News

The menu of hotel offerings in Panama City continues to expand with the opening this month of the 347-room Hilton Panama.

The new Hilton, the first under the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand, is located on the corner of Avenida Balboa and Aquilino de la Guardia, on Panama Bay, and is part of a mixed-use project with offices and shopping.

The Hilton is the latest in a series of big hotel openings in Panama City, as the big brands stake their claim to the region’s fast growing business and leisure traffic. Hilton already has three branded hotels in Panama City, including a Waldorf Astoria.

A fifth Hilton property is scheduled to open in a few months, proving further evidence of the company’s commitment to Panama City’s growth.

“The opening of Hilton Panama is a momentous occasion for Hilton Worldwide, as it introduces our fourth brand in Panama’s booming capital,” Danny Hughes, senior vice president, Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America, Hilton Worldwide, said in a press release. “With a fifth hotel coming soon, Hilton Worldwide will have five of its brands in Panama City, welcoming today’s traveler with unparalleled choice in upscale quality and service standards.”

In addition to the usual array of restaurants and amenities, the new Hilton includes a 5,000-square-foot spa, the first branded eforea: Spa at Hilton in Latin America, as well as more than 23,000 square feet of meeting space and a ballroom big enough to handle 800 guests.

There is an oversupply of hotel rooms in Panama City at the moment, given all the new openings. But that’s good news for travelers as room rates continue to drop. Hilton is offering rooms at the new hotel at an introductory rate of $129 a night.

Duncan McGowan is president of Punta Pacifica Realty, a Panama real estate agency focused on Punta Pacifica, the exclusive neighborhood of 18 towers perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.