The Santa Maria, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Golf Resort, Panama City — Hotel in Juan Díaz

Santa Maria Luxury Collection Hotel

One of our favorite hotels in Panama City. I think it is only 2 years old. It is resort style place and great for a family vacation. Hotel decorated beautifully and has a lot of traditional art pieces. Great customer service and very detail oriented. Front desk experience was great, room service as well.

Hotel has a nice pool area with cabanas and pool bar with the golf course view. The pool area is kids friendly and for smaller kids there is a special shallow kids pool. Since the hotel is located in a county club it is very quiet and safe, so you will sleep well at night and rest well during the day. You will have to rent a car or take a taxi if you want to go out to the city, because the hotel is located at least 10 minutes away driving from the restaurants, mall and bars area. You cannot really walk much near the hotel area, but you can play golf or visit the gym, which is pretty good size and has a lot of equipment, water bottles and bathroom. Rooms are very cozy, super comfortable beds, and blankets and pillows soft like clouds. In the room there are smart TVs with high resolution and Netflix (which is not common in Panama City based on my experience), cool coffee machines (one of the best I’ve ever used) and cute details like hand-made basket for the toiletries in the bathrooms and chocolates with the turn down service.

Across the lobby there is a coffee shop with fresh sandwiches and delicious deserts (tres leches cake was our favorite). Breakfast buffet was very tasty and had a lot of options. There are a couple of options for lunch and dinner. And we had a beautiful traditional live performance during our dinner, which was amazing.

There is wonderful spa where they offer multiple services so you don’t have to leave the hotel. And there are several conference areas, which can be rented for celebration special occasions.

Our experience was great but I would suggest to pay attention to the cleanliness of the outside seating area. Tables need to be wiped more frequently and dishes need to be removed as soon as guests leave the tables to keep the birds out (since they are chasing the leftovers). I had to ask for a table to be cleaned for us to seat and enjoy our coffee and desert that we got at the coffee shop, since many tables were vacant but not clean and had birds eating leftovers. Also wet wipes for cleaning equipment were out at the gym and I had mentioned a couple people about it, the carpet at the gym was a little worn out and a potential fall hazard. I tripped a couple of times while working out, but it was not bad and I didn’t fall.

We were in love with the hotel and had an amazing experience. Thank you very much for making our...

In Pursuit of the Ultimate Customer Experience

The quote; “It’s Not how you start, but it’s how you finish that matters”, would be an appropriate portrayal of our two-night experience at this upscale property!

We checked in to a balcony suite overlooking the golf course which was also simultaneously hosting an event with loud music, contributing to limited use of attached balcony. We incorrectly assumed that the event would end at sun down and we could enjoy drinks and dinner and an evening on the balcony as planned.

Through out the afternoon the volume kept increasing so that the music penetrated the room with the bass thumping the walls and floor. It was so toxic we both developed pounding head aches and nausea set in.

In early evening Issac from guest services visited the room and immediately agreed this was a problem for all the hotel guests even though we would be the first of numerous noise complaints received that night.

Issac a rising star in guest experience satisfaction worked tirelessly with the team to find a solution involving, changing the speaker locations and lowering the event noise volume to a lesser extent and then eventually involved a late-night room change.

A change in which Issaic would stay on past his shifts end to ensure we were settled and comfortable, and included additional co-ordination with housekeeping in making up a non-allergenic room.

Housekeeping would also visit the suite the next day and left it sparkling along with our walking / running shoes which were literally scrubbed to like new clean – a first in any hotel we have stayed at!

Issac and the guest services manager Kathleen would then check in with us the next day and along with the team completely went the extra mile to continue the recovery from the night before. Ensuring we left with smiles on our faces and happy memories!

As they say “sh#t happens”, however how you finish is what truly makes the difference!

Thank you everyone for a great and successful recovery – we will remember and appreciate all...

I have stayed at many Marriott Bonvoy properties around the world, many offering other "luxuries" that their brand implies -- Ritz Carlton & St. Regis come to mind -- but none have the specialness, the warmth, the outstanding customer service from a team of very lovely people at the Santa Maria Hotel & Golf Resort. You see, my husband broke his neck in an unfortunate accident in Panama in mid-January, and had emergency surgery. After his successful surgery, we had to stay in the country for follow up care and our next stop was the Santa Maria (praise!). When the GM of the hotel heard that my husband was in a neck brace, and I was asking the front desk for a recliner for him to sleep in, he sprang into action and brought one from his home for us to use for our 8 day stay! I cried! I could see everyday kindess bestowed not only on us, but to families with small children, or to someone who needed a hand with a plate at breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, Jacabeth remembered my husband liked a bit of Irish Cream in his coffee and she brought him that every day. We never asked. Lia, Mary, Paola, Jonathan, Joseph, Indira, Thayan, Angeline -- all led by the spectacular General Manager Hector Rodriguez. He is a STAR! Talk about going above and beyond, Hector sets the example for the team at this incredible resort. Travelers, do not think twice before booking this hotel. It is not only beautiful, clean and has the most amazing flower displays, but the food in the hotel is also beyond reproach. Mr. Rodriguez has gathered a group of people that care about us demanding travelers, and we are putty in their hands because they treat us so well. Oh, and the mattresses! I looked at the tag because I want to order one. They are so comfortable -- they don't lean on one side, the linens are fresh and the housekeeping is prompt. The shops around the hotel offer a pharmacy, liquor store, cafe, a gorgeous home decor store, among others. We didn't golf, obviously, but the championship golf...