By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Welcome aboard to our latest link swapper, Casa Selva del Mar. From their website: "Casa Selva del Mar offers two small, private oceanfront villas on on Isla Cristobal, the third largest island in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, 15 minutes from Bocas Town by boat. The villas have an "open" design, with a wrap around, screened deck and louvered doors and windows on all four sides, with magnificent ocean views in front and the jungle in back . They are beautifully furnished, with teak accessories and orthopedic beds, complete kitchens fully equipped for cooking and eating, large bathrooms with double sinks. Each villa has a laptop computer with wireless internet access and satellite TV with premium channels. Casa Selva del Mar offers sustainable tourism at its best. Our villas and our home are powered by the sun (with backup generator) and our water is plentiful and pure, because it comes from the sky. There is a coral reef approximately 100 feet from our dock, and our guests enjoy free use of snorkels, fins and kayaks. We have 18 acres of pristine jungle with giant old growth trees and hand-cut walking paths. Our villas and our rainforest are prime bird watching locations. We can arrange day tours to other islands for snorkeling, beachcombing, and wildlife viewing. We can take our guests to nearby islands for dinner, or alternatively, prepare dinner family style in our home on request. We live here, so service is 24/7." And of course everyone already knows that Susan Guberman-Garcia is no dummy - she's smart enough to recognize the value of swapping links with us and to participate in our long standing link exchange program. As a matter of fact the only people I link to anymore are those who are linking back to me. So, if you have a website about Panama with English language content, and if you would like to see a link from this website to your website, you can either join the party (or toss a bunch of cash at your Uncle Don.) Other than that, fuggitaboutit...

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

Note: Offer exclusive to business owners and Panama residents. Give your friend or client an experience they won’t forget! Refer a client to Casco Viejo's Los Cuatro Tulipanes apartment rentals for supreme client service, commission checks, and free nightly stays! The fact that all ten apartments are located in Panama’s most fascinating neighborhood doesn’t hurt either. Email for reservations at info@loscuatrotulipanes.com after browsing testimonials...   Click Here To Read The Full Article (593 words)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 the Veneto A Wyndham Grand Hotel threw a party that left its guests speechless. From the Italian masked dancers, mouth watering gastronomic displays and even a replica of a gondola near the seventh floor pool, the theme surpassed everyone´s expectations. This party was also used to highlight the talents of the banquet and hotel sales team for transforming traditional convention space into a variety of extravagant events. In separate rooms were a wedding, fashion show runway, nightclub atmosphere, executive meeting and poolside banquet. The Veneto has truly demonstrated its ability to cater to large groups and corporations in providing both excellent service and creating an exciting and modern ambience. Please contact the banquet department at 340 8888 ext. 4278 or 4207 for any further questions or arrangements.









   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received today via email: "Here we go. I won't pretend it's anything else but self promotion but I just finished building a great new website and I really think it rocks. So check out the totally overhauled www.thebalboainn.com. ( or flame me :-) ) Thorwald Westmaas, The Balboa Inn, Las Cruces 2311a, Balboa, Panama"

And, also the following response: "Thorwald, I love your new website. The Balboa Inn rocks! Ken and I stayed there for three days and it was most pleasureable, with great location, safe neighborhood and friendly staff. Gina was the best and the breakfasts were a great way to start the day. Thank you for a wonderful experience in Panama City! Pattie & Ken Thompson"

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.    

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received today via email: "For those Jazz fans outside Panama City or with friends coming down...... With our 2 new rooms now ready we still have some space for those that need a room during the Jazz Festival next month. Located in Balboa, the Balboa Inn is only 5 minutes away from the Casco Viejo. Saludos, Thorwald Westmaas, The Balboa Inn, www.thebalboainn.com"

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.    

By Staff Writer (Press Release) - Jumeirah, a luxury hotel management group, said yesterday it has been appointed by Spain's Grupo Mall to manage a luxury property for the real estate developer in the Panama City. The Los Faros de Panama complex will consist of three towers, each boasting residences, offices and a luxury hotel, respectively. The hotel will comprise 400 hotel rooms and suites, along with Jumeirah's signature Talise spa. Maintaining its association with iconic structures, such as the Burj Al Arab, the Jumeirah Group-managed property will boast one of the tallest towers in Latin America, with the central building standing tall at 361 metres and 85 floors. The two lateral towers will reach 266 metres in height with 75 floors. The management agreement was signed by Julio Noval-García, President of Grupo Mall, and Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group. Over the past few years, Jumeirah Group has maintained an aggressive growth strategy internationally by expanding into London with the Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel and into New York with the Jumeirah Essex House. (Editor's Comment: Now that's funny. The last thing I saw on the Los Faros project was that it was dead in the water - no construction or activity at the job site. It's interesting to see this press release coming out now. Maybe they are going to start it back up? Refinancing or something like that? Who knows...)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Recently one of our sponsors, Panama Corporate Living, was favorably reviewed on the TripAdvisor.com website:

