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4.5
#5 of 127 hotels in Panama City
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The hotel is located in the heart of the Casco Viejo (Spanish for Old Town) in Panama City, next to the Panama Interoceanic Canal Museum and facing the Plaza de Independencia. The Central Hotel Panamá is the hotel of choice for the most detail-oriented and sophisticated travelers who come to Panama City. The quality of the facilities and services, as well as the exquisite culinary experiences available, turn a visit to the hotel into a special memory that guests will never forget. Located opposite the Cathedral, the hotel is just steps away from the Municipal Palace, and is close to the Presidential Palace, along with other attractions in the area.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled in Casco Viejo's historic heart, Central Hotel Panama stands out for its location, surrounded by attractions and dining venues. While the atmosphere captivates with live music and a grand lobby, some guests find the evenings noisy. The immaculate cleanliness and comfortable rooms receive accolades, despite occasional noise and lighting control issues.
Reviews on service and value are mixed; praise for staff attentiveness contrasts with concerns over value for money. Amenities, including a rooftop pool and diverse dining, are generally applauded, though some minor shortcomings are noted.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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I want to thank all staff at the Central Hotel for their help and support during our stay last week. The receptionist particularly (I’m sorry I don’t know your name!) who got the medical help I needed and supported us over the following days. I will always look back at our time in Panama with good memories despite being unwell, thanks to you. I hope you know who you are! With all thanks and best wishes, M McLeish (with H Maxwell) xx
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Central Hotel Panama, Director General at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Apr 4, 2024
Thank you for your kind words, Miss McLeish. Even though you were in a bad condition, we are happy to hear thar you had a memorable time at our hotel. We are delighted to hear we were helpful in such a rough situation. We hope to see you soon in better conditions so you can enjoy to the fullest the experience of staying at our historical hotel! Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo Team
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The Central Hotel was an excellent choice for our home base in Panama. Our party of 5 adults stayed in three rooms. The rooms were clean, bright, and the bathrooms were spacious. The complimentary breakfast buffet with an omelette station was a perfect way to start each day. The location of the hotel was perfect for going to the rooftop bars, walking to the fish market, and checking out the local crafts. The hotel staff, especially Euclide at the front desk were very accommodating, holding our luggage during our short trips and granting us a late checkout. The pool also, was a great place to hang out in at the end of the day. I would highly recommend this hotel.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Angelica Cusatti, Propietario at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Feb 25, 2020
Dear guest, We appreciate the time you took to write your comment about your stay. We are very thankful because you chose us for your stay in Panama City. It is very satisfactory to know you had an excellent stay at the Central Hotel and that you enjoyed our customer service, pool, our breakfast and our location. We hope you can visit us again on your next trip. Best Regards, Nora Batista
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The Hotel has been recently redone to a level of luxury that is at once comfortable and relaxing. The rooms were beautifully furnished and even though we were on a street it was very quiet.
The common areas were beautiful and they had excellent quality guitarists in the afternoon and evening, providing just the right level of background music. It was a delight.
I would add that the front desk was the best concierge service I have experienced in a long time. Priscila and her colleagues, advised on wine stores, advised on restaurants, advised on where to get Covid-19 testing for travel, arranged drivers, etc. The guys are the front door knew your name and preferences within a day.
Terrific, lovely place. Will be back.
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Date of stay: March 2022
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nora Batista, Otros at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Apr 1, 2022
Dear George, Thank you for choosing the Central Hotel during your stay in Panama City. We are so happy with the fact that you had a pleasant stay and that your expectations were fully met. It is awesome to know that the front desk provided you with the best service. We highly appreciate your comments Mr. George and hope we can welcome you again on your next visit. Best Regards, Nora B.
