Sheraton Grand Panama — Hotel in San Francisco

So let me preface that we showed up without a reservation and eventually got what we needed. We had a terrible flight from Brazil to Panama and decided to stay the night in the city before driving home. We arrived to Panama at 6am and to the hotel at 7am. We went to Sheraton because I have had similar experiences in U.S. and Sheraton always lets us in early when we have early arriving flights. This hotel was very Panamanian, and if you dont understand what that means, it means they have horrible service. 1. They couldn't help us over the phone. 2. When we arrived, the front desk didn't have the ability to make a reservation and made us use a phone in the lobby, which also didn't work. We booked online, but that didn't work because they couldn't see the reservation. Two hours later we finally got the lobby phoen to work and we got a room. 3. We tried to use our Jubilado discount, and they wouldn't honor that. Instead, they gave us a discounted rate more expens8ve than the Jubilado discount. 4. When we asked for help concerning anything with the hotel, for example, the rooftop restaurant that needed a special payment to even enter, we got offhanded explanations and quip retorts...not that type of service you expect from a top hotel brand. 5. Let me say that all the food was good or great quality. The service in Yardline sports bar and Bistro were horrid however. Slow, so very slow.... my wife and I ran out of drinks multiple times, had to ask for condiments twice, and had to get up at least three times and track down waiters. 6. For rooms that are +/- 300 the rooms are horrid... old gross carpet, no wash cloths, just handtowels and body towels, very dark color schemes, just too expensive and not enough value.

So all of this is very Panamanian, unless the servers are foreign you get this type of service everywhere..... but I expect more from this brand...

Stayed here for 3 nights. They have great SPG Platinum status recognition, and I was upgraded to one of their corner suites w/o asking. The check-in agent was polite and explained to me all the details. One suggestion for them is to have a dedicated SPG elite check-in line at the front desk. During peak hours, the queue gets very long and it would be appreciated.

The suite include two smaller bathrooms with shower only. It would be nice to have one bigger bathroom and/or with a bath tub. Due to the hotel location and the window angle, the living room had a nice waterview.

Their Club Lounge is nice and never crowded during the stay. The breakfast hours include full buffet items and omelette station. The evening spreads include two hot items, ceviche, fruit/cheese, salad, mini sandiwich, dessert items, and beer/wine. Complementary wireless internet access was also available in the lounge.

Location-wise, it is a bit away from the city center - you need a cab to get around. Due to the casino (within the hotel), it gets very crowded on weekend evenings, and the rather small entrance area becomes like a zoo - gets challenging to get help from the bell desk for taxi. They also seem to host lots of functions/parties which make the situation even more chaotic.

Their fitness club is fairly new and nicely equipped.

The service received from concierge was a bit mixed. One guy was very friendly and polite - he was always helpful while the other guy seemed to be bothered for a simple...

This hotel made for a poor travel experience. Upon arrival we were given a room that smelled like raw sewage, unclean, and had rusted/dirty lamps. The smell was too repulsive to stay beyond a few minutes so thankfully we were able to switch room. Our next room was a bit better— no smell. But it didn’t have a proper mattress protector, just flimsy fabric that would slip off so it felt unclean. Staff were unkind. They would act as if our presence was an inconvenience and it was a hassle to get more tissue, soap, and water. The food was awful— it was worse than Denny’s quality for breakfast, and the most skint underwhelming dinner options for the buffet. Las Hadas was a bit better in quality but it took over an hour to get a meal and I was given the wrong meal on a different occasion for which they almost didn’t give me a replacement and wanted me to just eat what was brought. For a top 4 star hotel that’s a part of a competitive chain we might have been better off at a budget hotel or airbnb. The spa was the saving grace as the steam room and whirlpool were a nice to relax in— very clean. But the staff didn’t help me get the whirlpool set up and were just looking at me and laughing. The older woman who runs it would just stare down at me when I would come in and out but she would smile and greet others. It was just an uncomfortable place to be. The location earned it a few points though as it’s close to several grocery stores and...