• “So much better than a hotel” - Panama Corporate Living, by Grace0704 - I stayed in a full size apartment. It was so nice to have all the extra space that you just don't get in a hotel. The apartment was very conveniently located for my business meetings. It was comfortable, clean and well appointed. The kitchen included all the utensils I needed to be able cook my meals. There was even a washer and dryer in the apartment--talk about convenient. The furnishings were comfortable and the staff were great. I would definitely stay with Panama Corporate Living again.
  
  
• “Home away from home.” Panama Corporate Living, by ampboy - This Panama Corporate Living apartment was perfect for my business trip. The apartment is located in one of the new codo towers in the desireable San Francisco area ... close to downtown and restaurants. This two bedroom apartment was clean and well appointed with the usual features one would expect ... exactly as advertised, and a real bargain for two business travelers vs. a hotel stay.

To see these reviews for yourself, please click this link.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.    

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received today via email: "I was in PC last week and stayed at the Balboa Inn. I truly enjoyed my time there...the rooms were immaculate, the beds comfortable, great pillows, and perfect air conditioning. Because I had my cats with me, I asked if I could check out late, and that was no problem with Thorwald. I wasn't even charged for the 3 p.m. check out. I will stay there next time I'm in PC. Thorwald even picked me up from Albrook...which really is only 5 minutes away."

And then another person added: "My husband and I stayed at the Balboa Inn Monday night while in PC getting our passports renewed. We, too, had a very positive experience. The service is far beyond what we expected, the premises clean, the water hot, and the breakfast great. Thorwald and his wife have put together an exceptional staff. The rooms are basic but comfortable, and we enjoyed being able to walk around the neighborhood and to a good restaurant without feeling insecure in any way. I also highly recommend it. Bonnie"

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By ROBERTO GONZALEZ JIMENEZ for La Prensa - Depending on who you're talking to, they might be called "illegal hotels" or "executive apartments" but the activity is the same: the renting of apartments in residential buildings to tourists for a short period of time. Panama's Tourism Authority (ATP) received complaints from building managers due to the presence of strangers in their buildings. In addition, hoteliers in the country made it known to the ATP that their occupation rates were falling sharply, and not just due to the effects of the economic crisis. This fall in occupancy rate directly affects the financial capacity of the ATP, because part of their funding comes from the 10% tax charged to hotels. And these resources, in turn, are used to create the campaigns to promote tourism in Panama and abroad. On August 13, the administrator of the ATP, Solomon Shamah, signed a resolution forbidding the practice. His basic theory is that buildings are places intended for private accommodations, homes to families, and they are practicing public lodging, a practice which is reserved according to Panamanian law to hotels, hostels, hotels that rent suites, and other types of approved public facilities. The resolution, which was distributed among several building managers, will not be published in the Official Gazette, and therefore it will not enter into force. The ATP hit the brakes and decided to meet with the business leaders and companies who are involved in this practice of short term apartment rentals in order to find a solution so that the activity can be regulated by a new law. One of the options being discussed in government circles would be to establish a time limit between what is considered to be either public or private housing rental. The first would be regulated by the ATP, and the second by the Ministry of Housing. Thus, apartments in residential buildings could not be rented for less than 45 days. This solution, however, does not satisfy the companies who are engaged in vacation rentals, a business carried out by a small group of companies, mostly foreign nationals. In a conversation with La Prensa, several of these entrepreneurs - who preferred to remain anonymous - claimed that more than half of their customers, in many cases, corporate executives, stay in the apartments for less than 45 days. They say they are legally registered companies, which pay income tax, and although these payments are not reflected in the income of the ATP, they still contribute to state coffers. On the allegations of a lack of control over the people entering the buildings, they argue that every tourist is asked for a copy of their passport, and the companies inform the building management of who will be occupying the apartment. They also add that when a building does not want their apartments rented for short periods of time they respect that decision. This practice is common around the world. The website www.vrbo.com offers rentals of this kind in five continents. The journalist Pablo Mazarrasa, who is currently in Panama working on a report for the New York Times Magazine, is currently staying in Panama in an "executive apartment." "In an apartment we can install our office which gives up some flexibility," he says. One of the tourist segments which could be directly affected if this kind of activity is either limited or restricted is medical tourism, which is trying to take off in Panama. These tourists, who arrive to undergo medical treatment, often prefer to stay in an apartment, where they can be more relaxed. "This kind of measure would make us obsolete. Other countries we are taking the lead, "says Andres Caballero, the manager of Global Health of the Punta Pacifica Hospital, a center that has made a significant investment to promote Panama as medical tourism destination.   

