Le Méridien Panama — Hotel in Bella Vista

Le Meridien Panama, is rated between 4.4 to 5.0 stars online depending on the website. After doing some research, I did notice some mixed reviews with emphasis from some on the lack of courtesy from the Front Desk Staff. That didn’t bother me. I think of myself as pretty likable, so I booked my Delta Vacation package with Le Meridien. Based on the location and amenities, it was the hotel for me.

Prior to my arrival, I did communicate with the staff on 2 different occasions via email. Once regarding my SPG membership, another regarding my late check in time. With each email, I received an almost immediate and proactive response. Which I appreciated. I have to thank Aixa Gonzalez and Darling Pinto for their prompt follow up and resolution.

My opinion on the customer service during the 6 days that I stayed at Le Meridien Panama:

Upon arrival, everyone was very polite. Joel was happy to help me with my luggage and guiding me to my room. When we expressed dissatisfaction with the view from the room, Joel immediately took the concern to the night manager, who moved us to another room with a better view within 10 minutes. I was very impressed!

I was in and out of the hotel very frequently throughout my stay. Everyone made an effort to strike up conversation by asking what I had planned and if I needed any assistance. I should have taken down more names of staff that I interacted with because, again, everyone was very friendly.

I felt the need to address this because, working in operations for a company that values the customer experience, customer service is very important to me. I am actually very anal about it. If you are not familiar with a country, a negative review can prevent you from having a great experience. Word of mouth is a major factor of how people spend their money. I hate to see good businesses get a bad rep.

The Hotel:

The hotel is very beautiful. And though it can be loud due to the traffic, the view from the rooftop is amazing as the hotel is tucked between tall skyscrapers along the Avenida Balboa strip. The location of the hotel is very convenient, just minutes away from most attractions and restaurants. Cinta Costera is directly across from the hotel along Avenida Balboa, and you can get to Casco Viejo via taxi or Uber within 5 minutes. I personally give the hotel 4.5 Stars and would definitely book a stay again with...

This hotel is not representative of even a 3-star property and I'm baffled at the Le Meridien branding. Physically, the hotel does not appear as if it's been updated since the early 90s at latest. The furniture in the room is a dinged, scratched, dated 'black lacquer' style. The carpeting on the room floor was heavily stained and dirty. The closet door, a rather heavy thing, fell off the rails during normal usage. The views from the rooms are not great; the hotel only goes up to the 6th floor of this tall building; the rest are apartments. Beds are fine and mattresses comfortable. The cheapest possible pod-style coffee maker is available. An amenity for status members was not provided, unless it was the small bottle of water that was on the nightstand. The showerhead was floppy and not aimable; you had to stand directly underneath it, against the wall. The conditioner looked and smelled disgusting, as though it hadn't been changed in years. Water pressure and temperature was fine. The bathroom scale didn't work due to a depleted battery.||The dim, worn "fitness center" has one weight machine that's partially broken, four sets of small dumbbells (max 16kg/ 35lb), and some cardio equipment. The pool area on the 6th floor is decent, but only has a small handful of loungers and no real service. Elevators are stiflingly hot and humid. Common areas on guest room floors are dirty, dark, and dingy.||Checkin was bizarre, with two lines open and up to 7 staff members milling around at a time, but had incredibly long waits to get a key in what is really a very small property. One agent would type into a computer for 10 minutes and then just disappear, prompting the person who had just been abandoned at the checkin counter to summon someone else to help. I watched this happen a handful of times.||Lobby furniture is disgustingly stained, dirty, and worn. The bar, where breakfast is served, is marginal. Breakfast was adequate but not great: mostly egg product; a selection of breads, cured meat, and cheeses; two choices of cereal; and an omelet station. There were theoretically two juices on offer, but usually one was empty. Tables were not cleaned quickly and a number of tables (particularly outside) didn't have place settings. ||Overall, kind of a dingy vibe; I'm truly wondering how anybody could rate this...

The pictures they have on the website are totally misleading. This is NOT a four or five star hotel it’s more like a two star.

When checking they tried charging me again and I had already prepaid the room. If I had not prepaid I would have gone to another hotel! The people were kind, but the service is slow and awful. The place is understaffed and they don't pick up the phone when you call from the room to order something. I expect a four or five star international hotel to have a professional staff that includes speaking English. The bartender could not make a proper drink, because he didn’t know English. I after two tries and translating it to Spanish I just ordered wine.

Our upgraded room, I am a Gold Status Member, was a second floor ocean/parking lot view over a major thoroughfare and above valet parking. Extremely noise to say the least. We were able to purchase ear plugs at the Pharmacia. Our Deluxe Room, the one we original booked, listed the amenities as a separate shower and tub. We didn’t see a tub!

There was no sheet on the bed. I waited in the lobby for 20 minutes to get pool towels and a sheet for the bed which we had to make ourselves. Then the next day housekeeping took the sheet off again and we had to order another sheet.

The place is in need of desperate repairs. And the ice maker on our floor did not work. No turndown service or international newspapers in the lobby.

The photos are misleading and it is a six story hotel that sits under a 30+ condo building. The pool is tiny and in the shade and the fitness room is a joke.

Additionally they were doing construction right outside the front door of the hotel which blocked thestreet, made a lot of noise, lots of dirt and dust, a total mess, and difficulty getting in and out of the hotel. We also received a notice that our water would be shut off one evening.

Let me hit the highlights: Great A/C in the room and hallways (Although no A/C on the elevators, 90+ degrees in March), clean rooms, and a smoke free hotel. They were also kind enough to make me a Caesar chicken salad, which was very good, before lunch had stated because we had a...