Hotel Riu Plaza Panama

Location: right in the banking district, basically "downtown" Panama City, on Calle 50 ("50th Street"). Easy to get to most everywhere, not too far from other venues, sites, and restaurants. Walkable neighborhoods to the north and south (Obarrio and Marbella). Lodgings: Spacious, with a kingsize bed--if you like firm betting, this will more than please you. A little too much for me, but it was adequate. Well-appointed bathroom, appliances, and good climate control. There was a bit of a "mold-like/stale" smell. This is Panama City, where humidity and the jungle do constant battle with buildings, so understandable a bit, but it wasn't on every floor, so something maybe the can get on top of to solve as an issue. Breakfast: The only complaint was the visit before, they had bacon, and a little more variety to the breakfast buffet--this stay, there was less variety , and no bacon served at all, even though there were other "North American traditional" breakfast foods. Also, after staying two weeks, we got a bit tired of the same things, but the food quality itself was decent. All other dining options (restaurants on property, and the room service) were good. Staff: Great and helpful. Always looking for ways to make your stay complete. Best part of the stay.

Good stay clean,friendly staff, good food lots to do for shopping within walking distance of hotel will stay there again

I had a blast at the Riu Plaza hotel in Panama. Very nice and clean hotel. The people are very nice.

I truly appreciate the staff and management at the Riu. They were so kind to ensure our stay was comfortable and relaxing. The management even was kind enough to celebrate my wife’s birthday with a delicious treat. The breakfast is amazing and I highly recommend to anyone visiting.

The time was well spent, I enjoyed every bit of it the location is priceless, room service the whole staff was so polite and friendly, the stay was warm and welcoming I would recommend Hotel Riu Plaza to everyone.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Riu. It was the employees that made me feel special. It is a little older hotel so there was a faint musty smell in the halls and room but since I wasn't in the room much it wasn't a problem for me. It is centrally located with decent restaurants and a fun pool area.

Lovely hotel the rooms are very big and spacious. Beautiful views from your rooms .he hotel staff are people friendly. Must recommend to my friends.

Overall, this hotel is a decent choice. However, there are a few factors that I wished that I had known prior to going as this was my first stay at this property. 1. Weekend Pool Passes. The long weekend that I stayed at this property, it was pretty much fully booked. Under normal circumstances, there was enough capacity at the pool to accommodate guests. However, day passes are sold to locals, so when I went down to the pool, I could not get a seat because the majority of the seats were taken by day guests. They could be identified by the colorful bands on their wrists. So as a paying guest at the hotel, I could not fully enjoy the pool area because drunken locals with their multitude of screaming kids were utilizing the space. Please also note that on weekends, there is obnoxiously loud techno music playing all day. So between the locals and the music, the pool scene was less than relaxing or accessible. It should also be noted that pool passes are sold during the week as well, but the volume of locals is exponential on the weekends. 2. The Executive Lounge. I booked my suite so that I could have access to the lounge. This is an amenity that I look for in my hotel stays. However, no where is it mentioned on their website that the lounge is CLOSED on weekends. So, even though I paid for access to the lounge, when I checked in at 3pm on Friday, the lounge was closed by 5pm and did not reopen until 9am on Monday. I felt really ripped off and disappointed in all honesty. 3. Property Size. This property is HUGE. I would compare it to being on a Carnival Cruise (not in a good way). The lobby is expansive and impersonal. The main dining room for breakfast could rival any cruise ship. It is a bit zoo like. The whole property has this feel. I wish that I had known the factors above because in all honesty, I would have probably chosen another property for my stay in Panama City

Everyone at the hotel was extremely nice! Great value! Central location to everything. Really enjoyed!

The hotel is in a prime location in the financial district, just steps away from great restaurants, shops, and public transportation which made exploring the city convenient. My room was spacious, clean, and comfortable with modern amenities. The housekeeping team did a fantastic job keeping everything spotless throughout my stay. The breakfast buffet was the best — it offered a huge variety of delicious options every morning. The staff were friendly, attentive, and ready to help whenever we needed anything - from check-in to dining recommendations and local tips.