The Balboa Inn is a small Bed & Breakfast at the foot of Panama's main landmark, Ancon Hill (Cerro Ancón) in Balboa. Conveniently located between the downtown area and the Amador Causeway and just minutes away from the domestic airport and the Panama Canal, guests are away from the city noise yet close enough to be able to easily access all that the city has to offer. The Balboa Inn is the ideal base from which to explore Panama and a great place to stay during stopovers in Panama City. We welcome families who will find our inn, its gardens and the surrounding neighborhood especially child-friendly and safe. (more)

   Click Here To Read The Full Article (494 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - This afternoon I was discussing some more of the unintended consequences that will arise as a result of the resolution signed by the Director of Panama's Tourism Authority (ATP). Salomon Shamah (see: "Serious Problems With ATP's New Restrictions on Short Term Rentals" - 1 Sept 2009) Consider this - the hundreds of thousands of Panamanians and tourists who flock to the interior of the country every time there's a holiday or a long weekend very often rent houses or rooms from local owners. This is particularly true in Las Tablas where the population of that normally sleepy little town can grow to 100,000 or more, literally overnight. Well, not this year folks. This week representatives of companies involved in the business of short term property administration have been meeting with ATP officials to voice their concerns over the unintended consequences of this new broad and wide sweeping resolution, and they were told that "violators would be fined $500 for the first offense and $1,000 for the second offense." And of course, this resolution makes it illegal for anyone to rent any private property on a short term basis, which they define as anything less than a year. Therefore, during the traditional holiday periods when Panamanians flock to the interior, such as Carnival and Semana Santa (Holy Week), anyone who rents even a room for a few days will be subjected to possible fines and sanctions. I wonder how many hotel rooms there are in Las Tablas? (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (630 words)

My Michelle Dominguez for the Panama America - Despite the existence of 16,724 hotel rooms in Panama City and another 5,380 in the interior of the country, tourists prefer illegal hotel options. Jaime Campuzano, the manager of the Hotel El Panama and President of the Chamber of Tourism of Panama, said that hotels providing this illegal clandestine service are causing losses to the state. "In these places tourists do not receive the required guarantees of quality and safety," said Campuzano. According to José Thomas, the President of the Association of Small Hotels of Panama (HOPPAN) condominiums and apartments that before were rented for five or six months now are being rented for $40 per day. For Thomas, this is because many of these places have all the facilities of a normal residence, such as a kitchen and a living room, among others. The hotel industry in conjunction with the Tourism Authority of Panama is working to identify and punish these types of unauthorized establishments, that evade paying the 10% tax paid by hotels. "The goal is to eradicate these practices that are detrimental to the development of tourism in the country," said Campuzano. (See Comments)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (467 words)

By LUIS ALBERTO SIERRA for La Estrella - The interim report submitted by the Comptroller General of the Republic on Aug. 19 showed a decline of 9.3% in the daily average of occupied hotel rooms in the country, in contrast to an increase of 8.7% in the arrival of new tourists. The administrator of the Panama Tourism Authority (PTA), Solomon Shamah, told La Estrella that "clandestine hotels" are primarily responsible for this contrasting result, and that it is affecting the sector it represents. Given that the current financial crisis is making it more difficult for some real estate investors who purchased apartments to resell them, there were homeowners who chose to furnish them and use them as guest houses, creating competition for the hotels with these so-called "public accomodations." Shamah said the ATP will sit this week with representatives from the Ministry of Housing, and in addition they will talk to representatives from the tourism and construction industries, in order to find a solution to the problem which is considered to be "unfair competition". The institution would propose, the official said, a settlement which will prevent the creation of "public accomodations" while creating a solution that gives an opportunity to the real estate sector. They are considering to work together with two laws, of tourism and Real Estate, so that the ATP would regulate public lodgings providing stays of 45 days or less, and the Housing Ministry regulating weekly rentals of 45 or more days. "We are not going allow the use of a private apartment as public lodging," he said. Shamah said trying to regulate this activity is risky. Another objection comes from apartment owners who do not want to see strangers in the buildings where they live. The president of the Panamanian Association of Hotels (Apathel), Jorge Loaiza, considered it appropriate that the Tourism Authority should take action, because apartment owners are renting their apartments to tourists and not paying the 10% tax charged to the rest of the hotels in the tourism sector, and they also do not provide the proper guarantees, including security. "This is a totally unfair and unlawful competition," he said. Ana Royo for his part acknowledged that the sector of tourism operators, which he represents, has not yet recovered from the impact of the crisis. He emphasized that tourism from France was affected, to the point where Air Caribes has suspended flights to Panama. She recognized that those who rent their apartments as hotels find their customers through the Internet. She admitted this situation is affecting tourism operators. The Comptroller General's Office also noted in its latest report that was also a decrease of 11.9% in the average daily overnight, and 8.9% in hotel room occupancy. There was an 8.7% increase in passenger entrances. Expenditures reported by tourists increased by 3.2%.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (504 words)

