DISCUSSION for Hilton Honors Hotels in Panama (country) {PAN}
 

Hilton just announced 4 new properties for Panama City, Panama. There will be a new built Hilton, Embassy Suites and HGI and a Doubletree conversion.

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/1...0/4041418.html

Hilton Panama
 

The sign for the new Hilton in Panama City, Panama (PTY) just went up (in April 2010). The building is currently under construction, and looks to be on-schedule, but won't likely be ready to open until very late in 2011.

The hotel is on Balboa Avenue, near the new Le Meridien and the existing Intercontinental (both of which are also nice hotels). Thus, it is centrally located for doing business in Panama.

Nice to have a Hilton again in Panama, after so many years of absence.

Looking forward to staying there!

Doubletree Panama
 

The new Doubletree Panama City, Panama (PTY) is also currently under construction as of April 2010, but certainly nowhere near opening (as the press release indicated in 'Spring' 2010). I'd guess an opening sometime in 2011.

The Doubletree is actually a re-construction project, where they are gutting an existing structure entirely down to the pillars of the structure, and they are re-building it. Currently, it looks like an abandoned old building with missing walls. Although, you can see they are actively working on it.

The location will be a central one, and a good place for a busy tourist hotel.

That's great news! I just hired a guy in Panama and I've been staying at the Marriott. Not a bad property, but no Hilton points.....

Don't stay at the DoubleTree Panama
 

It all started OK - check in was fine and the staff were helpful. But Lounge closed for renovations - where does it say that on their web site.

Room was OK - we arrived late on Friday night after travelling from SFO with a 4AM start so we just grabbed a beer from the fridge and went to bed. Rooms are poorly sound proofed and corridor conversations can easily be heard. We were in a corner room facing the Metro construction which went on most of the night. There was also loud music from outside until1AM but earplugs allowed us to get some sleep.

Saturday night there was no construction but the same loud music. At 1AM the music volume increased until you could feel the bass hitting your body. This continued until after 3AM when we got up as we couldn't stand anymore and got an early taxi to the airport for our flights back to SFO.

Complained to management who said it was construction !!??

Wow, thanks for that info. I have the hotel booked for later this month and now will probably change back to the Marriott. Sure wish the others would open soon! I think that the lounge is open now.

We'll be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn next month, and I'll post a report.

When using Google Maps to find it, you won't be able to find much with the address given on the website, Eusebio A Morales y calle 49 A oest (sic), Ciudad de Panama, 0, Panama. It looks close to a larger intersection, Avenida Manuel Espinosa Batista and Avenida España, not far from the DoubleTree and Wyndham.

Just finished 2 nights at the HGI in Panama City. Don't pay attention to the plop on google maps. It's right behind Hotel El Panama on Eusebio a Morales.
Perfect HGI. It has the RFID room keys and a key is required to go up to the rooms. The pool and fitness center are on the top floor, but I never went up there so I can't comment on that. The dinner was very nice.

The staff wasn't the best at English, but there were usually a couple working who were good enough to get the job done, just not comfortable enough with chit chat.

Which HHonors Property in Panama City?
 

I'm passing through Panama City on my next vacation and looking to spend a couple of nights at either the Hilton Garden Inn ($80), Doubletree ($100), or Waldorf ($160). All else equal, I'm leaning towards the Doubletree on the basis of comfort/value, does anyone have any experience with these three properties (especially as a Diamond)?

Someone reported in this thread yesterday on their stay at the HGI:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ghlight=panama

Report on the WA here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ghlight=panama
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ghlight=panama
See also:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ghlight=panama

Thanks...anybody have any reports on the Doubletree? I couldn't find any discussion except the limited info in the WA threads.

Updates
 

I've been in Panama a lot recently and have had the opportunity to try out all of the properties and seen the future locations of the Hampton and Hilton opening this year.

The Waldorf is the best out of the three, but not by much. The location is pretty good, off of Calle Uruguay where there are a bunch of bars and clubs and a quick taxi or walk to most of the banks. Rooms are smallish - well appointed, but really nothing spectacular. It feels like they were made to look expensive, but made from cheap materials. The bathrooms in the standard rooms have no bathtubs, and only the rooms on the very top floors have balconies. Service is excellent, and the hotel presents a fair value on cash and points, while really isn't worth over $200/night with the other options usually pricing out at $100. It's also worth noting that no upgrade was given on all of my 3 stays as a gold. I had a nice water view, but there is a building going up in front of the property, and there won't be a view in a year or two most likely.

The Doubletree is located a bit further back of the water, near the old Crowne Plaza and close to the HGI. It's not a new property, but the rooms are decent, and the price is fair. I was upgraded to a corner room, and have read reports of suites given for golds. Again, service was good, and the location meets the needs of anyone needing to be in the financial district.

The HGI is probably my pick for overall value out of the three, since the rooms are brand new and the price+location are good enough. Not much to note, except that the rooms are standard HGI, are nicer than those at the Doubletree, and the service is good. Their taxi service to the airport is $30 vs. $40 from the Waldorf - $30 is the regular street rate to PTY.

The Hampton I walked by and it is off a back street, although centrally located in the financial district. Looks to be a nice property, and maybe a better value than the HGI if it is priced similarly.

The Hilton is going to be the premier property in Panama City I think. The location is right on Balboa Avenue directly in front of the Waldorf. Should have some excellent water/city views as well as nice rooms.

Not sure of the best place to post this, but had to share in case anyone is looking at Panama. I actually lived in Panama (US Military) back in the 80's and am interested in visiting. I pulled up some random dates in January using points, and the Hampton came in at 4,250 points per night. I can't imagine that is correct, but that is what it says.

From $79
Per Night (USD)
or 4,250 HHonors Points .

That seems like too good a deal to not try to get the word out around here.

Kim

Yes, it's a good deal, but how is this Hampton? Modern, nice, clean, etc.? I'm trying out the new Hilton over Christmas time, looks like they're trying to go semi-luxury with that one. ^

Edit: Couldn't resist, booked six nights over Christmas for just under 25K points. Further review shows this property is a Category 1 (5K points per night). I wonder if this is correct, or if the true category hasn't been loaded yet?

Would love to hear what you think of it. If I'm remembering correctly they had some really nice, large suites advertised.