Bristol Panama, a Registry Collection Hotel — Hotel in Bella Vista

As a solo traveler I enjoyed my stay at the Bristol. The staff were kind. I had the executive room and let me start by saying it was huge! More than enough space. The bed was comfy and the bathroom was more than enough space for me. I felt like a queen! It felt good to be welcomed by friendly faces at the door each time I came and went. The breakfast was amazing. The only thing I griped a bit with was the seating to be inclusive for solo travelers. One day I went in and I was showed to the door to have a seat outside. It would have been great any other day but that day I had on a semi-formal dress and sitting outside wasn’t conducive given I would have begun sweating and ruining my dress before I had a chance to leave. I was sort of shrugged off by the attendant that day. I think the manager came out and I politely asked if I could be seated inside. I then begin saying, I truly only needed 20 minutes to eat and I would be leaving. I was accommodated with seating inside but after a bit of a wait. I totally understood and waited. I am not sure if it's ideal, but to save space and allow for seating with larger groups, perhaps a room service can be granted for those individuals who are solo. Even if it's a limited list of items to choose from. I think this hiccup was only for that particular day however, I went the next day and had a place to sit. After I was stared at by the same attendant the day before for being solo. I am not sure; the gentlemen were welcoming but that particular attendant did peer at me as an inconvenience. The same as the day before, almost like “why are you here” kind of feeling or like, “you’re going to throw off our seating”. I didn't care for that exchange and I didn't let sway my overall review. The last thing this female attendant did that sort of left a bad taste in my mouth, as I finished eating (getting up from my seat) and left for the elevator to go up, she stopped me and asked me my room number. I thought that was weird because I wouldn’t have been allowed to seat without checking in at the kiosk. Whether you were there or not, I shouldn’t have to feel like I was dining there in violation. Also, YOU WERE NOT THERE WHEN I CAME. Ask another colleague, I shouldn’t have been approached, it made me feel like I wasn’t supposed to be there, when in fact I paid a hefty penny to stay there for 4 days. The spa was amazing. I was serviced by Sonia. Sonia was amazing! The massage was a 10/10. I told her that this was one of the best massages I have had in my life, if not thee best! I have traveled a number of places and have had massages in many reputable establishments, this one was incomparable! If you have time, go and check out Sonia, I enjoyed my self-care time with her at the Bristol Salon and Spa! Overall, I would recommend this hotel! I personally felt safe as a solo traveler. Other than the, one off colleague in the restaurant (that gave me very unprofessional energy) the other staff members were respectful and kind. I would revisit this hotel if I am...

I'll start with the bad aspects. It's not a 5-star hotel. The rooms and amenities are 4-star, and the service is 3-star. Staff, especially at reception, is slow and unfriendly. We were not allowed to have dinner at the hotel restaurant on the Dec 24th because it was "only for people who bought Christmas dinner," despite it being almost empty. It was pretty inconvenient to run around in the empty city with an infant baby. The only people who made an effort were Carlos and Leonardo at the door, and SPA specialist Sonia, who was absolutely fantastic. The breakfast was good, but it was inconsistent. Twice they had stale bagels that were non-chewable. Another weird thing was that we were told we needed to pay extra for an omelette, even though we had breakfast included in our reservation. The suite room was nice, but the faucet was wobbly, the washing machine was not tightly screwed, so it's very loud during the wringing stage, and the trash bin is detached from the cabinet door. Charging for every little thing was also lame for a supposedly 5-star hotel - $10 for a bottle of water (which is sold for a fraction of that in a Chinese grocery store around the corner), $3.75 for a small cup of tea (which is free in the relaxation room on the 25th floor), and expensive taxis when ordered by the hotel (which are 3X cheaper with Uber Black). All of this is not a 5-star experience when you pay $330/night. THE GOOD THINGS: Sonia at the SPA, stunning view in relaxation rooms on the 25th, a nice sauna (which they kept switching off), a beautiful lobby and rooms (in the new tower), breakfast when everything is fresh, and GREAT coffee, which is very rare at hotels. So overall isn't bad but I'm not sure...

I stayed in this hotel because my school paid for the hotel. I felt like during my time at this hotel the staff unfairly treated me, I think some were racist. The reason why I say that is because of 3 incidents that’s occurred, the first incident was when I arrived before checkin at 3pm, I arrived at 6:30 am and went to go to the 5th floor to get breakfast, the staff told me when I asked to sit, that they were not open even though the hours on my school itinerary said 6:30am-10am when I showed the staff woman with red lipstick my itinerary the lady changed her response and allowed me to sit. The 2nd incident happened when I went to come back with my 1 white friend and 2 black friends so the white friend could eat , the staff charge me and my 2 black friend $35 for coffee and didn’t charge the white girl anything or even say anything to her about breakfast not being covered by the school. The 3rd incident was the room they gave me did not have a bathtub, (another woman with red lipstick )when I went to the front desk to complain about it the Afro Panamanian woman asked me “how did I get a room with no bathtub because there are only 10 rooms without bathtub though out the whole hotel. “ I felt like the staff unfairly treated me sometype of way and didn’t treat my white counterparts that way, in addition to no bath tub the replacement room didn’t have a coffee machine (like all the rest of the rooms) and didn’t have a clock either. I just felt like I was being treated less than and customer service was lacking. I would not recommend this country or hotel for travel if the people of Panama that are fairer...