La Critica - The Director of the Panamanian Tourism Authority (APT), Salo Shamah, said he would put an end to these illegal hotels. The APT intents to investigate a series of real estate (companies) that are competing unfairly with hotels by offering daily rentals to foreigners, which constitutes unfair competition. The director of the APT, Salo Shamah said he would put an end to these illegal hotels that do not pay the same taxes as hotels, and operate outside of law. The official explained that many developers who did not sell the buildings they built, due to the global crisis, have opted for this marginal practice. In another aspect, Shamah announced they are considering the possibility of holding the annual Carnival celebrations along the new Coastal Strip this year, but after a promotion to attract tourists. Furthermore he announced the budget allocated to the Government for these festivals is also intended to support the Carnival of the interior.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (167 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Hilton Hotels Corporation announces its return to Panama with the signing of four multi-year agreements in Panama City, Panama: two management agreements for a brand-new Hilton and new build Embassy Suites by Hilton hotel, one franchise agreement for a Doubletree by Hilton conversion and one franchise agreement for a newly built Hilton Garden Inn. Each hotel will represent the first in the country for each brand. “We are truly excited about these developments in Panama City and being back in such a great city,” commented Daniel Hughes, senior vice president of operations, Caribbean, Mexico, and Latin America, for Hilton Hotels Corporation. “These newest additions reinforce our commitment to add a number of properties to our Central America portfolio and to have a presence in one of the region’s fastest growing destinations. We’re looking forward to being part of a thriving city that continues to offer some of the best tourist attractions in the region.” (more)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (788 words)

By TAGNIA SHOCRÓN for La Estrella - More and more tourists are coming to Panama, but this growth in traffic is not going hand in hand with investments in new hotel rooms and rooms are scarce, primarily in high end and first class hotels. The crunch to at a point where executives are finding themselves forced to stay in very low quality residential units because there are not five star rooms available. Authorities hope the situation will stabilize in 2010 when several construction projects will be completed that will equip the country with 10,000 new hotel rooms. But in the meantime there is currently a deficit of 4,000 rooms which will continue being an obstacle for development of the industry.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (127 words)

Memphis Business Journal - Embassy Suites Hotels, one of the locally headquartered brands owned by Hilton Hotels Corp., is planning to open 62 franchised hotels in the next three years. Embassy Suites currently has 192 hotels, and officials say the planned properties represent the strongest development pipeline in the brand's 24-year history. New properties will include locations in Memphis, Denver, New Orleans, Houston, St. Louis and Miami. The Embassy Suites Jackson-Ridgeland will be the brand's first in Mississippi, which is scheduled to open in November. Embassy Suites is also expanding in Latin America, with properties in Valencia, Venezuela; San Jose, Costa Rica; Tijuana, Mexico; and Panama City, Panama. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (155 words)

Asia Travel Tips.com - Marriott is to open a Renaissance hotel in Panama in 2011 under a management agreement with Hotel Properties of Panama, Inc. In addition, Marriott plans to expand its existing properties and to add two additional hotels, tripling its presence in the country, over the next 30 months to five hotels and 1,200 rooms. The 300-room Renaissance Panama Hotel Financial District will be located in the heart of the financial district on a prime site immediately adjacent to the existing 295-room Panama City Marriott to which it will be physically joined, enabling guests to easily walk from hotel to the other. The hotel will be part of a mixed-use project that will include two towers above a podium. One of the towers will house the hotel and up to 150 unbranded residential condominiums on the floors above the hotel. The second tower will house offices. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (314 words)