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But, it is a glorified Premier Inn! Due to its location it is extremely noisy, outside and in. It has a number of function rooms which create a lot of noise especially so as the rooms are designed around the central hallway. We required twin beds, apparently there are only a small number of twin rooms and they are in the centre of the hotel, immediately over the central hallway. Be warned, there are no opening windows or natural light, only the light that filters in from the windows below the roof. The room was comfortable enough but it was no better than a Premier Inn room. The breakfast was reasonable, nothing special. Reception: one (female) member of staff was polite and helpful but the others were bordering on being rude, albeit they were efficient! Arriving early evening and finding no 'ordinary' tea in our room, only scented individual packets, my husband went to the bar (in the restaurant) to ask for some breakfast tea bags, the extremely stern lady said it was 'not aloud' to take them to our room and that her tea station was 'laid for breakfast' therefore she was unable to assist us! Needless to say, after protestations from my husband, she reluctantly gave him two! Apart from its central location to all things beautiful in Panama old town, it has nothing going for it....well not for us any way!
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AngelicaCusatti, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Feb 11, 2020
Dear guest, we appreciate all your comments and we thank you for choosing the Central hotel for your stay in Panamá. For us, is very unfortunate that our customer service did not fulfil your expectations neither did the room where you stayed close to the central hallway. As you mentioned it, you can hear some noise from the central hallway because of the way the hotel is built. We try to keep the charm of the hotel since it was built the first time in 1874. Your opinion is very valuable for us, so we are going to work on our customer service. Please receive our apologies, and we hope you can give us the opportunity to welcome you again. Sincerely, Nora Batista
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The hotel is nice and right in a great location. However, there were 2 items that really spoiled our experience.
The event space is in the middle of the hotel, and it is LOUD. The hotel is laid out with a main event space in the center with all the rooms surrounding it. During our stay, there was an event at the hotel which blasted music until 2 something. Not only could I hear it through earplugs and noise cancelling headphones, I could feel it thumping through my chest. It felt like torture. Being sick and having to wake up at 6 am the following morning, this was no bueno.
Our check-in was over an hour late. We had 3 rooms. Some members of the family were feeling sick so we arrived at the hotel early hoping the rooms would be ready. We arrived at 2 and check in is at 3 but all the rooms weren't ready until at least 4. To make matters worse, the hotel refused make any gesture of apology. In my experience, most hotels will offer a free drink or breakfast for the inconvenience. Furthermore, the staff was rude and unprofessional about the whole order.
One other thing which was more intriguing than anything. There are black vultures that
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Date of stay: December 2019
Service
Room Tip:Higher floors = quieter rooms
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from CentralHotelPanama, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Feb 4, 2020
Thank you for choosing Central Hotel for your trip to Panama City. For us is of great importance your comments because it allows us to get better daily. We are very sorry you had to go through all those conditions during your stay in Panama City. This was the first hotel in Panama City and it has been renovated several times. At the same time, it tries to keep its charming architecture, and that is why the rooms surround the center of the hotel. We will evaluate the specific departments to better our customer service. We hope you can receive our apologies and we guarantee that your next stay will be much better and unforgettably pleasant. Sincerely, Nora Batista
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We have never experienced a hotel with such poor service, staff lying, and absolutely no follow through on requests made. We stayed there for an entire week. One would think that we would be respected and our needs would be met. We had four early morning tour schedules that left before breakfast, that we had paid for, was served. We asked simply to have bread and or a roll. First we were told they would do that the next day, then we were told they would fix a boxed breakfast then were were told they could not do that, and finally they simply lied and said that they would do it the next day (3rd day) and NOTHING. So we felt like complete idiots and the staff could have cared less. They kept saying the manager would contact us and he NEVER did and on the day we checked out at noon, they said the manager would meet with us at 3:00, the time of our flight!!! The air conditioner did not work and we would freeze and then sweat and nothing was done. The spa was never opened even though they advertised it. They were to have a piano concert in the dining room and we planned our evening around it and it NEVER happened. I spoke to them several times about these issues and was totally ignored. We could hardly sleep because of all these issues, especially the AC. In this hotel, you are totally disrespected and they see themselves as a place to just collect money!!!! We would recommend the American Trade Hotel, two blocks away and in a great location as well. Staff, restaurant, jazz club, and services were great there and we were not even guests there.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:DO not stay there!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from CentralHotelPanama, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Feb 5, 2020
