I had very high expectations for this hotel. It was essentially the highest rated luxury hotel in Panama City, and Trump hotels generally have great service and well thought out and luxurious accommodations. However, I should’ve known something was off when I arrived and the front desk wasn’t even staffed.
You see, this hotel was originally developed as a condotel (Hotel + Condo units). Many didn’t sell, and as a result this happened: Condos not doing so well at Trump Panama. The result is a grand plan for a stunning hotel, crippled by high vacancy rates and low staffing. The rooms at the hotel weren’t terrible, except that they hadn’t seemed to have been well thought out. For one, Panama is a very hot environment, and there’s a significant amount of humidity. Whenever the patio door was opened, condensation would form on the massive marble floors making them downright scary to walk on.
The rooms also lacked any real separation between the bathroom and the beds which was odd, and due to the shape of the building there were odd acute angles which made the rooms seem smaller than they actually were. My neighbor also approached me in the hallway one day to tell me his A/C hadn’t been working the entire duration of his stay and the front desk wouldn’t give him a different room when it was obvious that the hotel was at high vacancy.
The gym was large, but the equipment was old and needed changing. The pool had an amazing view, but the chairs had rust developing on them, and there never seemed to be sun because most of the pool area was blocked by the building during the middle of the day.
PROS:
- The low price of the hotel makes up for its lackluster performance
- The hotel is easy to find because of its size
CONS:
- The decor is spartan and of low quality
- The dining options at the hotel are subpar
- The pool is one of the highlights due to its view, but look closely and you’ll notice that its located right above swampland and the sun is blocked most of the time by the building itself
- The service is mediocre at best
SECRETS:
- Use UBER for quick travel to and from destinations
- Check out the rooftop bar which is accessible from the side entrance where the Casino is
- Before booking here, I would recommend looking at the Hard Rock International as an alternative option
OTHER STUFF IN PANAMA:
- Getting lost in Casco Viejo is a great way to spend a day or two (or three in my case). There’s a lot of restaurants and other interesting sights in the old section of Panama but one place that I really enjoyed was Tantalo. It’s a hotel but with a restaurant downstairs and a bar upstairs. It’s got great views of the city from the rooftop, and when downstairs you’ve got a variety of delicious tapas and drinks. Definitely check this place out!
