“a Summit Hotels & Resorts Preferred Hotel Group”

Gee, that sounds impressive eh…?  The El Panama Hotel has been renowned for longer than most people in Panama City remember; but time isn’t always kind to structures and four stars today, don’t necessarily mean four stars forever to an hotelier.

El Panama Casino is glitzy, the costuming of the employees in traditional ensembles is heart warming…and yet there’s a smell of something in the air, something moldy maybe.

In reviewing the real world traveler’s opinions of their experiences in the El Panama Hotel, there were some analyses that seem to have basis in fact.

The saddest words I read were about a lack of simple cleanliness and good maintenance that are unfortunately very common in Panama. This guest wasn’t pleased. “The hotel has a pool area that COULD be really nice . . . with about a full week of scrubbing. Honestly, I’m not sure that they used chemicals in their pool. I haven’t ever seen worse mold buildup on the grout in the pool. This was especially disappointing to me, because I was counting on taking my son there every day.”

But some guests are really enjoying themselves.  “It was a great stay in El Panama hotel. The staff was SUPER friendly and helpful. I would even have to say it was very relaxing for a business trip. I would recommend the hotel to any business traveler or tourist. Thumbs up!”

You have to ask yourself – were these travelers staying under the same roof?