Every comment is highly important for us. They allow us to get better daily so, we can satisfy every request of our guests which is our priority. It is very sad to know that we did not fulfill your expectations at all during your stay. Therefore,we will evaluate all the issues you had with the specific departments to better our customer service. We offer our sincere apologies and we guarantee that your next stay at the Central Hotel will be of great pleasure. Sincerely, Nora Batista
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My husband and I vacationed two weeks in Panama, from Feb 19 – March 4, 2020. We explored the country, visiting Panama City, Santa Catalina, Boquette, Bocas del Toro and San Blas islands owned by Guna Yala. There are a lot of options for hotels in Panama City. We were fortunate to have chosen to stay at the Central Hotel Panama for our 3 nights in the old city. We would highly recommend this hotel for its exceptional service, great value, aesthetically beautiful ambience and its convenient location in Casco Viejo. The service is friendly and personable and the staff went above and beyond to assist us. I had the unfortunate situation of losing my cell phone and my husband’s phone got drenched on the boat ride to San Blas. It was a rough day! However, the hotel staff spoke English much better than our Spanish and were so helpful in assisting us with bookings, phone calls and computer use to allow us to re-organize due to our technology loss. As an added bonus we were served a complimentary glass of wine and a bottle of rum to sooth our nerves. We cannot thank the hotel staff enough for their hospitality and would like to make a special shout out to Reynaldo and Gretel for their kindness. I loved the hotel’s historic French architecture and beautiful lobby. The main attraction is a stunning wooden winding staircase with a lovely atrium, sitting area and restaurant on the main level. Our room was small, just like you would expect from an historic building, but clean and comfortable with a regular sized bathroom. We enjoyed our balcony overlooking a street in the old city. Our room was perfect for us but there are larger suites available of course. They served a hot and cold breakfast buffet, which was included in our room rate. The gym was adequately equipped and the rooftop pool has a spectacular view of the old city and the modern skyline in the distance. We were provided excellent recommendations for restaurants in the area. If you go to Panama City, you must stay at this charming hotel!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Get a room with a balcony for a view!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Angelica Cusatti, Propietario at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Mar 19, 2020
Dear guest, It is such a pleasure to read your fabulous experience not only in Panama but also in The Central Hotel. Thank you very much for taking the time to detail your experience like that. It is an honor for us to welcome every single guest that chooses to stay at our charming hotel. As you have said, this hotel is very antique and its rooms have different sizes, so we appreciate that you understand that. Also, thank you very much for letting us know how Reynaldo and Gretel assisted you. We will congratulate them for this great comment for sure. As a traveler you never know what could happen, in this case you lost your phone and your husband's phone was damaged, but what it is important is that you were very well assisted by our staff. We hope you can recommend us and please come back any time. Sincerely, Nora Batista
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I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights for a wedding. When my husband arrived (I joined him a day later), they waited until after putting a hold on his credit card to tell him they didn't have the room he had booked, or any other room for him, and he had to stay at another hotel for the first night. They lied and said the hotel was 10 minutes away when it was 40 and they were very late twice with his transportation making him miss 2 wedding events. They guaranteed he (obviously) wouldn't have to pay for his night at the other hotel and at the end of our stay they made him sign a bill for only 2 nights, as agreed. Later, they charged us also for the 1st night and, when we contacted them, they refused to remove the charge. Other friends in the wedding have had similar problems also. I'd absolutely avoid this hotel, it's not worth it.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AngelicaCusatti, Director de Relaciones con Clientes at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Mar 10, 2020
