FlyerTalk Forums - JW Marriott Panama [Master Thread]

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Forgot to add... massive casino attached to the hotel here too just like the Hilton. I didnt know this. WIsh I didn't in some ways haha

Anyone had be to this hotel? Will be there in June. How about Titanium recog? Or should I book another hotel?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanheslig (Post 35046645)

Anyone had be to this hotel? Will be there in June. How about Titanium recog? Or should I book another hotel?

See https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...l#post35045601 - there was a post there about this property just today.

Had a not great stay there for a 4 day weekend trip to Panama as Titanium:

1) No upgrade
2) Arrived at 4p but room wasn't available until 5:30p
3) 15-20m wait at reception
4) No Panamanian breakfast options in the lounge
5) Somehow they extended my stay by 2 days even though every email I have from them lists the correct dates, including the day of arrival email. They said, "Oh no worries, we can just drop those days." But as a result, my reservation was repriced and they charged me an additional $150. I'm disputing this with Marriott now.

Other than these things, the hotel just wasn't worth the added cost. It is one of the most expensive Marriott properties in Panama City but the location isn't central for tourist stuff, the condition of the property isn't all that great, the pool is tiny, and there are just so many other (cheaper) options. This property is a hard pass for me.

Is this a cool hotel? Yes. Is it a great hotel? Probably not. Though frankly, it has potential. The lounge is great, and the service seems well-meaning, but the condition of the rooms needs improvement. Here are my pros, cons, and photos:

Pros:

Upgraded to an Executive Suite the day before arrival (now, would I call this room an Executive Suite? - probably not, but it is what it is)
The furniture is generally comfortable - those odd couches were quite plush - though, where are the arms?
The bed was comfortable - plush mattress, large pillows (2 softer and 2 way too thick), and thick covers
Shower pressure was fine - not as blasting as Sortis - but decent enough to get a good shower (though, note the only option is a rainfall head, there is no wand)
The views are nice - nice sunset view from the corner window - note no rooms at this hotel face the sea directly as that appears to be the condo side of the building
Elevators are fun - full glass with full glass doors for the guest room elevators between 15 and 35
Offered late checkout until 4 PM proactively
Service was generally friendly - the associate at check-out even wanted to know about my favorite hotel brands (both full-service and select-service) - luckily, he had worked at a Westin before and knew what I was talking about with the White Tea smells :-)
Lounge offering (14th floor) is really quite good
- Tasty desserts in the evening, including a yummy red velvet cake with good cream cheese frosting and a nice chocolate cake (lots of apps and entrees, too, but I didn't partake)
- Breakfast offering (only option for Elites) was quite extensive and tasty with yummy chocolate chip pancakes (I had 3), good cinnamon rolls, bacon, scrambled eggs (seemed like eggs-to-order was also an option based on a sign by the buffet)
Delivered a plate of fruit and hand-written welcome note
Internet TV OS was present

Cons:

Room wear-and-tear and cleanliness was not up-to-standard - lots of old staining on furniture, pillows needed a lint-roller, outlet in the toilet room had drywall holes, floors seemed to have debris
Not a fan of all of the tile - cold - wished there was carpet
Rather poor check-in - checked in by two agents who were friendly, but one was in training - couldn't get the elevator to work with my key, after keys were remade I went to the room and found it full of luggage, had to go back down to find that they wrote the wrong floor number on my key packet (and perhaps made the wrong keys the 2nd time)
Rather than complete the initial CC hold from check-in, they just charged me the total an hour after check-out in a separate transaction (normally, they ask for the card at check-out in PTY) - hopefully, the hold drops off as Pending (seems like an inefficient way to do things)
Elevators could be a tad busy (and thus slow)

As an update to this, it does appear that this property has billing issues as I just received an additional $5.35 charge on my credit card. I have zero clue as to what that charge was for, so I have shot off some emails to inquire, hopefully obtain a new folio, and get the charge reversed.

