate cake is worth writing home about but I've yet to try it.
Last edited by fsuj25; Jan 26, 2017 at 11:01 am Reason: Formatting