Dear guest, Thank you for taking the time to write your opinion and thank you for choosing to stay at the Central Hotel. We apologize for the misunderstanding about the nights that you husband had to pay. Normally, when a hotel is overbooked, if a guests has to stay the first night in another hotel (equal or better) the guest should still pay for that night because we accommodate him/her inspite of the fact that it is in another location. This happens not only in this hotel but in every single hotel around the globe. However, this should have been explained when your husband arrived at the Central Hotel, but it did not happen as I understand. Therefore, we are very sorry because it was a huge misunderstanding. Regarding the distance of the hotel and transportation services, the other hotel it is 10 min away without traffic. A transfer can take 40 min or more to get to that hotel if there is traffic that is why the transfers were late. We understand it was not the most pleasant stay; however, we apologize and wish that you give us another opportunity to better your experience at the Central Hotel. Please send us your bill to reservations@centralhotelpanama.com to check the first night charge. Sincerely, Nora Batista
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This is our 3rd time to stay at Central on this 2020 Panama trip. Yes, it is centrally located, convenient, and a nice hotel, with pleasant accommodating staff. We are staying on the 2nd floor on this stay and we are still wide awake at 3:45 am. We have to get up at 5:15 to catch an early flight. There is a rooftop bar about a block away with loud music that blasts right into our balcony windows. If you choose to stay at this nice location, request a room away from the beautiful front entrance and this very loud, obnoxious all night long noise.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Stay away from front balcony rooms, glass is not strong enough to prevent street noise.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Angelica Cusatti, Propietario at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Feb 29, 2020
Dear guests, Your comments are very important to us, so we appreciate the time you took to write it. Also, we thank you for saying all those beautiful adjetives about the Central Hotel. We apologize for the noise from outside. We understand how important is to sleep well and not doing that prior an early departure is not a good thing. However, we are trying to evaluate the options we have to assure that our guests have a good sleep in spite of the outside noise. We hope you had a wonderful trip in Panama City. Sincerely, Nora Batista
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Truly one of the best stays in my 5 years of visiting Panamá! I was combining a business trip with an anniversary with my boyfriend. I arrived during a typical afternoon deluge and was preparing to make a run for it with my shoes in hand. I was so surprised when my Uber was met with an umbrella carrying bellman who helped with my luggage. A pleasant and appreciate surprise from my other experiences in Panamá. The location in historic Casco Viejo and the history of the building sets the stage for a really great stay, and yet, there is something very special and unique about the vibe of “customer first” at this hotel. Overall, I was blown away by their customer service! Checkin was smooth and I felt honored, appreciated and special as if I had booked the most expensive room (I just booked a regular room with a package a few hours before I arrived). Franklin from the bell desk and valet was so helpful with suggestions of the area (although familiar with the area, I love learning about new places). They worked with me on timing and surprising my boyfriend who was arriving later and had multiple delays. The waitstaff in the restaurant was attentive, friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The food at the restaurant was on par with some of the “it” restaurants in Panamá city. After having worked for Marriott International for 5 years, I could tell this hotel has a great leadership and culture from the top down and upon checkout, I asked to speak to a manager to give my compliments. I was introduced to Benny, their sales manager, and I could see why all of the staff were happy, welcoming and focused on the customer…a rare combination in Panamá City hotels! The Central Hotel is my top recommendation for a boutique, luxury stay and I’ll be back again and again!
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nora Batista, Otros at Central Hotel Panama Casco Viejo
Responded Aug 16, 2022
Dear Shari, We highly appreciate your time when sharing your comment on TripAdvisor. The fact that we are able to read each and every guest's experience fills us with enormous satisfaction. It is awesome to know you had such a wonderful stay from the moment you stepped outside the taxi. As you have mentioned, we are all customer service oriented and in every single department, we try to apply that. This way, our guests will feel so warmly welcomed just as it was with you. Thank you very much for staying at the Central Hotel Panama, and we hope to have the honor to welcome you one more time. Sincerely, Nora Batista
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Within our Housekeeping team, we have members with various skills, including sewing. If you require professional assistance upon arrival, we can arrange for a service provider to offer sewing services at the hotel during your stay.
There are more places to choose from in the Panama City area.
PRICE RANGE
₱10,279 - ₱16,481 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Central Hotel Panama
LOCATION
PanamaPanama ProvincePanama City
NUMBER OF ROOMS
135
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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