By Kelvin Wong for (Bloomberg) -- Six Australian cities are among the 20 destinations with the highest hotel occupancy rates outside the U.S. last year, with Perth claiming the top spot, according to a report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Perth had an occupancy rate of 85.1 percent, Deloitte said in a report released today. Next on the list, which tracks 7,800 hotels in 165 cities outside the U.S., was Panama with 84.7 percent followed by Dubai at 84.5 percent. Brisbane came in fourth with 84.3 percent. The other Australian cities in the top 20 were Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Cairns. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (186 words)

By Aet Elisa Tejera C. for La Critica - The shortage of hotel rooms compared to a significant increase in demand has become the Achilles Heel of Panamanian tourism. Starting in 2006 there is now no "low season" for hotels and the shortage of hotel rooms is now both a crisis and an open secret, according to Ana Royo, the President of the Panamanian Association of Tourism Operators (APOTUR.) In 2006, 1,358,000 tourists visited Panama and there has been a reported increase of 17% in these past two years with only two new hotels opening their doors, not enough to cover the demand, said Royo during her presentation in the Annual Conference of Business Executives (CADE 2008). This small crisis will be more evident when factors are added like: the beginning of operations in November of the Panama Home Port, the tourist promotion with a new advertising campaign of $39.5 million dollars, the new niches of markets with a focused 30% in Europe, the increase of airlines and flight frequencies, said Royo. Although during 2008 it is anticipated an additional 10 hotel projects will be completed in Panama City adding approximately 3.386 new hotel rooms to the market, for 2009 there are only four new hotels coming on line with an additional 1,088 rooms. In addition Royo thinks all ten of the new hotels will not actually be opening this year.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (260 words)

MIAMI, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- For almost one hundred years, The Panama Canal has served to connect the East to the West; now, Buddha-Bar -- the unique concept that has become an international phenomenon, is set to accomplish the same goal. With their first Oriental inspired Luxury Hotel in the Americas set to open in fast growing Panama City, Buddha-Bar will expand on their vision, bringing a sumptuous hotel, restaurant and spa to this thriving metropolis. As seen with their monster success in Paris, Buddha-Bar creates an exotic journey that includes eclectic design, hypnotizing music, and magical food mixing the boldness of Asian flavors with the delicacies of France. The unique group will open their first hotel in Prague this summer. (more)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (342 words)

By Mónica Palm for La Prensa - A group of investors has been working to advance a project to build a new five-star, 139 room hotel on the site of the former Club Union in Casco Viejo, even though Panama's Attorney General issued an opinion more than a year ago saying the lands should revert to the nation because they are located on a beach. The land in question measures 5,512 square meters, and the group plans to build two buildings for a total constructed area of 15,848 square meters in five levels (including a basement and an attic), with a front that will rise a total of 80 meters. The hotel, which has not yet been named, will cost approximately $30 million dollars to build and supposedly it will be finished by the end of 2009. The land was the property of the Decameron Group, who also wanted to build a hotel on the site, but sold it in 2006 to Properties of the Bahia S.A. and American Paul Stallings who paid $7.5 million dollars. The company recently presented their environmental impact study to the ANAM for evaluation.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (344 words)

By Mireya Rodríguez for the Panama America - It's located close to the Colón 2000 cruise ship port. The Radisson Colón 2000 hotel is in its last phase of construction and is almost ready to begin operations. With an investment of more than $12 million dollars and located near the Colón Free Trade Zone and the cruise ship port, this hotel is part of the Radisson international chain of hotels which will help position the hotel in the market and will ensure high quality services, improved business services, and operational software. The hotel will have 102 rooms, and guests will have access to a restaurant with an international kitchen and cafeteria, the rooms will have wireless Internet connections, 24 hour room service, a lobby bar and a grand casino. In addition, the Radisson Colon 2000 offers meeting halls with capacity for 300 people and one terrace with swimming pool for adults and children. In this last stage 60 people are working to put the finishing touches on the hotel to prepare for their opening. During the construction more than 120 people worked for the past 18 months. Construction workers were drawn from the Colon area and they were trained and gained experience and improved their qualifications.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (218 words)

