Grand International Hotel

With its central location near some of Panama City’s best shopping, restaurants, and sights, the Grand International Hotel is a solid mid-range option for travelers who value convenience over character. The hotel’s eight-story green-glass facade -- like many of Panama City’s buildings -- has weathered time much better than the hotel’s tired interiors. The lobby -- with its gray granite walls and floors, and unstaffed concierge desk -- isn't exactly inspiring or lively, and its faded red couches are usually empty, save for the errant guest awaiting a taxi or purchasing a coffee or soda from the vending machines. Alternatively, guests and locals alike are drawn to Roommates, the hotel's restaurant and bar. It has a large indoor/outdoor seating area, miniature model bikes on the wall, and Moroccan lanterns overhead -- it's a popular spot throughout the week. Hotel guests fill the seats for its breakfast buffet, while at night, locals take advantage of its happy-hour drink specials. The hotel draws a mix of all types of travelers, from business guests to families, couples, and groups of friends passing through on vacation.

Situated in the heart of Panama City’s El Cangrejo neighborhood -- known for its restaurants and bustling commercial heart -- the Grand International Hotel is a 40-minute taxi from Panama’s Tocumen International Airport and 20 minute taxi from Albrook International Airport, Panama City’s hub for domestic flights.

The Via Argentina Metro stop is an eight-minute walk from the hotel along tree-lined Via Argentina. While the hotel does not offer gym facilities, a public park with outdoor fitness equipment, a basketball court, and park benches is only two blocks from the hotel. Nearby food options are a four-minute walk from the hotel and range from “typico” Panamanian spots to Lebanese, Indian, Peruvian and Chinese restaurants. A pizza and sushi restaurant are located in the building’s ground floor as well as a car rental agency. Around the corner from the hotel is quirky Einstein Plaza, with its boulder-size bust of Albert Einstein surrounded by a small garden.  

The hotel's proximity to many of Panama City’s top sites can't be beat. The cobblestoned Old City, with its narrow streets of crumbling and restored Spanish colonial mansions and churches, is a 15-minute drive, while Panama City’s Parque Natural Metropolitano -- teeming with birds, monkeys and three-toed sloths -- is only 10 minutes away by car. The Panama Canal, where visitors can watch 700-plus-foot tankers rise and fall as they transit through the canal’s gravity-fed lock system is a 25-minute drive from the hotel.

The Grand International Hotel’s 118 bright rooms aim for city-chic -- blending minimalist modern touches with Asian-accented furniture -- but ultimately the look is a bit tired. Thankfully, rooms are bright due to large windows and light color schemes. Red Mahogany wood panels complement padded headboards and granite-topped end tables in the hotel’s Deluxe King, Deluxe Double, and Junior Suite rooms. Gray granite floors look a bit dated, but keep things light, and white walls are nearly bare, save for gold-framed mirrors and a piece of statement art, like framed Persian-style tapestries or collages of silver-painted shells. Some rooms spice up the style a notch with funky floor rugs of blossoming red rose petals or honeycombed giraffe-inspired patterns.

Overall the rooms are clean and well maintained, but we did notice a few dirt spots or scuff marks on the floors. Size wise, the Deluxe King and Deluxe Double rooms are identical. Junior Suites offer a large bedroom and connected living room with comfortable couches and coffee tables. Rooms on the building’s west side have views of the city while rooms on the east side overlook the hotel’s pool and parking courtyard.

Wall-mounted flat-screen TVs (the Junior Suite has two) with English-language news channels, telephones, and a closet safe are standard features. Closets are big enough for an entire travel wardrobe, but often lack hangers. Refrigerators, minibars, coffeemakers, and hot water kettles are all available on request. There is also in-room Wi-Fi, but it can be spotty and at times slow.

The bathrooms are a big perk, with large frosted-glass walls and spacious, stand-up showers, granite vanities with decent counter space, magnifying mirrors, plus soap and shampoo. A nice touch is the toilet paper roll with its leading edge expertly folded like an origami fan. Only third-floor rooms have hairdryers.

Topping the list of the hotel's features is its infinity pool, an urban oasis that stands out with its blue-tile trapezoidal shape surrounded by a large deck and lounge chairs. There are plants and flower set around the area, though towels are unavailable poolside, so be sure to bring your own from the room. There is no fitness center, despite the claims made on the hotel's website, though there is a beauty and manicure salon.

Another hotel highlight is Roommates, its bar and restaurant that's popular with guests and locals alike. The daily breakfast buffet includes a variety of items like eggs, rice and beans, bacon, cereal, American cheese and bread, though it's not included in room rates. The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner, and drinks are available throughout the day -- that happy hour has particularly good deals. Don’t forget bug spray, though, as mosquitoes hover around the restaurant’s outdoor seating area (alternatively, there's indoor seating as well). 

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, but spotty, and there is no business center. Parking is also free and there's a convenient car rental office on-site. Keep in mind that early check-ins are not free. Multiple carriers offer redeye flights to Panama City with an early morning arrival time, and this fee which isn’t listed on many hotel booking sites. The cost could be a deal breaker, as its quite steep relative to the nightly cost of a stay here, so check ahead with the hotel.