Hilton Garden Inn Panama City Downtown, Panama

The rooftop hot tub was a pleasant surprise, with a good view, and the staff in the back were friendly and helpful. The location is reasonably good too. As an elite hhonors member, though, I got little beyond the benefits on paper, and they put me in a room facing another building instead of one with a view. Management seems to have modernized the public spaces, but the rooms are still dated, dark, and small in feel, with a small bathroom. The hotel says they're modern, but they really aren't. The shower setup is old, much like those older HGI properties in the US. It has the same concept as HGI in the US.

The hotel facilities are okay, but the service has been terrible. It's been more than 30 days and I still haven't received the restaurant invoices. I asked for them in person after each meal, but the staff didn't give them to me and said they'd send them later that day. They never did. I had to go to the restaurant and ask again every day. Now they don't reply, answer calls, or provide any more information. This is far from how Hilton should work.

We were greeted with big smiles and made to feel welcome, and the rooms were immaculate. We only spent one night before a morning flight to Bocas del Toro, but I wish we'd stayed longer. The city location is nice, close to the Obarrio district and lots of cool restaurants and rooftop bars. At $80 a night, it was a real bargain. We also bought an $8 toothpaste kit, which was totally worth it. Even if you have a toothbrush, I'd recommend getting one. The toothpaste whitened our teeth overnight. I'd definitely recommend staying here on a visit to Panamá.

The room was clean, spacious, and had everything working, with toiletries provided. We booked a King at the last minute because we wanted something affordable and reasonably close to the airport. Staff were friendly, and the restaurant food was good at decent prices. The Peruvian ceviche especially blew me away. Breakfast was a full continental spread with good options. At check-in they gave us free drink tickets and said to “go have a cocktail,” but when we ordered cocktails the tickets only covered soda or lemonade. That seemed odd. We didn't explore Panama City or go out nearby, so I can't really comment on the location. Great value overall.