Our waterfront paradise, the Careening Cay Resort and Cosmic Crab Café, is located on Isla Carenero in Bocas del Toro. Christopher Columbus repaired his ships here in our bay in 1503 before his last voyage home and named the island based on the Spanish verb "carenar" (to careen) - cause a vessel to lie on its side, as on a beach, in order to repair, clean, or otherwise work on its bottom. The resort is located in over six acres of lush tropical landscaping and over 600 feet of waterfront. Our backyard is verdant rainforest. Because of this location the resort captures the refreshing Caribbean breeze and offers fabulous sunsets. (more)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (752 words)

#1 - Expose yourself to the elements: Skin cancer and creepy tropical diseases carried by sand flies and mosquitoes (such as Dengue and Leishmaniasis) are not nice souvenirs to take home and show friends. Omitting sun block and bug spray because you like to pack light on vacations is fine. But failing to pick them up at a local Panama drugstore can be brutal.

Solution: Buy yourself some good bug spray (we prefer the industrial strength type) as well as some high SPF suntan lotion (at certain spots, Panama is only a few degrees from the equator). Try the Arrocha Farmacies for the best selection. (more)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (719 words)

HotelChatter.com - Our first clue that The Bristol in Panama City, Panama is the hot place to stay was the brand new Masarati parked out front. Our second clue was sitting down to check in and finding ourselves chatting with Judy Dench, who was checking out. The famed actress was in town for a week shooting her Q role for the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. (Funny enough, that portion of the film is actually supposed to take place in Haiti, so the Panamanians are not too thrilled.) Being the Oscar-winning lady she is, Ms. Dench won raves from the staff for her graciousness and lack of midnight diva demands. Tomorrow we'll feature a video tour of one of the Bristol's rooms, but this is the clear winner in town in terms of service, fine dining, and plush rooms. Note that there is no swimming pool though, an oddity in a city that is steaming hot all year. Plus the two front desk people have to go into a back room to print out anything, meaning the small lobby is often devoid of employees. There were a few marks of distinction that went beyond the norm though. A concierge pulled off a big flight change that avoided a change fee and a couple hours after check-in Bristol business cards arrived, printed with our name on them. Everyone can feel like a celeb--or at least an international banking kingpin.   

Panama City – The consortium Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has entered the Panamanian market, where it opened its first five-star hotel. The 300-room facility is part of the company's strategy to be present in major cities of the world. The hotel, which is located in Panama City's financial and business sector, will be run by Silver Entertainment. The hotel offers four restaurants, a full-service spa and fitness center, rooftop pool, business center, 15,000 square feet of meeting space and a Las Vegas-style casino with more than 40,000 square feet of gaming area, making it one of the largest casinos in Latin America.   

From inRich.com - Panama project - Richmonder Wayne Bryan is building a resort in Panama. His Lago Mar LLC development company is partnering with Hard Rock International to build the 550-room Hard Rock Hotel Panama. The luxury resort will be on 27 acres along the popular Playa Blanca beach on Panama's western shore, about 70 miles southwest of Panama City. The project will mark Hard Rock's entrée into Latin America's hotel market. It's slated to open in early 2010. Construction should start in the spring. Bryan, the chief executive of the Chesterfield County firm, said Lago Mar wants to capitalize on a rapidly increasing demand for hotel accommodations in that part of Panama. "We're excited about this project," said Bryan, part of a group of investors who developed Los Suenos Resort in Costa Rica in 1998.   

Panama America - The Gamboa Rainforest Resort has recently completed an expansion program, and there are now an additional 60 new rooms available at their hotel. For it, the group Bern Hotels & Resorts Panama invested more than $3.5 million dollars according to a spokesman. The rooms are deluxe, king suites, and thematic suites, among others. The Marriott in Panama is also going to build an expansion of their hotel, adding 77 new rooms, at a projected construction cost of between $8 to $10 million dollars. They expect the new rooms to be available for occupancy by 2009.   Click Here To Read The Full Article (287 words)

ORLANDO, Fla., Hard Rock International and Lagomar Resort, S.A. announced today plans to develop a Hard Rock Hotel in Farallon, Panama. Hard Rock Hotel Panama will be situated along Playa Blanca Beach in Farallon. The newest location will be reflective of the luxurious brand, as well as Hard Rock's ongoing strategy to accelerate expansion of their properties worldwide. With broad views of the Pacific Ocean, the resort will provide outstanding oceanfront views along 1,200 feet of Panama's coast. The tropical location, combined with Hard Rock's renowned, luxurious quality standard, offers another unique destination resort for one of the world's most globally recognized brands. This is Hard Rock's first hotel property in Latin America. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (665 words)