However, it does seem a bit ridiculous that I currently have holds totalling $519.85 ($300 check-in hold + $214.50 after checkout for the stay in a separate transaction + this new erroneous charge for $5.35) for a stay that was supposed to cost $214.50. Add that to the fact that they gave me a key to someone else's occupied room, and it just seems like the logistics here are not up to par. I see someone else upthread also complained of billing issues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElevatorEnthusiast (Post 35161932)

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...74fa250a19.jpg

WRT the tile floor, probably good in the tropical summer to keep things cool. In the winter/spring, maybe not so much.

Quote:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f7382195fe.jpg

The outlet appears to be old school bathroom phone jack/plate which was probably covered by the old phone. Too bad they didn't clean it up after removing the phone.

Quote:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8a63665f55.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1f2b8c8605.jpg

Too bad they didn't actually make that a sky bridge instead of an expensive architectural feature.

David

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElevatorEnthusiast (Post 35163126)

To close the loop on this, the Ambassador team made a case, and the hotel responded via email last night. I was pleased with their response as apparently the $5.35 was a minibar charge, but they read my message to the Ambassador team that I didn't have any minibar charges and instructed Finance to refund that charge. It was nice not to have back and forth.

What are the hours of happy hour here? or are wine and snacks always available?

I stayed here in 2019 as part of a completely unplanned mistake fare trip and enjoyed it. I also got hit with a mysterious minibar charge despite not even opening the minibar. An e-mail to the property remedied it, but I do find it interesting that this is still occurring.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DELee (Post 35167389)

WRT the tile floor, probably good in the tropical summer to keep things cool. In the winter/spring, maybe not so much.

Um...this is Panama. That's not exactly a problem. I have tile in most of my homes in Florida and it's still not an issue.
Panama average climate:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...05149b7927.png

Quote:

Too bad they didn't actually make that a sky bridge instead of an expensive architectural feature.

That floor of the building is a mechanical floor. No guest-accecssible areas there. There is an open-air sky bridge on the waterfront side of the hotel which leads from the waterfront up to the pool areas. Sadly, my photos don't do it justice. Nice touch of the building outline on the elevator doors though:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...11ade7d976.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b945168b90.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by KRSW (Post 35271576)

I booked 2 rooms and stayed there for a week last month. I can't recommend this property. It isn't deserving of the JW Marriott name. For something that was originally built as a Trump property, the hard product is really lacking with a lot of deficiencies. The soft product is where they fail miserably. Service is very poor. Everything seems disorganized and concierge ineffective.

I, too, had billing issues but in my case they just ignored my emails. I had three charges, one for $2.00, (??) and one for each room, both of which were overcharged. When I sent a subsequent email indicating if they didn't reply, I would have no option but to do a chargeback. They replied to the first email saying they would send it to finance. Three weeks later with no adjustments I initiated the chargeback. Total was over $250. I don't think they had any intention of recifying the overages. One included breakfast with a signed $0.00 check that was charged to the room at $23.50 + Tax.

I get the feeling that this property intentionally overcharges and adds charges not incurred to the folio.

On those grounds, I wouldn't stay at the property again. If billing hadn't been an issue, I still wouldn't return based on how poor the overall experience and service was.

James

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flying for Fun (Post 35271686)

Dear James,

We are very sorry to learn about your recent experience at this hotel. If you can send a private message to us with below information, we will share your feedback with the hotel management team.

Your full name
Marriott Bonvoy account number
The email address associated with your account and the details
The reservation details

Please feel free to contact us if we can be of any assistance.

Best regards,

Carrie L
Specialist Social Media Care
Marriott International
[email protected]

It is definitely ridiculous that so many posters here, including myself, have experienced overcharges - the disorganization is crazy as I was given a key to someone else's room. At what point does incompetence turn to malice? Some serious changes need to be made - I wouldn't return now that I see my issue was not at all isolated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyTeam777 (Post 35264664)

What are the hours of happy hour here? or are wine and snacks always available?

sorry for the bump, but trying to figure out if wine and snacks will still be out when I arrive at 6pm in the lounge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyTeam777 (Post 35435009)

sorry for the bump, but trying to figure out if wine and snacks will still be out when I arrive at 6pm in the lounge.

Im heading to Panama City in 3 weeks. so figured Id call and ask. Snacks during the day, and apps are from 5:30 pm-8 pm. There is a charge for alcohol.