Hilton Garden Inn Panama City Airport — Hotel in Lynn Haven

FYI: I emailed corporate directly to tell of the visit we had although one of the most difficult times in my life, this team really showed my family and I so much compassion. This team certainly deserves recognition for how much they value their guest and the experience they provide. Corporate never responded to me nor posted my letter so here it is below: This letter is finding you a few months later because emotionally it’s been difficult for me but I am thankfully finally able to take the time to sing the praises of the entire staff at this property. Although our reason for being in Panama City was anything but pleasurable, our stay at your Hilton Garden Inn Airport property was. Our first visit to this property was January 18 of this year. My dear younger brother took his final rest on January 12th and I needed to come home, home to Panama City to make arrangements. We normally stay at a hotel closer in town when we visit but my hubby remembered seeing this property when he had flown in 2024. He was impressed with the overall exterior and mentioned staying there for a future visit, not knowing it would be so soon we would be laying to rest another member of my family.

Our first stay we arrived late that Saturday night and upon entering we were genuinely greeted, I so needed that because it was a week after my brother’s passing.

I inquired at the front desk if there was a small meeting area we could use to make arrangements since we were only there for one day.. I met Donna, told her why we were here and what I needed, she not only put us in a meeting room but refused to charge us for it. She explained it was Sunday so it was available and due to our circumstance she was more than happy to help. Of course, my tears were flowing! I hadn’t encountered such a hospitable environment in years, I was so grateful. So arrangements were made in a very private room that this team so graciously allowed us to use.

We checked out the next morning and Donna told me to contact the Assistant General Manager Darrell Toney, giving me his card. She knew we would be back in a few weeks, along with other family members who also lived out of state for my brothers service. She mentioned Darrell may be able to accommodate our family coming in. We left that Monday morning, mentally and emotionally drained but oh so thankful for this entire staff and how they made the painful visit so much better for us. I called Darrell and he was the best! He was professional but empathetic and so easy to talk to. He did accommodate my family when we came back for the service. We all were put on the same floor with the rooms close together, again more tears.This made one of the worst times in my life a little bit easier to bear. In our previous visits, we have stayed at hotels more centrally located and much closer to our family and friends but because of the experience we had during both stays, we will bypass them all. I don’t want to leave folks out but everyone was awesome! Original Simmons was the guest host one night and he was the best! I encountered another guest representative Nearest, he was also so kind, another smile put on my face. The entire staff was wonderful! Let me wrap this up because I could go on and on about this caring devoted staff and how they made me and my family feel during this difficult time. Thank you for setting the tone and expectation that the guest and their needs are the priority, that the guest are not an interruption. This staff exemplifies what the customer experience should feel and look like no matter the reason for your stay. We will be visiting again soon and look forward to seeing all these folks again who treated us with...

Rooms

We stayed here for two nights to celebrate my mom’s birthday, joined by my sister and mom. Room cleanliness could’ve been better, but the beds were very comfortable — we all slept great. The air conditioning worked extremely well, and the water pressure and temperature in the shower were excellent, which made the stay more comfortable.

Service

When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to be allowed to check in two hours early — definitely a nice perk. The front desk clerk was friendly, but we weren’t given any information about our stay. For example, we had prepaid for breakfast (which is cooked to order, not buffet-style), but weren’t told we needed to collect a breakfast coupon from the front desk.

Breakfast was delicious, and our waitress each day were wonderful, but the restaurant was clearly short-staffed, resulting in long wait times. We also received some old fruit that we couldn’t eat.

On our final night, we requested extra towels and washcloths before heading to dinner. When we returned, the items hadn’t been delivered. We followed up with a phone call and were told they would be brought up, but after waiting with no update, I went to the front desk. The clerk, who was busy checking in other guests, asked another staff member to retrieve them. That person went into a staff-only area and never returned, so we never received the items. I mentioned this at checkout and was informed that housekeeping services are not available at night — something we wish we had known ahead of time.

Also, pool towels run out quickly, so I recommend bringing your own towels and washcloths to avoid inconvenience.

Location

This hotel is conveniently located near the airport, which is a plus if you’re flying in or out. However, if your goal is to enjoy Pier Park or spend time at the beach, you may want to stay closer to that area. It was about an 18-minute drive each way. Additionally, there aren’t any stores, gas stations, or restaurants nearby — the nearest gas station was about a...

We booked 3 rooms here for 2 nights after our flight was cancelled, and then our 2 flights for the next day were cancelled. It was an absolute nightmare of a situation as we had 7 people and a bunch of luggage and had already turned in our rental car and no others that would fit us were available. Being a Diamond Member I jumped right onto the website to see if they had space available. Thankfully they did as well as an airport shuttle. So I booked us online for 3 rooms for the night as we had a flight the next morning. I called the hotel and the shuttle was right there to get us. In the process of getting onto the shuttle our flight for the next day was cancelled. So we got settled in our rooms and went downstairs for dinner. When we did that, I asked the front desk guy if I booked online if we could keep our same rooms (I had booked our first nights with points which caused a bit of an issue for adding a night). He said yes, but I couldn't get the AAA rate, and after the long day and all of the stress (our furnace went out at home in Wisconsin at then same time our flight was cancelled so we were dealing with that as well) I said just do it and I'll pay whatever. He told me to go enjoy dinner with my family and he would take care of it. He brought a copy of the new reservation over and gave me the discounted rate and kept us in the same rooms which were all right next to each other on the same floor. I was so thankful he helped with that and gave me some time to sit and relax for dinner. The pool was super warm even though it was cold out and the fitness center was very nice. Even though this was unplanned, it was a great hotel and was very clean. If we had a flight cancelled again I would not hesitate to stay here. The food was also good down at the restaurant.||The only downside is that without a car, you are dependent on food delivery services as there is nothing other than the hotel restaurant anywhere near...